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Ivy Ruths, PhD

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Houston, TX
Ivy Ruths, PhD

Collaborating with patients to provide evidence-based treatment for anxiety, OCD, BFRBs, & parenting.

07/29/2025

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Here’s to a week full of surprises, the good kind ✨

If your mind’s anything like mine then it’s good at spinning up the worst-case scenarios… but what if we stretched our hope muscles a little this week?

Trading what if it doesn’t for what if it does 🙌

Good things are coming friend 🤍

06/11/2025

🎧Listen in on my top three strategies for encouraging anxious kids to try new things on the newest episode of with !

In less than twenty minutes you’ll learn my tried and true, evidence-based strategies I use most with children, adolescents and parents:

1. How to be a realistic thinker 🧠
2. The importance of pairing validation your child’s experience to build confidence 🏅
3. How to help your child take the next step towards bravery 🎉

… and you’ll find out… could anxiety actually be *good* for you or your child?! 💡

If you’re a parent or caregiver whose head is swirling from all the parenting “advice” you get from influencers on social media, I HIGHLY recommend this episode and ALL of Dr. Clionsky’s episodes… become an !! 👩🏽‍🎓👨🏻‍🎓

06/06/2025

Very excited for and honored to serve one more year on the HPA board alongside Dr. Katz and Dr. Charlotte Parrot - it’s going to be a GREAT year!!

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HPA is excited to announce our newly elected board of directors for the 2025-2026 programming year! We can’t wait to see what they have in store for the future of HPA!

https://psychologyhouston.org/Board

05/20/2025

This is a great episode to listen to if you’re a parent or clincian and you’ve been wondering about SPACE (supportive parenting for anxious childhood emotions)! I had a lovely convo with Shaina and could talk about helping parents all day!

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🎧 New Episode Out Now!
How can parents become the change agents in treating childhood anxiety?

In this episode of The Affirming Minds Podcast, we dive into the SPACE model—Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions—with Dr. Ivy Ruths, licensed psychologist and nationally recognized expert in child and adolescent anxiety.

💬 We explore:
✨ How SPACE differs from traditional child-focused therapy
✨ Why parental accommodation can backfire
✨ What to do when a child resists therapy
✨ How to support diverse families with real-world strategies

Whether you’re a therapist, educator, or caregiver, this conversation is full of actionable insights to help anxious kids thrive—even when they’re not in the therapy room.
🎙️ Listen now wherever you get your podcasts!

04/13/2025

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“You can do it like it’s a great weight on you, or you can do it like a dance.” ― Ram Dass

Growth is what happens when the selves we once were reach a threshold where they can no longer carry us forward, and in their place, new and truer selves must emerge, and form. When the old parts of ourselves that were constructed in response to fear and trauma resist their own alchemy, what rises within us is this sense of panic and disarray, and if we are not careful, it is the very moment where we are most at risk of adopting the most limiting beliefs of all: that what is most familiar to us is most correct for us; that who we have been is who we will always be.

It is less important to ask “Who am I?” than it is to ask: “Who would I like to be?”

Who you think you are is very often just who you’ve had to be. In some ways, that’s the truth of all of us — a patchwork of everyone and everything we’ve known, and loved, seen, and done. But we are also amendable, and as much as the outside world has nurtured our sense of truth, so can our internal ones. We are, in larger ways than not, of our own making.

That is the most empowering notion, and also, the most terrifying. There is no more defaulting in this acceptance. There is no more looking around and blaming, or holding on. There is only the choice of whether we will hurt to stay as we’ve been, or hurt to become who we might be…”

04/07/2025

perfect lighting this morning. highlight on the left over from a previous session. ☀️ typically don’t go a single day without drawing it.

03/27/2025

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Raise your hand if you needed to hear this! 👋 This fantastic quote is by . How many of us have spent years over-working and over-extending, believing that “our best” is what we can do when we’re burnt out, depleted, haggard-eyed, hollow, and half-alive?

(Join me live on 2/26 at my workshop Boundaries 101 for the Recovering People-Pleaser — tickets at link in my b i o.)

No more of that. It’s time to internalize this reframe.

“Our best” isn’t what we can do when we’re running on empty.
“Our best” is what we can do *before* the barrel runs dry.

It’s a transformative commitment: to make physical and mental health non-negotiable. If pushing harder harms us, that harm deserves to be taken seriously⁠—and pushing harder is off the table as option.

Part of the reason it’s so hard to make this commitment is because sometimes, we exist in environments that *depend on us* pushing past our capacity in order to function. Relationships. Workplaces. Lifestyles and communities.

Making your mental/physical health non-negotiable can mean risking that the relationship, workplace, or lifestyle will no longer be viable⁠ — or even fall apart ⁠— with your new boundaries.

This is one the hardest reckonings of the boundary-setting process. To stop over-extending might mean that it will all fall apart ⁠— but honestly, to keep over-extending usually means that *you* fall apart somewhere down the road.

If you’re seeking support navigating this tension in a relationship or workplace, I would love to support you. Learn more about working with me 1-1 in my b io.

11/12/2024

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Hard isn’t bad. Difficult situations stretch us, cause us pain at times, and often don’t seem fair: but the truth is, we are all capable of doing hard things, moving through difficult seasons, and coming out on the other side stronger & more resilient.

When facing anxiety or OCD, we often find ourselves at a crossroads, pulled between the intense urge to avoid discomfort and the quiet strength within us that can face it. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed—but the discomfort you feel, does not define you.

We witness brave people tap into resilience every day, surprising themselves with the power they didn’t know they had. Whether you’re managing anxiety, navigating OCD, or supporting a child on this journey, there’s courage in simply taking the next step.

09/20/2024

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We’re about 2 weeks away from our next continuing education webinar, Treating Kids with OCD: CBT vs. SPACE.

Join us Saturday, October 5, 2024 from 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM CDT.

Ginny Fullerton, Ph.D. and Ivy Ruths, Ph.D. will discuss ways in which clinicians can guide parents to increase supportive responses to childhood anxiety, decrease accommodations, and establish boundaries based on the principles of SPACE. Presenters will provide an introduction to SPACE and highlight differences between SPACE and traditional CBT for child anxiety. Participants can expect to engage in role-playing scenarios and collaborative problem-solving for common challenges for parents new to SPACE and disruptive responses from their children adjusting to change.

Learning Objectives (Attendees will be able to):
1. Describe the frameworks of CBT and SPACE.

2. Guide parents in increasing supportive statements and moving away from critical or less supportive statements.

3. Implement strategies for reducing parental accommodation.

4.Combine SPACE tools with CBT to enhance outcomes.

$10 for trainees. $20 for professionals.

Learn more and purchase tickets at: https://www.ocdtexas.org/event-details/treating-kids-with-ocd-cbt-vs-space

09/07/2024

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We are ecstatic that the 1 Million Steps for OCD walk is coming back to Houston this year!!

Every year local affiliates host a walk in their city to help raise awareness for OCD treatment - our founder and clinical director , has been on the board of our local affiliate since 2018 and has even co-chaired this walk in previous years. It’s an awesome event that brings the OCD community together, provides connection and resources, and helps to fight the stigma around OCD. This year is hosting three walks - in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio!

We’d love to have you join our walk team — click on the link in our bio and meet us at TC Jester Park on Saturday, October 19th!

09/03/2024

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Join us for our next continuing education webinar, Treating Kids with OCD: CBT vs. SPACE.

Saturday October 5, 2024, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM CDT.

Ginny Fullerton, Ph.D. and Ivy Ruths, Ph.D. will discuss ways in which clinicians can guide parents to increase supportive responses to childhood anxiety, decrease accommodations, and establish boundaries based on the principles of SPACE. Presenters will provide an introduction to SPACE and highlight differences between SPACE and traditional CBT for child anxiety. Participants can expect to engage in role-playing scenarios and collaborative problem-solving for common challenges for parents new to SPACE and disruptive responses from their children adjusting to change.

Learning Objectives (Attendees will be able to):
1. Describe the frameworks of CBT and SPACE.

2. Guide parents in increasing supportive statements and moving away from critical or less supportive statements.

3. Implement strategies for reducing parental accommodation.

4.Combine SPACE tools with CBT to enhance outcomes.

$10 for trainees. $20 for professionals.

Learn more and purchase tickets at: https://www.ocdtexas.org/event-details/treating-kids-with-ocd-cbt-vs-space

08/13/2024

It’s been a little over a year since I decided to go into private practice full time…. And just about 6 months since I decided to go from solo to building a group practice. I love what we’re building over at & the amazing work all of our clinicians are doing alongside their clients - We truly can’t wait to connect with you!

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Houston Anxiety and Wellness Center provides compassionate and collaborative care for individuals of all ages in person and virtually in 39* states!

Our therapists are experts in the field of psychology and counseling and we specialize in treating children, adolescents, adults, and parents struggling with:
• anxiety (such as panic attacks, phobias, perfectionism, and general worry about the future),
• obsessive compulsive disorder,
• depression,
• difficult life transitions,
• and body-focused repetitive behaviors (such as hair pulling, skin picking, and nail biting).

We believe that every individual is deserving of excellent, evidence based care so we use treatments like CBT and ERP that have been scientifically proven to make a significant difference in our clients’ lives. We are honored to walk alongside our clients as they do the work that transforms their lives and families. ✨

Visit us at www.houstonanxiety.com and schedule your first session today! If you’ve got questions, email us at info@houstonanxiety.com or call us at 832.205.8120 to speak directly with our client care specialist, Kim. We can’t wait to connect with you!

*Our psychologists provide teletherapy in 39 states through PsyPact certification.

Address

4306 Yoakum Boulevard Suite 510
Houston, TX
77006

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 4pm
Tuesday	8am - 4pm
Wednesday	8am - 4pm
Thursday	11am - 7pm
Friday	8am - 1pm

Telephone

+18324444749

Website

https://www.houstonanxiety.com/

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Dr. Ivy Ruths

I am a licensed psychologist and licensed specialist in school psychology specializing in treating anxiety, depressive, and OCD-related disorders. I provide cognitive-behavioral and solution-focused therapy, exposure and ritual prevention, and parenting management techniques individualized for your specific needs.

My goal is to help sufferers dramatically improve their outlook and quality of life by teaching them how to change their behavior and how to challenge habitual negative self-talk. Willingness and a commitment to living life in line with one's values, instead of with one's fears or in response to life's difficulties, is the key to coping with distressing emotions and uncertain situations.

The therapeutic relationship is of utmost importance to me and to the effectiveness of treatment.

I am looking forward to partnering with you.