Michelle Castellani, LCSW

Michelle Castellani is a social worker who brings clinical training and long experience working in healthcare to her counseling practice. She holds an MSW, a Master of Social Work degree, and an LCSW, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker credential that permits her to provide clinical services in a private practice setting.

Most of her career has been spent in healthcare environments where she developed strong crisis intervention skills and helped people cope with the adjustments that accompany new or changing illnesses. She has also maintained a private practice since 2007, working with individuals who experience anxiety disorders such as panic attacks, social anxiety, and specific phobias, as well as those facing depression and bipolar disorder, eating disorders, relationship problems, anger issues, obsessive compulsive concerns, and couples counseling.

Her clinical training includes a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course, which informs her use of mindfulness and meditation as coping tools when clients are receptive. She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT - to help clients understand how thoughts influence feelings and behavior, and she draws on a strengths perspective to identify and build on existing skills and resources. Her methods are often combined and tailored to the needs of each person.

Michelle emphasizes careful listening and clear assessment as the first steps in effective work, believing that accurate understanding of a problem is essential to addressing it. She approaches change as a process people can embrace when they are ready, and she aims to support individuals through that journey with practical strategies and compassionate guidance.