Michelle Castellani, LCSW

Michelle Castellani is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensed in New Jersey with 12 years of clinical experience. She has worked extensively in healthcare settings and in private practice since 2007. Her work focuses on stress, anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder, as well as relationship and intimacy-related concerns.

In the healthcare setting she learned crisis intervention and how to help people adjust after a new illness or medical change. In private practice she has seen many people with panic attacks, social anxiety, phobias, eating concerns, addiction issues, anger and obsessive-compulsive patterns.

She uses mindfulness skills alongside Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to make thoughts and actions more manageable. Mindfulness came from a formal Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course; it is offered as a coping tool for those who find it helpful. CBT is used to identify how thoughts influence feelings and behavior.

Michelle also works from a strengths perspective, helping people notice the skills they already have and use them to solve current problems. Sessions often combine these approaches depending on what the person prefers and needs.

Her way of working is straightforward: listen first, clarify the problem, and then choose practical steps. People who value clear explanations and practical tools often find this approach useful.

Evidence-based approaches and online sessions