Frances Griffis

Frances Griffis is a psychologist with 25 years of practice at the doctoral level. She works from Vermont and holds psychology licenses in Vermont and Florida. She sees people coping with mood shifts, grief, anxiety, and the changes that come with aging and end-of-life concerns.

Her style is warm and straightforward. She offers a calm, nonjudgmental space and listens to what matters most to each person. Sessions focus on understanding current patterns and deciding whether those patterns are helping or holding someone back.

Frances draws on client-centered work to follow each person’s lead and make the therapy fit their values. She also uses cognitive behavioral ideas to spot unhelpful thoughts and test small behavior changes. Together, therapist and client set clear, manageable steps to ease stress and build coping skills.

She can discuss medication from an informed perspective based on a postdoctoral Master’s in Psychopharmacology, though she does not prescribe and does not push medication. If someone is already taking medication, she helps them understand why it was prescribed and how to talk with their prescriber.

Frances has long experience helping people with career concerns alongside personal struggles such as low self-esteem, relationship strain, compassion fatigue, and life transitions. Her approach is collaborative and practical, aiming to make change feel doable rather than overwhelming.

How her approaches translate to online work

Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and following what matters most to the person. In practice this means the therapist reflects understanding, helps clarify values, and supports clients as they choose next steps. This approach is useful for people feeling lost, isolated, or dealing with life meaning questions.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks concerns into thoughts, feelings, and actions and then tests small changes. It offers hands-on exercises and straightforward tools to reduce anxiety, lift mood, and manage stress. CBT is well suited to people who want concrete strategies to try between sessions.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. That may mean using client-centered listening alongside CBT techniques, and adjusting as progress is made.

The biography does not specify which online session formats are used, so confirm available options before booking. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy life, shorten check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. It also lets people use tools and worksheets between sessions so progress continues outside the appointment.