Ruth has dedicated much of her career to working with people with learning disabilities and autism. This experience has shaped her strong commitment to person-centred care and her creative approach to both supporting and assessing individuals. She is trained in a wide range of assessments, including autism, violent behaviour, sexually harmful behaviour, capacity, cognitive, and functional assessments.

Ruth is also highly experienced in training and supervision, regularly supporting staff teams and clinicians. She teaches on the Staffordshire Doctorate course around Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and has delivered a county-wide education programme to care teams, helping to enhance local services.

In her clinical practice, Ruth draws on a broad skill set. She is trained in DBT and uses these techniques to support stabilisation and emotional regulation. She has also undertaken training in EMDR and is close to completing the supervision component required for practice.

Alongside her specialist work with learning disabilities, Ruth has more recently extended her practice to include adults without learning disabilities, providing therapy for an insurance company. She particularly enjoys integrating skills and strategies from a range of therapeutic models, including CBT, ACT, DBT, CFT, CAT, Systemic approaches, and EMDR.

Publications

Staff stress and violence Howard, R. & Hegarty, J. (2003) The British Journal of Developmental Disabilities, Vol. 49, Part 1 2003. 

The sterilisation of women with learning disabilities – some points for consideration             Howard, R.,& Hendy, S. (2004) The British Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 50, 133-141

Reflections on a specialist groupwork placement. Howard, R. & Holmes, G. (2007) Clinical Psychologist Forum 179, 11-14

The psychological impact of violence on staff working with adults with intellectual disabilities Howard, R., Rose,J. & Levenson, V.(2009)The Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, Vol.22, Issue 6, pp. 538-548

The psychological Impact of violence on staff (Book chapter) In Contemporary Issues in Intellectual Disabilities (2010) Prasher, V.P.

How do support workers, supporting adults with learning disabilities, understand their role in facilitating access to the internet, for the purposes of personal and sexual relationships? Lines, J., Combes, H. & Richards, R. (2021) Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, Vol.34, 556-566.

Development of PBS skills in community providers (2021) Richards, R., Shenton, J., Watkin, F., & Crank., S.2^nd December 21, Vol. 24, Issue 6.

Paper in submission – Learning Disabilities Practice

The development of a pathway to manage sexual risk and vulnerability in adults with learning disabilities (2024) Race, L., Richards, R., Doughty, M., Emery, P. & Beech, R.