With over 25-years experience as a Psychologist for the Correctional Service of Canada, J. Ruth Simmons has amassed a wealth of experience in the assessment and treatment of a wide array of adult mental health issues, with individuals of numerous gender identifications, from an extensive list of social, familial, and cultural backgrounds. 

Working with such a diverse population of clients, the majority of whom having endured significant past trauma, has taught Ruth a great deal about the capacity of individuals to persevere, and to successfully make meaningful changes to their beliefs, behaviors, and lifestyles. It has also led her to develop a passion for assisting individuals in identifying and addressing the obstacles that have stood in the way of them living their best lives, based on her strong belief that the accurate assessment of clients’ greatest need areas, combined with the provision of appropriate and evidence-based interventions to address those needs, are the two greatest services that a mental health professional can offer a client. 

Prior to completing a Master of Arts in School Psychology at Mount Saint Vincent University in 1996, Ruth had already spent 14 years working with children, youth, and families in a variety of settings throughout NL and NS. Since beginning her correctional career in 1997, Ruth’s professional development interests have been focused on continuously increasing her skills in using evidenced based approaches in her work with adults, including numerous cognitive behavioral therapies that address a wide range of mental health issues  (e.g. Schema Focused Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy), and others considered to be amongst the current best practices for providing effective treatment interventions with individuals whose primary mental health issues are related to past trauma (e.g. Cognitive Processing Therapy, EMDR,  Sensorimotor Therapy). 

Most recently, Ruth has developed a keen interest and focus on further developing her skills in the use of Positive Psychology, an approach that focuses as much on ‘what is right’ with a client, as it does on any current problematic issue that they may be facing.