About James
Dr. James Ruby uses a practical, person-centered approach to help people facing stress and anxiety. He is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) with 22 years of experience and works from Hawaii.
He aims to make therapy straightforward and useful for people who feel stuck or overwhelmed. He focuses on relationship struggles, family issues, grief, coping with life changes, compassion fatigue, addictions, LGBT concerns, trauma and abuse, intimacy, parenting, self-esteem, career struggles, depression, and ADHD.
Background and approach
He also addresses caregiver stress, communication problems, divorce and separation, and family of origin issues. Many clients come for help with isolation, life purpose, workplace problems, and challenges of young adulthood. In sessions he blends Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, client-centered listening, existential questions, motivational interviewing, and psychodynamic ideas.
That means conversations about values and choices, careful listening to what matters to each person, exploring life meaning, and noticing patterns that repeat from the past. He sometimes offers short exercises or simple homework between visits to try new behaviors. He believes people can change and write new chapters in their lives.
He pays attention to emotional, cognitive, physical, and spiritual sides of experience. He invites curiosity about old habits and gently challenges thoughts that hold people back. His style is respectful and nonjudgmental.
He encourages clear goals and practical steps toward them. He welcomes questions and helps people decide if his way of working fits their needs.
Approach-driven care for online therapy and everyday life
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on identifying personal values and taking concrete action toward them, even when anxiety or difficult feelings are present. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes warm, nonjudgmental listening so clients feel heard and can explore what matters most. Existential Therapy invites conversations about meaning, choice, and responsibility to help people facing life changes and questions about purpose.Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist collaborates with each person to try methods that match their goals and preferences. Sessions can shift over time if different strategies are more helpful for particular issues like grief, relationship conflict, or workplace stress.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for in-depth conversations and visual cues, phone sessions can fit into a tight schedule or require less bandwidth, live chat works for quick check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing reflection between appointments. These options make it easier to fit therapy into daily life and to keep momentum between sessions.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Grief
Also listed
- Addictions
- ADHD
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 22 years
- Licensed
- Hawaii, Iowa
- Languages
- English
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