Jeff Ruser, Ph.D., CMPC

As a native of the northwest suburbs of Chicago, I attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for my undergraduate studies. Later, I graduated from Fresno State with a master’s degree in Sport Psychology and from Indiana University with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and a Ph.D. minor in Sport and Performance Psychology. Throughout my career I have provided psychological services in university counseling, private practice, and athletic department settings – including at Indiana University and Texas A&M University. As both a clinician and a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC), I am passionate about supporting others in pursuit of their greatest goals through promoting holistic mental health and well-being. I am committed to supporting and forming authentic relationships with people who are both similar and different than me, to valuing other’s perspectives, to continually understanding my own identities and experiences, and to promoting a culture of inclusivity, equity, and belonging for everyone.

I aim to build an authentic relationship with each client while providing a welcoming environment to process life’s unique challenges and goals. I am committed to collaboratively working with clients to help them gain insight into their experiences, to build skills to cope with and move through presenting challenges, and to resolve present and past emotional pain. I utilize cognitive behavioral, emotion-focused, and interpersonal process approaches in counseling and consulting, while also integrating aspects of mindfulness and acceptance-commitment therapy.

I am passionate about serving students and student-athletes with concerns and needs related to mood disorders (anxiety, depression), burnout, mental performance, sports injury, men and masculinity, spirituality, religiosity, life transitions, and interpersonal relationships. I remain interested in examining the impact that social media use has on psychological functioning, particularly on student-athletes in the NIL-era. I also aim to incorporate strengths-based interventions, like practicing gratitude, in my work with clients.

In my free time I enjoy spending time with friends and family, attending sporting events, playing sports, exercising, enjoying local restaurants, and traveling to state and national parks.