About Garrett Rutz

I’m Garrett Rutz, a therapist, researcher, and author with a PhD in Couple and Family Therapy. I care about helping people find their voice, understand how they relate to others, and make choices that reflect what matters to them.

What fatherhood continues to teach me

I became a father as a teenager. Raising my son has taught me some of my deepest lessons about vulnerability and accountability. As he grows, I see how choices I made years ago continue to matter in the life of someone I love. Being his father asks me to remain willing to hear what those choices have meant to him.

Fatherhood has also taught me to stand firmly in my values and become confident in my abilities while remaining open and soft to my son’s needs. I return to that balance often: trusting myself while allowing his experience to change what I understand and how I respond. There is always more to learn about caring for someone as they become their own person.

Twelve years coaching young people

Coaching water polo for 12 years has given me the opportunity to work with young people ages 8–18 as they find their confidence and begin to understand who they are. It has also brought me close to the struggles that can accompany those years, including self-doubt, the effects of bullying, and the need to belong.

I have come to value the structure that makes room for exploration. Consistent routines and clear boundaries can give young people something steady to rely on as they test their limits, discover their strengths, and begin to trust their abilities.

Creating that environment asks a great deal of parents and coaches. It requires us to slow down, think beyond the immediate moment, and make a plan that responds to the needs of the particular child in front of us. I try to bring that same thoughtful attention to the person sitting across from me in therapy.

Finding your voice

The wish to find your footing belongs to every stage of life. Under tremendous stress, or after being mistreated, it can become difficult to stay connected to what matters to you. You may feel angry, withdrawn, unsure of yourself, or caught in ways of responding that feel at odds with the person you want to be.

I care about helping people reconnect with their voice and the values they want to guide their lives. That might mean speaking up, setting a boundary, or deciding how they want to respond in a difficult relationship. My hope is that you can stand more confidently in who you are and make choices you can stand behind.

The ethics at the heart of my work

My work draws on narrative therapy and my research into the ethical side of relationships. I am interested in how we understand our actions, listen to the experiences of others, and take responsibility for the ways we affect one another. I want to understand how our values become visible in the way we live.

It can be difficult to recognize what has been guiding us when we are caught up in the middle of things. Through conversation, we can consider our actions from another perspective, name our motives, and notice how our choices affect us and others. From there, we can decide what we want to commit to and how to put that commitment into practice.

I want us to be able to talk honestly about the most difficult parts of relating to others, with enough care that shame does not take center stage. Your voice and values belong in these conversations, alongside careful attention to how we affect one another.

If you are considering therapy

You may be carrying something that is hard to put into words, facing a difficult change, or wanting something different in your relationships. We can begin with what is happening in your life and what you hope might become possible.

I welcome the opportunity to hear what brings you here.