Ruth Stoan, LPC

Ruth Stoan is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) based in Missouri with 35 years of clinical experience. She welcomes people who have decided to seek extra support and helps them take practical steps toward change. Ruth emphasizes clear goals and steady progress so clients can move past old patterns and try new ways of living.

Ruth draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and client-centered skills to help people understand thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. She uses mindfulness, breath work, imagery, and other holistic techniques to support skill building and stress reduction. Sessions focus on concrete tools that clients can use between meetings.

Many clients come for help with anxiety, depression, grief, relationship concerns, stress, and life transitions. Ruth also supports issues such as addiction, LGBTQ matters, intimacy-related concerns, anger, career questions, caregiver strain, and end-of-life topics. She works with the immediate problem while also looking at deeper patterns that get in the way of progress.

Ruth prefers video sessions so she can better read interactions, but she also offers phone, live chat, and text-based sessions when those formats fit a person’s needs. Scheduling includes weekdays, some evenings, and by request on Saturday. The aim is a collaborative plan that matches each person’s goals.

Her approach is straightforward and encouraging. She helps people identify strengths, practice new habits, and remove limiting beliefs that block change. Ruth’s focus is helping clients build a more meaningful and successful life.

How Ruth’s approaches work online

Ruth uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people spot unhelpful thoughts and try new behaviors that reduce distress and improve daily functioning. CBT is practical and focuses on small changes that add up over time.

She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which helps people notice hard thoughts and feelings while committing to actions that match their values. ACT can be useful for anxiety, depression, and navigating life transitions.

Client-centered work is part of her style too, which means she listens closely and shapes sessions around what matters most to the person in front of her. That creates space to build trust and set goals together.

Choosing the right approach is a shared process. Ruth will discuss options, try methods together, and adjust based on a person’s needs, goals, and comfort with different techniques. The plan often mixes approaches to fit each situation.

Online therapy with Ruth is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions make it easier to read facial expressions and body language, while phone calls use less bandwidth and can be simpler on the go. Live chat or text sessions are helpful for brief check-ins, ongoing coaching, or when typing feels more comfortable. These options provide flexibility for scheduling and for fitting sessions into a busy life.