Joanne Castellanos, MA, LMHC, FT

Joanne Castellanos joined the bereavement counseling team at Calvary Hospital in 2015. She leads six bereavement support groups at the Bronx campus for adults who have experienced the death of someone significant in their lives. She also provides individual grief support, community outreach and lectures on topics related to grief and loss.

Prior to joining Calvary, Joanne worked for the Department of Education with children experiencing behavioral health challenges, and worked as a director for a childcare center where she supported and guided the parents and the team of the center.

Joanne experienced the death of both her parents; her father when she was a teen and her mother as an adult. The grief she experienced as a result of these significant deaths provided Joanne with the insight to further help those in need of grief support. She understands the importance of having a safe place to express and process the unique level of devastation that is experienced when death happens to an important figure in one’s personal life.

Joanne actively works with individuals who are in need of mental, emotional, social, and spiritual support. She provides the space for grievers to feel safe to share and process their unique grief experiences. Joanne aids the grievers’ coping abilities as they learn to adjust and reconcile to a life without their person who has died. She includes interventions, that include experiential and mindfulness activities that encourage grievers to be present, while being gentle with their feelings as they go through their journey. Joanne works to support the grievers’ distinctive way of understanding and experiencing their emotions.

Joanne is a licensed mental health counselor and a Fellow in Thanatology. She obtained her undergraduate degree in 2008 through CUNY, and her Master’s in 2013, as well as an Advanced Certificate in Mental Health Counseling in 2017 from Manhattan College.