As a seeker,
I have spent my life exploring pathways to greater spiritual and emotional well-being.

Dr. Ruth Mayer

Dr. Ruth Mayer

Beliefs

  • It is a privilege and an honor to walk with people as they navigate their life’s journey.
  • Body and mind are intimately connected.
  • Healing and transformation are always possible.
  • Each person’s pathway to personal growth and discovery is unique.
  • Our history is not our destiny.
  • Working on ourselves is a life-long process, one that adds great richness and meaning to our lives.

Background

I did my undergraduate work at Yale University where I got a B.A. in psychology in 1975 and went on to get a doctorate in psychology in 1990. As I got older I felt a need to deepen and explore my spiritual self. I also wanted to expand the ways I could be of service in people’s lives. This led me to pursue a rabbinic career. I enrolled Hebrew Union College in 2000 and was ordained as a rabbi in 2008. During those years I was also introduced to the practice of meditation and mindfulness. In my life and in the lives of my clients I witnessed the transformative power of those practices to help people realize greater feelings of peace, wholeness and satisfaction. Along with my personal meditation practice, I began to lead meditation groups and teach meditation, and have integrated the principles of meditation and mindfulness into my therapeutic work.

Experience

  • Initiated and led a center for Well-Being at the Replogle Center for Counseling in Chicago.
  • Private psychanalytically-oriented therapy practice for the last 30 years.
  • Meditation teacher and meditation group leader in a variety of settings, including the Federal Penitentiary and the Cook County Jail.
  • Advice columnist in Chicago for several magazines entitled “Ask Dr. D.”
  • “Rebel rabbi for hire”, creating innovative, meaningful and personalized life cycle events.