Jessica Ruiz

I’m a licensed counselor in Virginia and North Carolina with more than eight years of counseling experience and a 19-year background in medical education. I work with adults navigating anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma and PTSD, grief, life transitions, and military-related experiences. As a Puerto Rican, Spanish-speaking counselor from a military-connected family, I also have a strong interest in culturally responsive care and working with diverse communities. I believe our identities, relationships, health, and life experiences all play a role in how we understand ourselves.

My approach is warm, collaborative, trauma-informed, and tailored to the person sitting in front of me. I draw from CBT, ACT, DBT, solution-focused, strengths-based, and trauma-informed approaches rather than believing one type of therapy works for everyone. I’ll support you, but I’ll also gently challenge you when it can help you recognize patterns, understand yourself more deeply, and move toward meaningful change. Most importantly, I want therapy to feel like a place where you can be honest, curious, and fully yourself without judgment.

Our first session is really about getting to know each other and understanding what brought you to therapy—there’s no pressure to tell me your entire life story in an hour. We’ll talk about what’s happening in your life, what you’d like help with, and what you hope to get from therapy. You’ll also have plenty of space to ask questions and decide whether I feel like the right therapist for you. My goal is for you to leave feeling heard, respected, and hopeful that we have a direction forward.