Mary Anne Ruane , LCSW

Mary Anne Ruane is an LCSW - a Licensed Clinical Social Worker - with 30 years of experience helping people navigate life’s challenges. She approaches therapy with the view that most people seek peace of mind, comfort, fulfillment, and a personally defined sense of happiness, and she works to identify and remove the blocks that interfere with those goals.

Ruane has deep experience treating addictions of many kinds and supporting families of alcoholics and addicts. She also specializes in anxiety disorders, phobias, depression, and related mood concerns. In addition to traditional psychotherapy techniques, she is trained in hypnotherapy and integrates that modality for clients who may benefit from it.

Her practice draws on several clinical approaches, including cognitive behavioral strategies, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused techniques, allowing treatment to be tailored to each person’s needs and preferences. She applies these methods across a wide range of issues - from relationship and family dynamics to trauma and grief, eating and substance-related concerns, parenting and aging, and difficulties with self-esteem, intimacy, or anger.

Mary Anne Ruane practices in New Jersey and provides therapy in English. Her background spans both individual work and support for families, with a focus on practical skills and collaborative planning to help clients move forward.

Therapeutic Approaches for Remote Care

Mary Anne Ruane uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help clients identify and change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. This approach is practical and goal-oriented, often used for anxiety, depression, phobias, and stress-related problems.

She is also trained in hypnotherapy, a modality that uses guided relaxation and focused attention to support changes in habits, reduce anxiety, and address symptoms that can respond to suggestive techniques. When appropriate, hypnotherapy can be combined with other talk-based strategies to enhance progress.

Motivational interviewing is another tool in her repertoire, designed to strengthen a person’s own motivation for change. It is collaborative and nonjudgmental, and it is frequently used with addictions, ambivalence about lifestyle changes, and readiness-based concerns.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Mary Anne tailors methods to each person’s needs, goals, and preferences and works collaboratively to determine what fits best. Over time she adjusts strategies based on progress and feedback.

Online therapy offers practical benefits for people seeking flexibility. Sessions by video or phone make it easier to fit appointments into busy schedules, while live chat and text-based messaging provide additional ways to stay engaged between sessions. These options increase accessibility and help maintain continuity of care when in-person meetings are difficult.