MIA RUTH, LMHC
Founder & Owner | Licensed Mental Health Counselor (she/her/hers)
Mia Ruth is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, the founder and owner of Insight & Action Therapy, and an LGBTQ+-affirming psychotherapist based in New York City. She provides individual psychotherapy and couples therapy to adolescents, adults, and couples navigating anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, identity exploration, and life transitions.
Before entering the mental health field, Mia spent years working in film and television production — an experience that deepened her fascination with identity development, storytelling, and the human capacity for self-discovery and change. She eventually brought that curiosity into the therapy room, where it continues to shape the way she works with clients every day.
Mia is deeply committed to helping individuals and couples understand how their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors shape their perceptions of themselves, their relationships, and their lives. She believes that genuine self-understanding is the foundation of meaningful, lasting change — and that a strong, trusting therapeutic relationship is what makes that possible.
LGBTQ+-Affirming Therapy in New York City
LGBTQ+-related concerns are a central focus of Mia's clinical practice. She provides gender-affirming therapy, sexuality-affirming therapy, and identity-affirming care to LGBTQ+ individuals and couples across New York City, throughout New York State, and in Pennsylvania. All gender identities, gender expressions, and sexual orientations are warmly welcomed.
Mia completed her clinical internship at IHI Therapy Center, an award-winning LGBTQ+-affirmative psychotherapy center in Manhattan, where she developed specialized experience working with queer and transgender communities. She has clinical expertise supporting clients through:
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LGBTQ+ identity exploration and coming out
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Gender dysphoria and gender-affirming care
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Transgender and nonbinary identity support
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Queer relationship and couples therapy
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Minority stress, discrimination, and internalized shame
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Family rejection and chosen family dynamics
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Intersecting marginalized identities
Individual Therapy and Couples Therapy
In addition to her LGBTQ+-affirming practice, Mia works with a broad range of clients seeking individual therapy and couples therapy in New York City. Common areas of focus include anxiety, depression, self-esteem, relationship issues, communication challenges, life transitions, identity development, and emotional regulation.
Education and Professional Affiliations
Mia holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies with a concentration in Cinema and Media Studies from Carleton College and a Master of Arts in Counseling for Mental Health and Wellness from New York University. She is a professional member of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the New York Mental Health Counselors Association (NYMHCA).
Mia takes an integrative approach to psychotherapy, developing individualized treatment plans rooted in each client's unique goals, needs, and lived experience. She draws primarily from two evidence-based modalities: Psychodynamic Therapy, which explores the deeper origins of thoughts, emotions, and behavioral patterns, and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) — a method closely related to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) — which focuses on identifying and shifting the core belief systems that hold us back from effectively moving through challenging situations and working toward long-lasting, positive change.
This integrative framework allows Mia to tailor her approach to each individual client. She provides a warm, non-judgmental therapeutic environment in which clients can safely explore root causes, develop healthier thought patterns, and build practical, effective coping strategies for everyday life. Mia brings her authentic self to every session, holding the firm belief that a genuine, trusting therapeutic relationship is the engine of real and lasting change.
