Graciela "Gracie” Wangsnes

Graciela "Gracie" Wangsnes is a licensed clinical social worker with ten years of professional experience in California. She speaks English and Spanish and focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and family conflict. Gracie aims to create a warm, interactive space where clients can share thoughts and feelings without judgment.

Her approach blends cognitive-behavioral ideas with client-centered values. She draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques to help people build coping skills and increase emotional flexibility. Sessions are shaped around each person’s goals and preferences.

Gracie often helps people address body image concerns, guilt and shame, and social anxiety alongside core mood difficulties. She also works with issues stemming from trauma and abuse and supports recovery from post-traumatic stress symptoms. In sessions she focuses on practical strategies, skill building, and clearer thinking.

She describes her style as respectful, sensitive, and compassionate. Gracie tailors conversations and plans to meet specific needs rather than following a one-size-fits-all model. This means clients leave with concrete tools they can use between appointments.

Taking the first step to seek help can feel hard, and Gracie aims to make that step easier. Prospective clients start by completing a short matching questionnaire and then schedule appointments according to the therapist’s availability.

How Gracie’s approaches translate to online therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings and take action toward values that matter. It is often used for anxiety, depression, and body image concerns by teaching acceptance and committed action. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on spotting and changing unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors, which can reduce worry and improve mood and daily functioning.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Gracie will work with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. Sessions generally combine talking, skill practice, and homework so progress can continue between meetings.

The therapist’s biography does not list specific session formats, so confirm current online options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove travel time. It can also let people use tools like worksheets and behavioral experiments during or between appointments to practice new skills.