Educational Background
B.A.            Mount St Mary’s University
M.S.W.      University of Southern California

Michelle Castillo is a bilingual and bicultural associate clinical social worker with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health at Harbor UCLA Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic and CalWorks program. Ms. Castillo received her Bachelors in psychology with a minor is sociology from Mount St Mary’s University and her Masters of Social Work with an emphasis on mental health from the University of Southern California (USC).

Before joining the Harbor UCLA outpatient psychiatry clinic, Ms. Castillo had the opportunity to intern at the Boys and Girls Club located within the Mar Vista housing projects in Los Angeles. Specifically, Ms. Castillo provided services to at risk youth and their families to promote social and emotional wellness within the community as well as resolving behavioral and academic issues. In addition, Ms. Castillo had the opportunity to intern at Harbor UCLA Outpatient Clinic prior to being employed by the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health.

Prior to embarking on her career in social work, Ms. Castillo was an active member of her community in Santa Monica, Ca and was involved with various community organizations advocating on behalf of vulnerable and disenfranchised individuals.

Ms. Castillo has been trained and supervised in several evidenced- based practices including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE). Ms. Castillo is also skilled in Motivation Interviewing (MI).

Currently, Ms. Castillo provides services to CalWorks recipients by assisting them in reducing mental health barriers to employment. Ms. Castillo is also a member of both Spanish and English treatment DBT treatment teams at Harbor UCLA Outpatient Clinic. As a psychiatric social worker for LACDMH, Ms. Castillo is committed to providing culturally congruent services to sociocultural diverse populations.

Certifications:

Academy of Cognitive Therapy CBT Diplomate