Ruth's passion and forte is and has always been her work with teens and young adults:

• Struggling with learning and/or behavior difficulties or disorders

• Needing to change unhealthy and unhelpful thoughts and behaviors

• Needing to grow in their personal and academic lives in new ways that help them realize and actualize their true learning potential, and experience success in all areas of life

• Who are hard to reach or when nothing else has worked

Ruth has been serving these populations in Wheaton, IL, for over 25 years, and her joy in participating in their journeys toward growth, success, new life, is ever present and always growing!

Ruth is equally passionate about working with parents.

Ruth's approach:

Cognitive, behavioral, educational, and relational 

Hallmark features of Ruth's work:

Passion, creativity, enthusiasm, dedication, and humor. Ruth is down to earth, engaging, an encourager, and fun, definitely different from the norm!

Professional Experience

Private practice

• For over 25 years Ruth has been in private practice as a teacher, counselor, coach, and mentor for teens, and young adults with a wide range of presenting behavior difficulties and disorders, including ADHD, executive function deficiencies, substance abuse, as well as academic challenges and learning disabilities.

Behavior Disorders (BD) Teacher

• Public High School - Head Behavior Disorders (BD) Teacher: Created and ran a self-contained program in a public high school for teens with behavior disorders or difficulties, for eight years.

• Alternative Junior/Senior High School - Head Behavior Disorders (BD) Teacher: For teens with serious behavior disorders.

• Throughout her career as a BD teacher, with the classrooms being self-contained, Ruth taught the majority of her students' courses, creating most of the curriculum each year. She had the freedom to use the most appropriate textbooks for each academic subject to accommodate for the large variation in reading ability. Ruth's students ranged from 4th through 12th grade reading levels, as most of her teens had significant learning disabilities or difficulties as well. Therefore, for most courses, she used 2+ texts per subject.

BD Teacher's Assistant

• Teacher's assistant at three closely related alternative schools - elementary grades through senior high, for students with serious
  behavior disorders.

Past Experiences

Facilitated a majority of the therapy groups at a Department of Corrections (DOC) addictions treatment facility for adolescent males struggling with substance abuse.

• Contracted out with DOC to work with ODD and CD adolescent males also struggling with ADHD and/or dyslexia.

• Ran life skills groups at 3/4-way home for adult men recovering from substance abuse.

Education

Master's Degree in both Behavior & Social/Emotional Disorders, and Learning Disabilities
Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL

Bachelor of Arts Degree: Visual Arts
Judson University, Elgin, IL

Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC)
College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL

Completed full coursework and training in Project Read, a spin-off program of Orton Gillingham, Language Circle
Bloomington, MN

Certifications/Professional Memberships

Maintain dual teaching certifications K-12, in both Behavior and Social/Emotional Disorders (BD/ED) and Learning Disabilities (LD)

Maintain CADC standing (Certified Alcohol and other Drug Counselor)

Member of Illinois Association for Behavioral Health and (IABH) and Illinois Certification Board (ICB)

Member of International Dyslexia Association (Everyone Reading Illinois - ERI)

Specialized education and training through continual behavior and mental health conferences and workshops - for behavior disorders, including ADHD, substance abuse, and more.

​Personal Interests:

• Sailing, kayaking, hiking, biking

• Fine art photography

• Folk music, Celtic music

• Road trips/travel

• Reading

• Landscapes and gardening

• Interior design and architecture