Personal Statement

"School Psychologists change the world! They are powerful people in the lives of children, adolescents, and families. They are influential in promoting changes in schools and in communities. At Lewis and Clark, it is wonderful to work collaboratively with students to develop those skills and competencies that lead to excellence in school-based practice."

Professional Biography

Ruth has worked with hundreds of children and adolescents and their families in Texas, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon. She enjoys working with diverse populations in public schools because they mirror real community life. She believes in the value of each human, focusing on the learning needs of individuals. She believes that everyone can learn. She believes in the “Three R’s” of school psychology practice: Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience, saying, “We value these virtues in ourselves, we encourage them in professional practice, and we teach them to the children with whom we come in contact.”

After being a teacher for students with special needs for 13 years, Ruth started studying school psychology at Texas A&M. Eventually completing her Ph.D. at the University of Northern Colorado, Ruth worked as a school psychologist in the public schools in Colorado for another 18 years. She is licensed as a school psychologist in Oregon, Washington, and Colorado and holds a clinical psychology license both in Oregon and in Colorado. She is new to Oregon, and started her work at Lewis and Clark in the summer of 2006. She also has a private practice dealing with assessment and treatment of adolescents and young adults.

Her interests are in the areas of adolescent growth and development, crisis and threat assessment work, group work in schools, and the development of coping skills in families and adolescents.

Academic Credentials

Ph.D. 1991 University of Northern Colorado
M.S. 1979 University of Nebraska at Omaha
B.S. 1974 Texas A&M University