Our people

<h4 class=”fusion-responsive-typography-calculated” data-fontsize=”18″ data-lineheight=”21.6px”>NZRP, Dip Phyty (Otago), BA (Mus) (UC), Certified Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner (ASLM)</h4>
Ruth is a NZ Registered Physiotherapist, with over 20 years’ experience, more than half of which has been in Mental Health contexts, including 6 years as Clinical Leader Physiotherapy, Specialist Mental Health Services, CDHB. During this time she played a key role in initiatives to embed the importance of physical health in mental health, along with wellbeing and lifestyle practices both as a programme framework and therapy interventions.

Ruth’s passion for a neurobiological model of mental health (with non-medication and lifestyle approaches), ongoing learning and educating others is evident in the 40+ presentations to stakeholders such as clinical staff, students and educators on a range of topics, within the organisation, across sector and nationally. She also contributed to several webpages on ‘Healthpathways’ and developed resources for clients, now available on https://www.healthinfo.org.nz/

Ruth has a keen interest in and experience with complex and neurodevelopmental trauma, work with children, adolescents and their families, along with other mental health conditions. Her approach includes working with dysregulated physiology, arousal states, sensorimotor processing, as well as (chronic) pain and the bidirectional interactions with emotion, mood, implicit memory, and behaviours.

In 2021 Ruth established a mental health physiotherapy private practice under the name gifted by tangata whenua – Te Whakamana Oranga (empowering/enabling wellbeing) – embodying her mahi/work with individuals living with mental health conditions as well as resourcing other clinicians.

Ruth also loves exploring the natural beauty of NZ. With a background in music she enjoys singing and playing a number of instruments, listening to and incorporating music into physiotherapy interventions as appropriate.