About Michelle
Michelle Castellani is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 12 years of experience. She has worked extensively in healthcare settings and in independent practice, helping people cope with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, eating concerns, and relationship struggles. Michelle draws on practical skills developed through clinical work to help people navigate hard times.
She often uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help clients see how thoughts influence feelings and behavior. Michelle combines that with a strengths perspective to identify skills people already have.
Background and approach
She has studied mindfulness-based stress reduction and offers mindfulness and meditation tools when they fit a person's preferences. Michelle learned crisis intervention while supporting patients facing new illnesses and major life changes. That background shaped her ability to help people manage sudden stress and adjust to new circumstances.
In independent practice she has worked with issues such as panic attacks, social anxiety, phobias, obsessive-compulsive concerns, anger, and intimacy-related problems. Sessions focus on clear problem identification, practical coping skills, and small steps that move a person toward their goals. Michelle listens first, then helps craft a plan that uses evidence-based techniques and a person’s existing strengths.
She aims to make therapy straightforward and usable in everyday life. Based in New Jersey, Michelle provides services in English and brings a calm, grounded presence to sessions. People who want to learn tools for managing stress, improving sleep, or rebuilding confidence may find her approach helpful.
Evidence-Based Approaches and Online Care
Michelle commonly uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people spot and change unhelpful thought patterns that drive anxiety, depression, and mood swings. CBT focuses on practical exercises and homework that lead to clearer thinking and steadier moods.She also draws on a strengths perspective to identify skills a person already has and build on them. That approach helps when someone feels stuck and needs concrete ways to use their existing resources. Michelle may offer mindfulness and meditation practices learned through a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course to teach breathing, awareness, and stress reduction techniques when the client is open to them.
Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t helped before, then tailor techniques to fit the person’s needs. Plans often mix methods and adjust over time as progress is made.
Online therapy with Michelle can include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video is useful for deeper conversations and seeing nonverbal cues, while phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is low. Live chat and text messaging work well for brief check-ins, progress notes, and quick coping reminders between sessions. These options make scheduling more flexible and help people fit support into busy lives.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Grief
Also works with
- Addictions
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Career difficulties
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Intimacy-related issues
- LGBT
- Parenting issues
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Sleeping disorders
- Trauma and abuse
- Experience
- 12 years
- Licensed
- New Jersey
- Languages
- English