Mary Ruhland, LISW, CSW-PIP
Iowa · 30 years in practice
Mary Ruhland is a licensed clinical social worker in Iowa with 30 years of experience.
License and registration
- LISW, Iowa
- 01284 · expires December 2026
- CSW-PIP, South Dakota
- 3229 · expires December 2026
- NPI
- 1326030545 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 30
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.
About Mary
Mary Ruhland is a licensed clinical social worker in Iowa with 30 years of experience. She uses a compassionate, person-centered style to help people facing anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and low self-esteem. She focuses on practical steps people can take right now to feel steadier and more able to cope.
Her work often addresses relationship strains, social isolation, and life transitions such as separation or midlife change. She also supports people dealing with panic, post-traumatic stress, addiction, and eating or body image concerns.
Background and approach
Mary pays attention to how attachment and abandonment wounds shape current patterns. In sessions she blends client-centered listening with tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. That means she listens first, then helps clients try small experiments to change thoughts and behaviors.
She also offers Emotionally-Focused Therapy ideas to help people understand and shift emotional patterns that get in the way of closeness. Mary emphasizes clear communication skills, emotion regulation strategies, and rebuilding self-compassion. She helps people set manageable goals and practice new habits between sessions.
The tone is collaborative and practical rather than clinical. Clients connect with Mary through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Her profile notes professional credentials LISW and CSW-PIP and that she works from Iowa.
Sessions are in English and she is not taking international clients.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Mary lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Addictions
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Anger management
- Compassion fatigue
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Divorce and separation
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
Approaches Mary names
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Gottman Method
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
Emotion and Skills Work Online
Mary often uses Emotionally-Focused Therapy to help people notice and respond differently to strong feelings. EFT focuses on understanding emotional patterns and building new ways to connect with oneself and others. Client-Centered Therapy is central to her style and means sessions start with listening and respect, letting the person set the pace and priorities.She also draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help people identify unhelpful thoughts and test new behaviors between sessions. CBT techniques can be useful for panic, mood shifts, and anxiety by teaching short, practical strategies. Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work - the therapist and client decide together which tools match the client’s goals and preferences.
Online therapy offers flexibility and easier scheduling. Video calls let people work face to face from a chosen location, phone sessions require less bandwidth, and chat or text messaging can support brief check-ins or ongoing reflections. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or travel schedules while maintaining consistent progress.
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Questions people ask
What concerns does Mary help with?
She helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, low self-esteem, addictions, anger, and compassion fatigue, among other concerns.
What is her therapeutic style like?
The approach is warm and collaborative, combining client-centered listening with practical tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy.
How much experience does she have?
Mary has 30 years of clinical experience working with a wide range of emotional and life challenges.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is listed as LISW and CSW-PIP and practices in Iowa.
Which languages are offered and can international clients join?
Sessions are offered in English and she is not currently accepting international clients.
In what formats are sessions offered?
Sessions can be arranged as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How does cost work for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I start working with her?
Begin by selecting the Start Therapy button, completing a short matching questionnaire, and then scheduling according to therapist availability.
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