Janice Ruchlis, LMFT
Compassionate therapist blending story and skills
Details
| Name | Janice Ruchlis |
|---|---|
| Credentials | LMFT |
| Based in | California |
| Licensed in | California |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English |
| Years in practice | 30 |
About Janice
Janice Ruchlis is a licensed marriage and family therapist who helps people facing stress, anxiety, addictions, grief, trauma, and self-esteem struggles. She also supports those dealing with relationship and intimacy concerns, parenting strain, sleep or eating problems, ADHD, bipolar mood challenges, and career or life transitions. Her style mixes narrative thinking with attachment work and practical skills.
Sessions are conversational and focused on understanding personal stories. She uses clear tools from cognitive behavioral approaches and emotion-focused ideas to help people test new ways of coping.
Background and approach
Janice draws on three decades of experience as a California LMFT. She has worked with people from many backgrounds and nationalities and often centers differences like culture, identity, and sexual expression in the conversation. That helps people feel seen and understood while they figure out what matters most to them.
In the room she listens for patterns that keep problems repeating. Then she helps clients map those patterns and try small changes. Therapy can include skill practice, reframing personal stories, and attention to connection and attachment experiences.
Her approach is collaborative and down-to-earth. She aims to help people notice what is holding them back and find doable steps toward feeling better. Janice welcomes exploration of trauma, disability, and difficult life events with respect and practical focus.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, LGBT among the things Janice works with, alongside the areas below.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Divorce and separation
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fertility issues
- Gender dysphoria
- Hearing impaired
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Attachment-Based Therapy: Listed by Janice among the ways she works.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Janice among the ways she works.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Listed by Janice among the ways she works.
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT): Listed by Janice among the ways she works.
- Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Janice among the ways she works.
- Psychodynamic Therapy: Listed by Janice among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Janice directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.
Narrative Therapy in this listing
Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.
If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Janice directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
How narrative and attachment work translate online
Janice uses Narrative Therapy to help people examine the stories they tell about themselves and try new, more helpful narratives. This approach helps when past events, identity, or patterns keep getting in the way of daily life. She also draws on Attachment-Based Therapy to look at how important relationships shape feelings and reactions, which is helpful for managing intimacy, trust, and connection issues.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. She will talk with clients about goals, preferences, and what feels most useful, then tailor techniques from narrative, attachment, CBT, or emotion-focused methods. That collaborative process helps people test small changes and notice what makes a difference.
Online therapy offers practical benefits for this kind of work. Video calls let the therapist and client read expressions and interaction, while phone sessions can be simpler when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, allow brief reflections between sessions, and support ongoing coaching or skill practice. These options provide flexibility to keep therapy consistent and accessible across different schedules and locations.
Common questions about this listing
What concerns does Janice address in therapy?
She supports people with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, addictions, grief, relationship and intimacy issues, and a wide range of other concerns listed in her specialties.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style blends Narrative Therapy and attachment-focused work with practical techniques from CBT and emotion-focused approaches. Sessions are conversational and aim to connect personal stories with concrete steps.
What kind of experience does she bring?
She has 30 years of clinical experience as a practicing therapist, working with diverse people and life challenges over that time.
Where is she licensed and based?
She is a California licensed marriage and family therapist with the credential LMFT and practices from that base in California.
Which languages and international options are available?
Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are offered?
Sessions can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different communication preferences.
How is cost handled for therapy?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What are the steps to begin working with her?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Janice are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Janice where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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