About Alexandra
Alexandra Calestini is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) based in New York who focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and low self-esteem. She brings 12 years of experience to sessions and aims to create a respectful, empathetic space where people feel heard. Alexandra emphasizes straightforward support and practical steps toward feeling better.
Her approach centers on listening first. She uses client-centered methods to follow each person's needs and priorities.
How Alexandra works
When helpful, she adds cognitive behavioral techniques to identify unhelpful thinking and build healthier habits. Alexandra also draws on dialectical behavior therapy skills and mindfulness to help people tolerate difficult feelings and respond with more intention. Motivational interviewing helps when someone feels stuck or unsure about change.
These methods are chosen to match each person’s goals, not applied all at once. In practice she focuses on everyday challenges like communication problems, codependency, caregiver stress, body image, and difficulties after divorce or separation. She also addresses more specific issues such as attachment and abandonment concerns, dissociation, and domestic violence impacts.
Alexandra works with gender dysphoria-related concerns with sensitivity and respect. Sessions aim to be collaborative and practical. Alexandra helps people set small, doable goals and build coping skills they can use between meetings.
The tone is warm and nonjudgmental, with attention to cultural differences and individual values.
Alexandra lists 9 ways of working on the entry:
What Alexandra works with
The areas below are the ones Alexandra selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Hoarding
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 12 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | New York |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How evidence-based skills translate online
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and following the person's lead. The therapist offers empathy and support while helping clients identify what matters most to them. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, helps people spot unhelpful thoughts and build new behavior patterns to reduce anxiety and depression. Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, teaches concrete skills for managing strong emotions and improving communication.Choosing the right approach is part of the work. Alexandra will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their needs, goals, and preferences. That might mean starting with listening and grounding skills, then adding CBT tools or DBT strategies as progress unfolds. The plan can change as goals shift during therapy.
Online sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to match different schedules and styles. Video is useful for deeper conversational work and skill practice. Phone sessions can be easier when video is not possible or bandwidth is limited. Live chat and messaging allow for brief check-ins, written reflections, and flexible contact between scheduled appointments. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life while still using the same therapeutic approaches discussed above.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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