Michelle Castellani , LCSW

Michelle Castellani is a licensed clinical social worker who has built a career working at the intersection of healthcare and mental health. Her experience in medical settings sharpened her crisis intervention skills and informed a compassionate approach to helping people cope with the emotional challenges that accompany new or chronic illness. She has also maintained a private practice since 2007, where she most often supports people facing anxiety disorders - including panic attacks, social anxiety, and phobias - as well as depression and bipolar disorder, eating disorders, relationship struggles, anger issues, obsessive compulsive disorder, and couples concerns.

She holds an MSW, which is a Master of Social Work, and an LCSW, which stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker and allows her to provide clinical services in private practice. Michelle has completed formal training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and incorporates mindfulness and meditation when appropriate as practical coping skills. She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which helps people examine how thoughts influence feelings and actions, alongside a Strengths Perspective that identifies and builds on a person’s existing abilities.

Her style blends these evidence-informed techniques with careful listening and clear assessment so that the problems at hand can be defined before solutions are pursued. Michelle views therapy as a collaborative process and aims to help people embrace change when they are ready, supporting each step of that journey.

Evidence-Informed Approaches for Online Care

Michelle commonly draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a practical method that helps people identify and change unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors to reduce distress and improve daily functioning. She also integrates Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction techniques learned through formal training, teaching simple mindfulness and meditation practices that can support attention, stress management, and emotional regulation. The Strengths Perspective is another element of her work, focusing on identifying a person's existing skills and resources and using those strengths to address current challenges and build toward goals.

Determining the right therapeutic approach is part of the initial work. Michelle approaches that process collaboratively, listening first, assessing the concerns, and then recommending or combining methods in partnership with each client to match their needs, goals, and preferences.

Online therapy options - including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging - make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to access licensed professionals from different locations. These formats provide flexibility in how and when someone engages in therapy, supporting continuity of care and allowing therapists and clients to focus on the approaches that work best for them.