Our Story
Wellness in ACTions was founded to provided wellness counseling, coaching, and consulting services focused on building fully fullfilled lives.
Empower your journey, embrace your growth.
Dr. Ericka Rutledge
About Me
Welcome to Wellness in ACTions! My name is Dr. Ericka Rutledge, and I’m passionate about helping individuals and families navigate life’s challenges through counseling, coaching, and training services. With years of experience in clinical psychology, I’ve dedicated my career to supporting people in their journey toward emotional well-being and personal growth.
My approach is rooted in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a powerful framework that empowers you to embrace your thoughts and feelings while committing to actions that align with your values. I also specialize in family-focused interventions, helping families create healthier dynamics and stronger connections.
Whether you’re dealing with anxiety, managing a chronic condition, or simply seeking to improve your overall quality of life, I’m here to offer compassionate, evidence-based support tailored to your unique needs. At Wellness in ACTions, you’ll find a warm, welcoming environment where we work together to help you thrive.
Let’s take the next steps toward your wellness goals—together.
Most Recent Positions
Licensed Clinical Pediatric Psychologist
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, St. Louis, MO
(December 2017 – Present)
Responsibilities include working as a behavioral health provider with integrated pediatric medical teams, providing outpatient therapeutic services, and supervising psychology graduate students.Consultant
University of Miami, Miami, FL
(May 2021 – Present)
Provides support with peer learning activities for parenting program providers and creates training content based on program needs.Adjunct Professor
Washington University in St. Louis, MO
(August 2019 – 2021)
Provided individual therapy to children and adolescents and utilized various treatment modalities in an outpatient psychology clinic.
Education and Training
PhD in Clinical Psychology
Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL (APA accredited)
(2010 – 2016)Dissertation: "Do Implicit Personality Theories Impact Parental Reactions to Child Transgressions? A Randomized Controlled Trial"
Thesis: "Parenting Attitudes, Practices, and the Theory of Planned Behavior"
MA in General Psychology
New York University, New York, NY
(2006 – 2008)Thesis: "Factors that Affect Attrition in an Intervention Program for Foster Children"
Bachelor's Degrees
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
(1998 – 2002)Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Bachelor of Science in Business Management
Bachelor of Science in International Business
Minor in French
Certificates
Certification of Graduate Study in Advanced Quantitative Methodology in Education
Certification of Graduate Study in Advanced Qualitative Methodology in Education
Certification in College Teaching (Northern Illinois University, 2011 – 2015)
Postdoctoral Fellowship
Psychiatry Consultation Service, Pediatric Postdoctoral Fellowship
Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
(September 2016 – September 2017)
Most Recent Publications
Crouch, J. L., Mckay, E. R., Lelakowska, G., Hiraoka, R., Rutledge, E., Bridgett, D. J., & Milner, J. S. (2018). Do emotion regulation difficulties explain the association between executive functions and child physical abuse risk? Child Abuse & Neglect, 80, 99-107. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.03.003
Rutledge, E. L., Crouch, J. L., Valentiner, D. P., Milner, J. S., & Skowronski, J. J. (2018). Do implicit personality theories impact parental reactions to child transgressions? A randomized controlled trial. Personality and Individual Differences, 128, 113-121. doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2018.02.021
Crouch, J. L., Irwin, L. M., Milner, J. S., Skowronski, J. J., Rutledge, E., & Davila, A. L. (2017). Do hostile attributions and negative affect explain the association between authoritarian beliefs and harsh parenting? Child Abuse & Neglect, 67, 13-21. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.02.019(Ericka Rutledge CV 2022) .