A year ago, something happened that prompted me to seek a therapist. I didn’t know how to even find one. I did a Google search and found a directory on a psychology website and compiled a list of four therapists who sounded promising. I sent them an email detailing my situation. Of the responses I received, I was overwhelmingly most excited about Ruth. Immediately, I liked her voice and her soft but not fake or patronizing demeanor. She offered a free phone consultation so that we could determine whether she was the right person to help me. Thank goodness she was! I visited Ruth once per week or twice per month for about six months. She put me at ease, was easy to work with and helped me enormously. Six months later, I am still seeing the benefits of our sessions. First, Ruth asked me to set goals for our sessions. She reminded me of these goals often to make sure that they were still relevant and that we were on track. Second, she took the time to learn enough about my background and history that she could make connections but not so much that we weren’t still focused on the present. Third, she utilized a number of techniques, gave me homework and recommended books for further learning on my part. Overall, I found her to be very thoughtful and engaged. She responded often and kept detailed notes so that she was always on the same page as me. I also felt that she was very empathetic and understood me rather than analyzing me from afar. Although I have little experience with therapists, I venture to guess that she is in the top five percentile. There is nothing I would want to change and I can’t recommend her highly enough.