Michelle Castellani

Michelle Castellani is a clinical social worker with a Master of Social Work who has spent the bulk of her career working in healthcare settings. In those roles she developed crisis intervention skills and learned practical coping strategies to help people adjust to new illnesses and the changes that come with them.

She has been in private practice since 2007 and brings 12 years of experience to her therapeutic work. Much of her caseload involves anxiety disorders - including panic attacks, social anxiety and phobias - along with individuals managing depression and bipolar disorder, eating disorders, relationship struggles, anger issues, obsessive-compulsive concerns and couples counseling.

Her training includes a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course, and she integrates mindfulness and meditation when it fits a client’s needs while recognizing that this approach is not right for everyone. She frequently uses cognitive behavioral therapy to explore how thoughts shape feelings and behavior, and she employs a strengths-based perspective to identify and build on the skills a person already possesses.

Michelle’s approach centers on listening first, clarifying and diagnosing the problem, and then combining these tools in a tailored way to support coping and meaningful change. She believes people have the ability to embrace change when they are ready and takes satisfaction in helping clients along that journey.