About T.R.A.C.E.S.
Helping families find pathways toward healing, connection, and lasting change.
Commitment. Community. Values.
OUR MISSION: Our mission is to help our clients find in themselves ways to significantly improve their lives and to achieve their fullest potential.
OUR VALUES: Honesty. Confidentiality. Equality and Fairness. Quality of Service.
OUR VISION: Our vision is that our services offered by our dedicated team will make a positive impact by improving the quality of life of our clients.
OUR COMMITMENT: We are committed to provide the most effective counseling services to our diversified community.
Ruth Swissa, MSC, P.G. Counseling Psych, BSC, BSC, founder of T.R.A.C.E.S. is an accomplished therapist with over 25 years of experience.
Experience. Innovation. Excellence.
Team Traces
Meet Ruth Swissa, Founder of TRACES
A Passion for Helping Families Heal, Grow, and Move Forward
Behind every family we serve is a story—and behind TRACES is a belief that people have the ability to heal, grow, and create meaningful change.
That belief has guided Ruth Swissa, MSC, P.G. Counseling Psych, BSC, BSC, throughout her career as a psych specialist, therapist, educator, and founder of TRACES. With more than 25 years of experience in the mental health field, Ruth has dedicated her work to helping individuals and families navigate some of life’s most challenging transitions.
A Heart for Families
Ruth understands that family struggles are rarely simple. Divorce, separation, conflict, parenting challenges, and emotional distress can affect every member of a family—especially children.
Her approach has always centered around one important question:
“How can we help families create healthier relationships and a better path forward?”
Through TRACES, Ruth has created a space where families can receive support that is compassionate, professional, and focused on meaningful change. TRACES represents Treatment, Recovery, Accountability, Change, Empowerment, and Solutions—values that reflect Ruth’s commitment to helping clients discover their own strengths and move toward healthier futures.
Combining Experience With Compassion
Ruth’s extensive background in counseling and psychology allows her to understand the complex emotional dynamics that impact individuals and families. She has shared her expertise with organizations and professional communities on topics related to mental health and family wellness.
Her work is guided by the belief that support should be both compassionate and practical. Families need more than understanding—they need tools, education, and strategies that help them create lasting change.
A Vision for Stronger Families
TRACES was founded on the idea that even during difficult seasons, families can find new ways to communicate, reconnect, and grow.
Whether supporting parents through Parenting Coordination, assisting families through reunification, providing psychoeducational coaching, or offering therapeutic services, Ruth and the TRACES team focus on helping clients move beyond conflict and toward healthier relationships.
The TRACES Difference
Ruth believes that every person deserves to be treated with dignity, respect, and understanding.
At TRACES, families are supported through:
- Compassionate guidance.
- Evidence-informed approaches.
- Child-focused solutions.
- Education and skill-building.
- Accountability paired with empathy.
- A commitment to long-term positive change.
Jackson Newberry, Psy.D.
Clinical Director
Dr. Jackson Newberry is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Director with more than 14 years of experience providing psychotherapy, psychological testing, assessment, and evaluation services. His clinical background includes specialized experience in health psychology and forensic psychology, allowing him to work with individuals and families facing a wide range of emotional, relational, and psychological concerns.
Dr. Newberry completed his doctoral training in Clinical Psychology at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology, including an APA-accredited internship with specialized training in forensic assessment and capacity restoration. Throughout his career, he has developed a particular interest in helping people better understand themselves, their relationships, and the experiences that shape how they navigate life.
Dr. Newberry works with individuals and families experiencing relationship difficulties, family conflict, parenting and co-parenting challenges, major life transitions, and the lasting effects of difficult or painful experiences. He also has a special interest in health psychology and forgiveness. His work is grounded in the belief that greater self-understanding can create meaningful opportunities for growth, healing, and lasting change.
In addition to psychotherapy, Dr. Newberry provides psychological testing, assessments, and evaluations designed to offer a deeper understanding of an individual’s psychological functioning, strengths, challenges, and areas of need. He approaches assessment with care and attention to the whole person, recognizing that meaningful evaluation requires more than simply identifying symptoms—it requires understanding the individual within the context of their relationships, experiences, and circumstances.
His therapeutic approach is compassionate, practical, collaborative, and grounded in evidence-based psychological care. Dr. Newberry strives to create a space where clients feel heard, respected, and understood while also helping them develop practical strategies for navigating life’s challenges. Whether working to reduce conflict, improve communication, strengthen relationships, understand psychological concerns, or move through a major life transition, he partners with clients to help them identify healthier and more effective ways of responding.
As Clinical Director, Dr. Newberry is equally committed to fostering a practice culture built on empathy, integrity, collaboration, and excellence. He believes that high-quality psychological care begins with genuine respect for every individual’s unique story and continues through thoughtful, individualized, and comprehensive treatment .
A Message From Ruth
Families go through difficult moments, but difficult moments do not have to define their future. With the right support, understanding, and commitment to change, relationships can heal and new possibilities can emerge.
