Ruth Stoan, LPC

Ruth Stoan is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with 35 years of experience helping people navigate big life changes. She recognizes how hard it can be to ask for help and aims to make the first steps feel manageable and respectful. Ruth prioritizes clear, practical work that helps clients move forward. Ruth has worked in private practice, community agencies, and care facilities. She has supported people around relationships, grief and loss, stress, anxiety, addictions, and LGBTQ+ concerns. A recurring area of focus is aging and geriatric issues and caregiver stress, including hospice and end-of-life counseling. She draws on a range of approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Client-Centered Therapy. Ruth also uses mindfulness tools, breath work, guided imagery, and other holistic practices to help people reduce blocking beliefs and build new habits. In sessions she helps clients set clear goals and develop skills they can use between meetings. Ruth works collaboratively to identify immediate concerns and the deeper patterns that hold people back. She aims to be an advocate and practical partner through the change process. Ruth finds video helpful for building a connection, and she also offers phone and text contact when that is more comfortable. She sees people during weekdays, some evenings, and by request on Saturday. International clients may be supported in English.

How therapeutic approaches shape online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on clarifying values and taking small, committed steps toward them while learning to allow difficult thoughts and feelings. It can help with stress, anxiety, and life direction questions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact and teaches concrete skills to shift unhelpful patterns, which is useful for depression, anxiety, and coping with change. Client-Centered Therapy centers the person’s own experience and supports growth through listening, empathy, and collaboration; it helps when someone needs space to name goals and make decisions.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Ruth treats choosing methods as a collaborative process and will help clients decide which tools match their needs, goals, and preferences. Over time she adjusts the plan based on what helps most.

Ruth has used video to build connection, and she notes phone and text as additional contact options. If you prefer a specific session format, confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into busy days, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time so therapy can be sustained alongside caregiving, work, or other routines.