Lisa DeGraff received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Indiana University and her Master of Science (MSN) with a PMHNP specialization from Walden University.

She was born and raised just north of Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a true Bengals fan. Mental health issues touched her family and many of her friends in high school with tragedies related to the use of drugs and alcohol as well as more than one teenage suicide.

Lisa has been an RN for 30 years. Her early clinical experience was in the Emergency Department where it is usually either trauma or a mental health issue. It was there she discovered her fascination with alterations of the brain. Later in her career, she worked as a nursing professor in four states over 14 years, teaching psychiatric nursing in the classroom and clinically.

Lisa utilizes the recovery model and harm reduction approach along with CBT. She especially enjoys working with teens and young adults. She appreciates the incredible advances that have been made in mental health treatment, the increases in public education, and being a part of the field while the stigma lessens each year.

When she isn’t working, Lisa enjoys spending time with her husband. She also loves to travel, go on cruises, and garden. She adores her three grandchildren.