Ruth Hirsch

Healing through Focusing

Open to your life.

Individual sessions are for you if you yearn to feel more connected with yourself.
I welcome clients who are open to honest self-reflection, to new perspectives, and to exploring new ways of living and being.

I offer you my naturally open heart, sensitivity, empathy, and intuition. Together, we will take a journey. I’ll be there to help you find your way back to your truest self.

One-to-One Guided Focusing Sessions

The range of goals for One-to-One sessions is vast and varied. You can choose to work on whatever is most pressing or interesting to you in the moment.

I help with:

  • Making important, life-changing decisions
  • Transmuting long-standing personality characteristics
  • Improving relationships with yourself and others
  • Physical, emotional, and spiritual stress
  • Life transitions related to work and career
  • Physical challenges ranging from back pain to life-threatening conditions

From my experience, any life situation can be enhanced with Focusing. For some clients, the sessions verge on coaching. For others, they more closely resemble psychotherapy.

How often you have Focusing sessions is up to you.

Some clients wish to have just one session as a catalyst to address a particular issue in their lives or as a way to decide if they want to learn Focusing.

Some schedule regular weekly sessions to work on deeper issues, while others have two or more sessions a week when working on particularly challenging concerns.

“One must not search outside nature but within oneself, where the keys to harmony and happiness lie.” –Marc Chagall

 

“Through Ruth’s gentle and skillful approach during work together, we reached and healed parts of myself that I did not even know existed as they live beyond the realm of talk therapy and required a deep trust to show up. We could do so because of Ruth’s compassion, gentleness, and deep attunement. Ruth also taught me to be with myself in a more compassionate way, learning to listen to my body’s voices with the same care she modeled with me.”

–G.S., United States

Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy

In Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy, the same respectful, curious, accepting attitudes embodied in Focusing are brought to the therapy relationship.

Through this empowering integration of Focusing and Therapy, clients experience:

  • Increased awareness
  • Greater self-acceptance
  • Unblocking areas of life that before seemed inaccessible
  • An overall increased sense of vitality and aliveness

“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” –Carl Rogers

Be all of who you are. And more.

Book your one-to-one session — or keep reading to learn more about how we’ll work together, including fees, video & phone focusing details, and policies.

“Once again, I just wanted to express a deep sense of gratitude for you and the classes you’ve led. I am constantly amazed at the depth, precision, and efficiency of this kind of work. Today’s focusing session, which was less than 10 minutes, provided me with a more impactful experience than many of my hour-long sessions with my therapist. Thank you again and I look forward to working with you in the future.” —Keith Haas, MSW, LCSW Director of Behavioral Health Services, Bluegrass Care Clinic, University of Kentucky Healthcare

“I wanted to write you a heartfelt note of gratitude for our session last week. It felt so monumentally shifting and yet soothing and comforting all at once. It certainly didn’t feel like “therapy”– more like talking to a really, sweet, non-judgmental, wise girlfriend. After all of the turmoil and struggle of late, it was such a breath of fresh air for me. In fact, you helped me breathe a little better, a little deeper, and little calmer. Maybe a little more into myself. It’s really hard to describe– which probably makes it all that much more cherished. From my heart, thank you for being with me.” —S.F., United Kingdom

How we’ll work together

To get started, click here to request your session and send your fee. Fees are as follows, payable in U.S. Dollars:

  • Individual Session: $175. Discounted to $155 for current students.
  • Three Session package: $480. Discounted to $420 for current students.

You can pay via Paypal, Zelle, Wise (recommended for those outside  North America), or if in Israel by bank transfer. Either way, payment needs to arrive in time for your first session. For the three-session package, discounted fees are applicable when paid in full prior to the first session of the package.

Once I receive your information, I’ll email you to confirm our session, arrange payment (if necessary), and select the best method for us to connect during our session. One-to-one sessions are available by phone, Zoom, or in person. (Learn more about how video & phone focusing work.) If you opt to do your session on Zoom, you’ll receive a link to the Zoom room for our session.

To prepare for our session, all you need to do is ensure that you’re sitting comfortably in a place where you won’t be disturbed. For the session itself, you may want to focus on a particular life goal or issue, or you may wish to be present with whatever might be there for you at the time. Either way is fine.

Before and during the session, your needs and wants are important. The sessions are designed to encourage healing and empowerment, so it’s always OK to ask questions and to let me know if something doesn’t feel right to you. Sessions are 50 minutes long.

Following the session, many people find that they appreciate having some time for themselves, so, if possible it is best to schedule your session to allow for at least a few minutes for you.

Questions? Please contact me.

How Video & Phone Focusing Work

Some clients and prospective students wonder whether telephone or online sessions are as effective as in-person sessions and classes.

My experience, and that of my clients and students, is that results from phone and video sessions are not only effective but often surpass those of in-person sessions.

The phone and online settings seem to offer a more concentrated learning environment with less distraction and inhibition.

Video: One-to-one sessions are available online with Zoom, a simple-to-use video platform (similar to Skype but much, much better). All that is needed to use Zoom is a working webcam and microphone (standard on most laptop computers and tablets) and access to the Internet.

Phone: For clients and private students who prefer to have phone sessions and can be reached via landline, I will call you at the time set for your session with no phone charge to you. Clients without landlines have the option of calling me on my Israeli or U.S. phone line.

Policies

Click here to read my one-to-one client policies.