About
Shirley R. Ruzo, M.S., Psy.D
Populations
I have 17 years of experience providing individual, family, couples, and group psychotherapy to diverse populations. I've had the privilege of working with the full spectrum of ages, from pregnant mothers to older adults. I have had the pleasure to work with clients with a myriad of diversity issues. Those include, but are not limited to: race, ethnicity, bi-cultural, immigration status/experience, acculturation, disability, religion, spiritual beliefs, age, generation, biological gender, sexual identity, sexual expression, and sexual orientation. I identify as a Latina female and am bi-cultural and bi-lingual (Spanish). Sessions are available in Spanish.
Education
I received my undergraduate degree in Economics with a French minor from Rutgers University in New Jersey. I received my masters degree in Counseling Psychology with a focus on marriage and family therapy from Dominican University in San Rafael, CA. I have an MFT license that I keep inactive and practice solely under my doctoral license. I received my doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in San Francisco. I am licensed in the state of California.
Training and Experience
I received training at a variety of sites including: a substance abuse residential setting for women, Catholic Charities, an elementary school, family and adolescent services at the county of Marin, and Laguna Honda Hospital. I completed my predoctoral internship at UCSF at the Infant Parent Psychotherapy program working with complicated infant and parent dyads and pregnant mothers. I completed my postdoctoral residency at Kaiser Permanente in Redwood City, CA. During my residency, I spent half of my time with children, adolescents, and families on a range of issues including depression, anxiety, behavioral issues, family discord, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I spent the the other half in our chemical dependency services department working with adolescents and adults presenting with substance abuse issues. During my time with Kaiser Permanente, I've spent the majority of my time working with families and adults with eating disorders. I am currently a full-time clinical psychologist and manager at Kaiser Permanente in Redwood City. Prior to starting graduate school, I worked in the corporate sector for many years. I worked mainly for large accounting firms.