HEARING A CALL
Ruah Woods Psychological Services (RWPS) is a branch of Ruah Woods, the award-winning Theology of the Body education and healing center based in Cincinnati, OH. The mission of Ruah Woods is to help men and women live their vocation to love according to God’s plan, as informed by Theology of the Body. RWPS aids in this mission by developing and providing high quality psychological services deeply informed by this Catholic vision of the human person.
RWPS was founded in 2011 when Dr. Andrew Sodergren was recruited by the Ruah Woods Board of Directors to open this new branch of the ministry. Up to that point, Ruah Woods had focused solely on providing Theology of the Body educational opportunities. While solid education in the faith is invaluable, it is sometimes not enough. Sometimes, people need additional help in living a fully human and fully Christian life. That’s where RWPS comes in.
Beginning with Dr. Sodergren and continuing on with our current clinical staff, RWPS helps people get unstuck from emotional, behavioral, and relational problems that limit their ability to experience the joy of being a son or daughter of God and impair their freedom to love. We especially support vocations to marriage, the priesthood, and religious life.
YOU ARE INVITED TO COME INTO THE LIGHT. AND BECOME THE LIGHT.
WHAT WE DO
On our private, wooded campus on the West side of Cincinnati, RWPS provides psychotherapy to adults, children, couples, families, priests, and religious. We provide thorough psychological evaluations, including evaluations for candidates to the priesthood and religious life. We are also available for speaking engagements, writing, and consultation.
While we strive to meet everyone where they are at in regard to issues of faith and values, we base all of our services on a Catholic vision of the person as being created in the image and likeness of God and called to make a total gift of self to God and others in love. With this vision, we integrate the best of psychological science because we believe that Truth is one, and when faith and science come together in harmony, the benefits can be life-changing.
RUAH WOODS MISSION
Ruah Woods helps men and women live their vocation to love,
according to God’s plan,
as informed by the Theology of the Body.
As a result, Disciples are identified,
Evangelizers are equipped
And Catholic Leaders developed
to transform the culture to a civilization of life and love.
THEOLOGY OF THE BODY
The Theology of the Body refers to a series of 129 lectures given by Pope John Paul II during his Wednesday audiences in Rome between September 1979 and November 1984. These addresses were later compiled and published as a single work entitled The Theology of the Body According to John Paul II. The Theology of the Body covers such topics as the bodily dimension of the human person, the nature of human sexuality, the human need for communion, and the nature of marriage.
Christ’s mission, according to the spousal analogy of the Scriptures, is to “marry” us. He invites us to live with him in an eternal life-giving union of love. This is what the union of the sexes is meant to proclaim and foreshadow – the eternal union of Christ and the Church. As St. Paul says, quoting from Genesis:
“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the church. (Eph 5:31-32)
By helping us understand this profound interconnection between sex and the Christian mystery, John Paul II’s Theology of the Body not only paves the way for lasting renewal of marriage and the family; it enables everyone to rediscover “the meaning of the whole of existence, the meaning of life.” (Oct 29, 1980)
John Paul II’s Theology of the Body is especially important for our culture today which is permeated by messages that challenge faith and encourage permissive attitudes. The Theology of the Body is a new understanding of the human person that takes one beyond the “thou shall nots” often associated with Christianity to a fresh, new approach to the gift of love and human sexuality. As John Paul II says, “Love demands a personal commitment to the will of God.” (Oct 1, 1979)
THE CAMPUS
Ruah Woods is located in a quiet corner of Western Hills surrounded by God’s creation – brook, meadow, woods and birdcall. It has become a perfect place to “get away” for many allied groups to recollect, strategize and reflect on their own place in the New Evangelization. We welcome such organizations as Cincinnati Right to Life, Retrouvaille, Couple to Couple League, Serra Club and many others to do just that by sharing our campus. To inquire about using our facilities for your group, contact us here.
Front Desk Hours
Monday: 9:00am – 7:30pm
Tuesday: 8:30am – 6:00pm
Wednesday: 8:30am – 6:00pm
Thursday: 9:00am – 7:30pm
Upcoming Events
Resources
Happy Birthday, Papa
By Andrew Sodergren, M.T.S., Psy.D. Director of Ruah Woods Psychological Services This May 18th is the 100th anniversary of the birth of our beloved Pope St. John Paul II. Typically, only people who have had a truly historic impact have their birthdays celebrated long after they are deceased. John Paul II was one such historic […]