Our Team
DANIELLE CASTELLANO RAY, MA, LPC, NCC
Psychotherapist
“Today will be what it is, I will be who I am, and there will be beauty in both”
When I was an adolescent, I experienced a great loss and the grief that comes with it. It was in that moment I chose to accept the support of those around me which helped me in my healing process. Throughout schooling, I had a passion for being the “listener”, the “insightful and empathic one”. I recognized my resilience and wanted nothing more than to be able to help others see their own resilience. In high school, I knew being a therapist was my calling.
Following high school, I enrolled in the Psychology program at Montclair State University where I received my Bachelors degree in 2012. I then continued my education at Caldwell University in 2013 where I received my Masters in Mental Health Counseling. I completed my clinical licensure while working at an Adolescent Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient Program. There, I worked with children and adolescents in crisis situations, as a step down from hospitalization. Utilizing my training in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), my clients would return to school full time-prepared for adversities as they had a wealth of knowledge in mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness skills.
I began to work in the outpatient field part time in 2018 and quickly realized the type of progress that can be achieved in long term therapy is exponential. It allows for people the time and space to be able to reflect, learn, grow, and change their habits, mindsets, and relationships for the better.
My clinical niche is working with adolescents and young adults dealing with depression, anxiety,
interpersonal issues, emotional dysregulation, impulse control issues, unhealthy coping skills and quality of life interfering behaviors. Throughout our time together, expect validation, empathy, and problem-solving skills to help increase mindfulness, self-acceptance, reduce emotional suffering, improve relationships and build a life worth living.
My favorite way to spend my free time is with my growing family and our cat (Stracciatella). I love to cook, bake, and decorate for the holidays. Once early summer comes, I enjoy soaking up the sun at the lake, and with my toes in the sand down the shore
I can be reached directly at danielle@changeofmindcounseling.com