Meet Ruth Buchanan

LMSW
She/Her
Psychotherapist
Licensed Master Social Worker
NYS 124024

Ruth (she/her) is a Licensed Master Social Worker offering psychotherapy at Resilient Self Therapy’s Union Square office as well as virtual sessions across New York State.

Ruth is a warm and straightforward therapist. She uses a relationally-grounded approach, and has experience working with people on perfectionism, complex trauma, affirming sexual identity, and parenthood. She likes to work with people on how they experience themselves and their relationships, and uses feminist and queer theory to gently challenge and acknowledge how our contexts shape us. Ruth sees therapy as a place to be creative, play with our self-concepts and assumptions, and to make space for our emotional experiences.

Ruth grew up in the Pacific Northwest, spent time living in California, and now lives in Brooklyn. She has been known to have a sardonic sense of humor, and is always on the lookout for the best desserts in the city.

Ruth Buchanan
Practice Locations
  • NYC
  • Telehealth
List of Specialties

Relationships, Life Transition, Gender and Sexuality, Self-Worth and Perfectionism

About Ruth

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What is your academic & professional background?

I studied anthropology and sociology at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. I received my Masters in Social Work at New York University and am currently a candidate at the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Study Center in New York, a progressive institute committed to an expansive, inclusive approach to therapy.

Prior to my work as a psychotherapist, my first career was in tech. My role was to work with people to understand what they needed or wanted from technology to facilitate the kind of life they wanted, and then design software accordingly.

This created a natural segue to psychotherapy, where I’m able to integrate theory, design, and creativity with people instead of software.

I get to see parts of people that they haven’t shown anyone before, even themselves. Therapy can be awkward, playful, funny, serious, challenging, weird, and hard. And, therapy works. It can change the texture of your life, and I get to be there for it.

Curiosity, humor, authenticity, play, and pleasure.

Listening to audiobooks, exploring my love/hate relationship with running, and seeking out good food.