About Vanessa
Vanessa Rios helps people navigate stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, and depression. She offers support for personality-related difficulties as well. Vanessa greets each person with calm attention and straightforward, practical guidance.
She listens first and asks questions to understand what matters to the client. Sessions focus on building skills people can use between meetings. Vanessa uses mindfulness and cognitive tools to reduce overwhelming thoughts and to strengthen day-to-day coping.
Background and approach
Vanessa is a licensed mental health counselor, LMHC, and also holds a Licensed Professional Counselor credential, LPC. She practices in New York and speaks English and Spanish. She brings five years of clinical experience to each conversation.
Her style is warm and nonjudgmental. She creates space for people to name what is hard and to try small changes that add up. Conversations are collaborative and paced to what each person can manage.
Practical strategies and values-based work are common in her sessions. She often blends Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with client-centered listening and cognitive techniques. Many people use these methods to manage anxiety, address addictive patterns, or recover from past hurts.
Vanessa encourages people to take the first step when they feel ready. She helps with scheduling and explains how therapy will fit into a person’s life. Clear goals and regular check-ins guide the process.
Online approaches that focus on values and skills
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take actions that fit those values. It can be useful for anxiety, low motivation, and patterns that keep someone stuck. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes listening and empathy so the therapist follows the client's pace and priorities; it suits people who need a steady, supportive space to talk. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) teaches practical ways to notice and change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, which can reduce anxiety and improve mood.Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and daily life to decide which methods to try. That decision is made together and can be adjusted over time based on what helps most.
Online therapy offers several practical benefits. Video calls let people have face-to-face conversations from wherever they are, while phone sessions need less bandwidth and can be easier to fit into a short break. Live chat and text-based messaging allow quick check-ins, written reflections, or support between longer sessions. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent and to use approaches like ACT and CBT in everyday situations.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
Also works with
- Depression
- Personality disorders
- Self esteem
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 5 years
- Licensed
- New Jersey, New York
- Languages
- English, Spanish