Meet Ruth, a Senior Trainer at local NY non-profit, who has been passionately supporting youth and families for over 20 years. Ruth's journey started as a paraprofessional in public schools, and her dedication quickly propelled her to become a teacher at a residential school. She worked with youth from different backgrounds and abilities and later took foster care classes to help them transition away from group home settings. Ruth's love for fostering led her to adopt two sons with Autism/Fragile X and inspired her to support and train other foster parents.

Ruth's experience doesn't end there. She served as a director of a residential school for adults with disabilities, overseeing their employment and education departments. In this role, Ruth was a Human Rights Coordinator, which is to this day, a driving force behind decisions Ruth makes in her personal and professional life. Ruth received a double Masters in Education with a focus on Learning Disabilities and Emotional/Behavior Disorders. She is a certified trainer in American Red Cross Community First Aid and CPR, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, and safeTALK. She even completed her 200-hr Yoga Teacher Training, through the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health.

Currently, Ruth provides trainings covering a broad range of topics, including Trauma Informed Care, Working with LGBTQ+ Youth, Critical Thinking & Decision Making, Person-Centered Care, Suicide Awareness, and more! Ruth is a CANS coach through the CANS-NY Technical Assistance Institute. Ruth's passion for her work is evident in everything she does, and her impact is felt on every level.

Personally, Ruth has had her ups and downs in relationships; including the relationship with herself. If you have ever seen Ruth train, she advocates fiercely for folks to utilize therapy and ‘own their sh*t’. A huge part of growth is DOING THE WORK, which Ruth understands can come more easily for some. Growing up with both parents who are alcoholics, struggling with a diagnosis of ADHD as a youth and navigating her identity(Ruth = Queer), it hasn’t always been easy, but it has, hands down, always been worth it! There is NEVER an expectation of ‘perfection’ with Ruth, because that does not exist. In the same way that ‘normal’ is just a setting on a clothes dryer. Ruth has cultivated empathy and compassion in her work, her family and all of the people in her life. She will be honest and realistic with you, while balancing all of the pieces that make you an incredible human being. You are not defined by one thing and Ruth wants to make sure we are seeing the whole picture of the whole human you are. She is beyond thrilled to work with you!