Ruth Anthony-McClary, LCSW
Experienced LCSW focused on personal stories
Details
| Name | Ruth Anthony-McClary |
|---|---|
| Credentials | LCSW |
| Based in | New Jersey |
| Licensed in | New Jersey |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English |
| Years in practice | 30 |
About Ruth
Ruth Anthony-McClary is a licensed clinical social worker with 30 years of experience in New Jersey. She helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, low self-esteem, and relationship or intimacy concerns. She also supports those coping with grief, career changes, parenting stress, and compassion fatigue.
Ruth uses a conversational, person-focused style. She listens first, then shapes sessions around each person’s goals. That might mean practical coping skills, changes in thinking patterns, or exploring the stories people tell about their lives.
Background and approach
She aims to make therapy understandable and useful in everyday life. Her practice draws on Narrative Therapy to look at how personal stories influence behavior. She also uses Attachment-Based and Client-Centered ideas to strengthen emotional connection and build trust in the therapeutic relationship.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mindfulness techniques are added when helpful for managing thoughts and stress. Ruth adapts pacing and tools to each situation. Sessions can include skills practice, guided reflection, or problem-focused planning.
She emphasizes respect, sensitivity, and compassion in every interaction. People who choose Ruth often want straightforward talk and practical steps. She supports steady progress rather than quick fixes.
If someone is ready to try a new approach to an old problem, she offers steady guidance through the process.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names Stress, Anxiety, Trauma and abuse, Self esteem among the things Ruth works with, alongside the areas below.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Relationship issues
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Hoarding
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual dysfunction
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Attachment-Based Therapy: Listed by Ruth among the ways she works.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Ruth among the ways she works.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Ruth among the ways she works.
- Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Ruth among the ways she works.
- Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Ruth among the ways she works.
- Psychodynamic Therapy: Listed by Ruth among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Ruth among the ways she works.
- Somatic Therapy: Listed by Ruth among the ways she works.
- Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Ruth among the ways she works.
- Internal Family Systems: Listed by Ruth among the ways she works.
- Systemic Therapy: Listed by Ruth among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Ruth 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 Ruth directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
How Ruth Uses Talk-Based and Skills-Focused Methods Online
Ruth combines Narrative Therapy, Attachment-Based Therapy, and Client-Centered Therapy in online work. Narrative Therapy looks at the stories people tell about their lives and finds different ways to understand problems. Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on how early relationship patterns affect current connections and emotional responses. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes an accepting, nonjudgmental relationship where the client leads the pace and topics.Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the process. Ruth will talk through goals, try different strategies, and adjust the plan together. The work is collaborative - clients help decide which methods feel most useful and when to try practical skills or deeper reflection.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for fuller conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or someone prefers not to use video. Live chat or text allows shorter check-ins, written reflection, and flexible timing. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to continue work across locations.
Common questions about this listing
What kinds of concerns can Ruth help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, self-esteem, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, parenting, anger, career concerns, bipolar disorder, and coping with life changes. Additional focus areas include adoption and foster care, attachment issues, caregiver stress, chronic illness, and body image.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Ruth practices in a conversational, person-focused way that centers on the client's goals. She blends Narrative, Attachment-Based, Client-Centered, CBT, and mindfulness approaches depending on what each person needs.
How much experience does she have?
She has 30 years of clinical social work experience in New Jersey working with a broad range of emotional and life challenges.
What are her credentials and location?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, licensed in New Jersey and practices with that credential.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Ruth offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging for remote work.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and uses a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin a therapy relationship?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and scheduling a session based on the therapist's availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Ruth 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 Ruth where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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