About
Larisa deGraffenreid
LCSW
Life is full of challenges and everyone struggles at times. I feel it is my calling to help people grow—to become unstuck—and realize their potential. I have had the pleasure of helping middle schoolers navigating new schools and peers, teenagers balancing the demands of homework and parental expectations, college students managing their classes and ADHD/anxiety independently for the first time in addition to their social lives, parents managing all of this plus their own relationships and work lives, plus other clients in a myriad of situations. My aim is to help clients develop their toolbox of skillful means and abilities to meet life’s challenges head-on in effective ways to reach their goals, be they personal or professional, health or relationship oriented. I embrace the diversity of clients and situations in my work- I love that no two are the same!
Professional Affiliations:
ICEFT
IFS Institute
WBCEFT
WPATH
CHADD
Advanced Trainings in:
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy
Emotionally Focused Family Therapy
Internal Family Systems Therapy
Gender Spectrum Issues
Neurofeedback
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
I have been serving individuals, couples and families in the Northern Virginia area since 2003 and, while I incorporate integrated “best of” therapeutic approaches, I specialize in utilizing Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) and Emotionally-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) to help couples and families move beyond constrictive patterns of behavior to co-create new patterns of healthy communication and secure bonds. I also incorporate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients build lives that matter by increasing their capacity to move towards their goals. I have also seen the benefits of Neurofeedback and have the training and equipment to provide it as well.
Education:
Master’s of Social Work Specializing in Clinical work with Children and Families from University of Maryland in Baltimore
License:
I am Licensed in both Maryland and Virginia
Experience:
I have been in private practice since 2021. Prior to this, I was Director of Groups at Family Compass in Reston for over 7 years where I not only provided individual and family therapy, but also ran the group therapy program, trained and supervised students and pre-licensed therapists, and provided workshops to the community on many topics of parenting, including anxious and/or neurodiverse children. I also presented regularly at the Virginia Association of Specialists-In-Group Work’s annual conference.
Before that I was a Clinical Supervisor at the Jewish Social Services Agency (JSSA) where I worked for 8 years. In addition to Individual, Couples and Family Therapy, I ran many social skills therapy groups, with colleagues co-facilitated a summer camp for neurodiverse children with the Jewish Community Center, and worked as part of a team to provide systemic interventions for bullying in area private schools.
My initial foray into Social Work was at Adolescent and Family Growth Center (AFDC), an intensive Foster Care Treatment Program that provided all-inclusive, wrap around services to high risk foster teens. In my role there, I was case manager for teens (which included providing Individual and Family Therapy, navigating school and court systems, and more). I also ran groups in an after-school program, assisted with foster parent trainings, and recruited foster parents
