Ruth Westfall, LMSW

Ruth Westfall is an LMSW - Licensed Master Social Worker with 30 years of clinical practice in Michigan. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, grief, anger, and related concerns. Ruth also supports those handling parenting strain, caregiver stress, relationship difficulties, career pressure, and mood concerns.

Ruth has long experience with trauma, including work with victims of crime. During the COVID-19 pandemic she worked alongside a psychiatric nurse practitioner at a public health center and saw how prolonged stress affects health, work, and relationships. She describes how anxiety and depression rose during that period and how that can ripple through daily life.

In sessions she helps people build practical skills to manage strong feelings and recurring stress. She uses straightforward tools to reduce distress and to identify strengths people can rely on. She will talk through specific coping steps, pacing, and small behavior changes that add up over time.

Ruth draws on client-centered methods and structured approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. She also uses mindfulness and motivational interviewing techniques when they fit a person’s goals. Discussions can include emotion regulation strategies, grounding and breathing, and approaches to process trauma-related memories.

Her background includes long-term clinical work with survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, and with people living with panic, bipolar symptoms, and post-traumatic stress. Ruth encourages practical, steady progress rather than quick fixes, and helps people plan realistic next steps toward handling anger and other difficult emotions.

How her approaches translate to online work