Dr. Vanessa Prestridge Graf

Dr. Vanessa Prestridge Graf helps people who are struggling with anger, stress, anxiety, depression, relationship strain, parenting pressures, and issues around self-esteem. She also supports people coping with grief, trauma, addictions, sleep and eating concerns, and questions around intimacy and identity. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 29 years of experience and brings warmth and a straightforward manner to sessions.

She uses practical tools to change unhelpful thinking patterns. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a core part of her work; she helps people spot “stinking thinking” and reframe it into more realistic thoughts. She also encourages mindfulness practices to reduce anxiety and refocus attention on what is working day to day.

Dr. Graf believes early life experiences shape core beliefs, and she helps people unravel those old messages. Psychodynamic ideas inform this part of the work, giving space to understand how past relationships influence present behavior. The aim is to create more affirming beliefs and healthier choices.

Sessions are conversational and sometimes gently challenging. Clients learn simple skills they can use between meetings, such as thought records, grounding practices, and behavioral experiments. The work balances skill-building with attention to deeper emotional patterns.

Starting therapy is presented as a step that takes courage. Dr. Graf approaches that step with empathy and a bit of humor, helping people rebuild a more loving view of themselves and their lives.

How therapy approaches translate to remote work

Dr. Graf commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness Therapy in her work. CBT involves identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing them with real-life experiments to change patterns of behavior and emotion. Mindfulness Therapy focuses on simple practices to bring attention to the present moment and reduce rumination, which can help with anxiety and anger.

She also draws on psychodynamic ideas to look at how past relationships shape current reactions. That part of the work helps people make sense of long-standing patterns and how those patterns affect daily life. Choosing the right blend of approaches is a collaborative process; the therapist will help determine what fits best with a person's goals and preferences and adjust the plan as work progresses.

The profile does not list which online session formats are offered, so confirm available formats before booking. In general, online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, shorten a check-in when needed, and allow work from a quieter spot without travel. Licensed professionals can adapt CBT exercises, mindfulness practices, and psychodynamic conversation to remote sessions so clients continue practical skill-building and deeper reflection.