It’s not about us
We still feel it’s important for you to know who we are and what we do
Meet The Team
We believe it “takes a village” for a community to thrive. Our team took their experiences in education and life and created Collaborative to tackle even the most toughest of challenges.
Please feel free to search for your service, location or insurance provider. You may also book with a provider on their profiles below.
Elizabeth Malakhova, MSEd, CRC, MHC-LP
Elizabeth (she/her) has a deep passion for helping people of all ages. She is dedicated to providing compassionate and effective mental health care. She enjoys working with children, teens, young adults, and adults. Elizabeth seeks to guide them through their unique challenges and supports their journey to well-being.
Elizabeth holds a Master of Science in Education in Rehabilitation in Mental Health Counseling. She is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) specializing in vocational counseling from Hofstra University. She is also certified in SMART Recovery, which enhances her ability to help clients overcome addictive behaviors. Her approach to therapy is relational and client-centered, rooted in trauma-informed care. Elizabeth uses techniques from CBT, DBT, and Motivational Interviewing to create personalized and holistic treatment plans.
Elizabeth has expertise in many mental health issues, including PTSD, ADD/ADHD, OCD, mood disorders, relationship concerns, family systems, substance use, anxiety, and depression. Her diverse background helps her connect with clients from various walks of life. Born in Belarus and raised in the Bronx, she is fluent in both English and Russian.
Elizabeth believes in the power of a strong therapeutic relationship. She strives to create a safe, empathetic, and non-judgmental space for her clients. By focusing on everyone’s strengths and goals, she empowers them to achieve personal growth and healing.
In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys cooking and trying out new recipes. She also loves spending time with her friends and family and listening to music. An avid reader, Elizabeth’s favorite activity is curling up on the couch with a good book and her two kittens, Archie and Sawyer.
Lauren Familia, MS, MHC-LP
Lauren (She/Her) was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She has a master’s in school counseling from Brooklyn College and a certificate in mental health counseling from Alfred University. As someone who is kind and intuitive, Lauren has always been a helper who seeks to understand others. As a person with family members with various mental health disorders, it has been Lauren’s goal to decrease the stigma of mental health, increase awareness, and provide easy access for mental health services. She has years of experience working with children, adolescents, and families both in private and school settings. She has provided therapeutic services to clients who have been incarcerated, homeless, and have substance abuse issues. She has extensive experience working with students and clients that have ADHD, ASD, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. It has been a pleasure for her working with children, adolescents, and adults, and assisting them with increasing their social skills, self-esteem, and emotional regulation skills. As an extrovert/introvert and someone who loves learning about herself and others, Lauren enjoys working with people of all ages and all backgrounds. She has experience doing individual and group therapy.
In treatment with Lauren, she utilizes a holistic, non-judgmental, empathetic approach rooted in active listening. She believes therapy should be catered to the needs of the person or groups of people. She incorporates her adaptability, patience, and creativity into her work. She frequently uses the modalities of person center therapy, trauma informed care, emotion focused therapy, rational emotive behavior therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and dialectical behavior therapy.
Lauren wants her clients to feel empowered, safe, strong, and heal from any trauma they may have. While working with Lauren she will provide a secure environment in which you can work on your goals, express/identify your feelings/emotions, and utilize various mindful skills. Lauren is caring, which allows her clients to feel supported.
She enjoys running and cycling in various New York races. She loves reading, her favorites are mysteries and classics. She likes to cook, go to concerts, and spend quality time with her friends, family, and her cockapoo Mickey.
Sophia Berlin, MS, MHC-LP, CRC
Sophia: (She/Her) completed her Master of Science degree in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After enjoying many years in the south, she is excited to move back to her home state of New York. Sophia uses experience and insights to inform her work and feels fortunate to work with and learn from her clients.
Sophia’s concentration in psychiatric disabilities and rehabilitation counseling offered opportunities to gain experience working in various settings with diverse populations. Her experience in hospitals, specialized mental health clinics, and the VA Health Care system provided opportunities to develop her counseling skills and knowledge. She has experience working with developmental disabilities, chronic illnesses, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance use, self-injurious behaviors, anxiety, and mood disorders. While working with Veterans, she developed her interest in trauma-informed care and addressing co-occurring disorders. Over the last several years, she collaborated on evidence-based psychotherapy research and publications to advocate for access to informed care.
As a therapist, she strives to develop trusting relationships and offer a unique space for authenticity and support. She believes in the importance of recognizing individual strengths, while empowering self-awareness and growth. Her approach is relation-centered and integrative to incorporate modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Humanistic Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Trauma-Informed Care. Sophia uses an eclectic approach, which creates space to recognize different experiences and ensure therapy is accessible and effective.
Sophia could be described as an introverted extrovert. While she enjoys spending time with others and getting lost in conversation, she always carves out time to retreat to the comfort of reading a book on the couch. She is happiest near a body of water and swimming is her favorite form of exercise. Dog time is a staple in her life, and she enjoys any chance to get outside and explore new places.
Michelle Castellanos, MSW, LMSW
Michelle (she/her) is a New York City based psychotherapist and licensed social worker whose focus is building trusting relationships with her clients. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY before she headed off to study Psychology and Spanish at Swarthmore College. She returned to New York where she graduated with a Master’s in Social Work from Fordham University in 2019. Michelle can conduct sessions in English and Spanish. She is passionate about providing quality care to people of all backgrounds. She has gained a wide array of experience working with many diverse types of clients working in agencies, nonprofits, hospitals, and community mental health.
Michelle is enthusiastic about creating strong therapeutic relationships with clients. She knows that the relationship between client and provider is one of the building blocks to achieve a client’s goals and that the vulnerability developed during the session is a sacred thing. She partners with her clients to strive for meaningful change. She has worked with different types of people, including children, teens, birthing people, domestic violence survivors, immigrants and refugees, families, and more. She is particularly focused on the impact of trauma on a person’s life and how the process of healing can create new opportunities for someone. With her social work background Michelle is aware of the effect systems have on a person and a group and uses a social justice approach to help clients reach their goals. She aims to empower her clients to gain self-awareness and to develop effective coping strategies.
An enthusiastic reader, Michelle is always happy to get book recommendations of all genres. She is also a happy pet mom to her cat Chicharron. In her free time Michelle also enjoys baking cakes and pastries, crocheting blankets and sweaters, and watching TV with her husband and her cat on her lap.
Sam Prabhudesai, MS, MHC- LP
Samruddhi, who goes by Sam (she/her), was born and raised in India. She holds a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Pace University. With experience in working with children, teens, and adults, Sam comprehensively addresses clients’ diverse and intricate needs. She has provided counseling for anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental health concerns in settings including a substance rehabilitation program, juvenile remand home, and an orphanage.
Sam’s broad life experiences endow her with a unique capacity to integrate evidence-based treatments such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), and Art-based interventions. She believes in tailoring treatment plans to suit each client individually. Additionally, Sam ensures that clients’ expectations and needs from their therapeutic journey are met.
Employing a relational approach to therapy, Sam cultivates a secure and supportive environment where clients can authentically explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with vulnerability. She empowers her clients to foster resilience, enhance self-awareness, and develop effective coping strategies for managing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, and other mental health concerns. Sam’s sessions are not merely clinical interactions, but warm conversations held in a safe space. At the heart of this space lies unwavering support, empathy, connectedness, and tranquility.
In her pursuit of advocacy and community engagement, Sam applies her expertise in a manner accessible to diverse audiences. She started an online channel where she teamed up with other mental health professionals to discuss various mental health concerns. During the pandemic, she conducted these live sessions where people could join in, ask questions, access, and connect with mental health providers. Sam is also certified in CBT, DBT, and Art-based therapy in Holistic development for children. She is especially interested in marital therapy and is Level 1 certified in The Gottman Method.
Sam’s ability to bridge the gap between clinical knowledge and public understanding contributes to a more informed and empathetic society. With each opportunity to educate and empower, she advocates for equitable access to mental health resources, ensuring that no individual is left behind in their journey toward healing and resilience.
In her free time, Sam enjoys engaging in art, dancing, listening to music, taking walks, and reading. Her natural inclination towards connecting with people and engaging in meaningful conversations is advantageous for building a strong rapport with clients as a psychotherapist. Sam offers therapy sessions in English, Hindi, and Marathi.
Rachel Moses, MA, LMHC
Rachel (She/her) is a licensed mental health counselor dedicated to providing a safe space for each client. Compassionate and patient, she fosters authentic therapeutic relationships with clients. The cornerstone of Rachel’s practice is meeting each client where they are and accepting them as they are. She utilizes an eclectic approach to therapy, recognizing that no two clients are exactly alike. She pulls from a variety of modalities, such as Cognitive-Behavioral therapy (CBT), Mentalization-Based Treatment, Motivational Interviewing, and person-centered therapy.
Throughout her career, Rachel has found that she works well with many clients, particularly those experiencing anxiety, depression, avoidance, and life transitions. She maintains a curious and non-judgmental stance with all clients. She holds an understanding that each client is an expert of their own experience.
While studying at Brooklyn College, Rachel took classes that delved deep into various modalities such as psychodynamic therapy, CBT, and experiential/humanistic therapy. Rachel is always eager to learn from others, whether in a classroom setting, attending to other clinicians’ experiences, or actively listening to clients during sessions.
Born and raised in NYC, Rachel appreciates finding more peaceful moments amidst the city noise. She takes walks, bakes, reads, embroiders, and listens to Broadway cast recordings to clear her mind. On a daily basis, you can find her spending time with her pet dog named Link and parakeet named Pesto.
Kyle McEvoy, MS, LPC, LMHC, CCMHC, NCC
Kyle McEvoy (He/Him) is the Founder and President of Collaborative, a multidisciplinary clinical community focused on establishing effective, evidence-based treatment founded on an adaptive mentalization-based treatment model.
Kyle holds advanced training in mentalization-based (MBT) and adaptive mentalization-based integrative treatment (AMBIT) through the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families. He specializes in complex attachment and identity-related disorders such as borderline, avoidant, antisocial, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive personalities, along with gender-diverse individuals.
He focuses on understanding the individual to engage in a comprehensive execution of a person’s desires, wants, and needs. Kyle has participated in the client’s long-standing change from maladaptive behaviors, thoughts, and feelings through these scientific approaches. Kyle will implore you to participate in your treatment and discuss the techniques actively. He has helped people struggling with substances, explore individual identity (LGBTQIA+), cope with psychological/cognitive/developmental disorders, accept medical diagnoses, and overcome sexual abuse/intimate partner violence.
In addition to Kyle’s direct clinical work, he is a prominent national speaker, writer, and educator of the mental health community in efforts to deepen provider and patient understandings of mentalization, identity formation, and clinically challenging circumstances. In addition, Kyle continues to bolster his clinical approach through continued education and research of personality development from a psychoanalytic perceptive as a student of the Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies.
Kyle believes practical and engaging clinical support has the power to invoke change. Therefore, he goes beyond the typical therapeutic approach when working with you.
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