01 · Who Ruth works with

Ruth works with stress, Anxiety, grief and self esteem

Ruth lists 15 specialisms and 27 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Ruth chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Ruth's own words

What Ruth says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

Hi and Congratulations on taking this huge step forward in your life. Having “reached out” myself for counseling I know what it is like to realize you need extra support to make changes. Getting out of our own way is the first step and you have done that!

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and certified coach and have been assisting individuals achieve their goals for many years. I have enjoyed working in private practice with individuals and couples dealing with relationships, grief and loss, stress, anxiety, life changes, LGBTQ+ issues, in community agencies working with addictions, and in facilities helping families deal with changing roles and aging parents.

A special focus for me is supporting women as they move through major life changes and focus on questions of who they are and what they want in life.

I have a MA in Counseling from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and have studied many therapeutic approaches. My training with a variety of holistic tools allows me to help you reach the goals you have more quickly and easily. These include mindfulness, breath work, relaxation, theta healing, imagery and clearing blocking beliefs. We work together to create a plan and develop your skills to live a more meaningful and successful life.

You can learn more about my approaches at my Facebook page: Opening Choices, https://www.facebook.com/Opening-Choices-2216183171967672

We will work on your immediate concerns as well as identify the deeper factors that may be limiting your progress. We will share this healing journey as far as you desire.

My goal is to empower you to live the fullest, most successful life you desire. I will be your strongest advocate and support in this process. I believe you have strengths that can be tapped and strengthened to change your life and when we get rid of the old habits and thought patterns that have been sabotaging success, change happens!

I find it helpful to participate in video sessions so that we can get to know each other better. But I am also available to you via phone and text if that is more comfortable for you, during weekdays, some evenings and by request on Saturday. I also check my messages frequently during the day.

I look forward to sharing with you.

Ruth Stoan, on the BetterHelp listing · read 7 Nov 2026

03 · How Ruth works

The 9 approaches Ruth lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Ruth lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Ruth's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Ruth runs a session.

Acceptance and Commitment TherapyACT

Rather than trying to argue a painful thought away, ACT works on loosening its grip and getting on with what matters to you anyway. Sessions spend real time naming your values, then building action around them while difficult feelings are still present.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Emotionally Focused TherapyEFT

Built for couples and rooted in attachment: the recurring argument is treated as a cycle two people are stuck in rather than as one person's fault. Sessions work to interrupt the cycle and get to what each person is actually asking for underneath it.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Narrative Therapy

Treats the story you tell about your life as something that can be examined and retold rather than as the plain facts. Separates the person from the problem - “the anxiety” rather than “your anxiety” - to make room for the parts the current story leaves out.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

Internal Family SystemsIFS

Treats the mind as made up of parts - the critic, the one who withdraws, the one that keeps everything running - each of which is trying to protect you. The work is getting to know them rather than overruling them.

Also listed

• Existential Therapy
• Somatic Therapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Ruth practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Ruth's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Ruth at this point.

2. Naming Ruth specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Ruth is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Ruth.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Ruth

Built from what Ruth actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Ruth's - Ruth has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 35 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LPC

Licensed in

Missouri

Licence

MO LPC 000702

Licence number

000702

Licence expires

30 Jun 2027

NPI

1407454580

Years in practice

35

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Ruth's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 7 Nov 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Ruth. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.