OUR PEOPLE
Meet The Team
We believe it “takes a village” for a business to thrive. Our Founders took their experiences in life and profession and built Collaborative to solve the problems they had encountered before. It’s new, it’s fresh, its humanity at its peak.
Please feel free to search for your service, location or insurance provider. You may also book with a provider on their profiles below
Ellen Recker, MSEd, LMHC
I am a licensed mental health counselor with almost 10 years experience working with adults at various stages of life, from their post-high school years through retirement. As a result, I’ve helped them navigate a variety of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, relationship issues, grief/loss and life transitions. I have extensive training and experience working with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and am passionate about supporting women (and men!) through this overwhelming and intense period of transition.
I believe in being a partner in your therapy — my role is to create a safe place for you to explore the thoughts and emotions you’re struggling with and to help you clarify and implement changes that bring you a sense of peace and self-fulfillment. To do this, I utilize a variety of approaches: cognitive, humanistic, psychodynamic and supportive therapy; and tools: meditation, writing, body awareness and interactive feedback, among others.
Ellen Recker, MSEd, LMHC
Psychotherapist
I am a licensed mental health counselor with almost 10 years...
Maria Pietruszka, MS, LMHC, CASAC-T
Maria was born in Poland and migrated to NYC at the age of 3. She was raised in Brooklyn and carries that as a badge of honor.
Maria attended Hunter College where she graduated with a degree in Sociology. She then attended LIU Brooklyn and obtained her Master’s in Mental Health Counseling in 2017. During her time at LIU Brooklyn, she was the campus representative for the American Psychology Association Division 35 Society for the Psychology of Women. Maria was involved in hosting events that help spread awareness for feminist research, theory and education to understand and improve the lives of girls and women in all their diversities. This helped Maria develop her passion towards working with women and women’s issues.
After graduation, Maria was hired as a full time substance abuse counselor at Outreach, where she completed her internship for graduate school. She worked with adults to help them reach their goals in recovery. Maria implemented harm reduction techniques to help promote a more inclusive and realistic approach for treating substance use disorders. She is determined to approach all her clients by meeting them where they are and empowering them to meet their treatment and therapy goals.
After 3 years, Maria was promoted to Program Coordinator where she was responsible for running Restart Academy, a Department of Education alternative high school for students with substance use and behavioral issues and an after school program for outpatient services for adolescents. Maria enjoyed working and advocating for adolescents and young people. She guided them through different life transitions like: finishing high school, coping with peer pressure and preparing for the next chapters of their lives like college or full time employment.
Maria also supervised new counselors and her approach was always to empower counselors and teach them listen to their “clinical gut”.
Maria is driven by social justice and participated in movements for Black Lives Matter, women’s rights and animal rights. Her approaches in therapy display her commitment to provide an empathic, compassionate and judgement-free space where people from all walks of life can address their emotional issues, life transitions and meet their therapy goals.
When she is not in session, Maria teaches as an adjunct lecturer at Hunger College. She teaches courses like Drugs and Society and the Sociology of Mental Health. In her free time, Maria loves to re-watch “The Office”, spend time with her two cats Rajah and Stella and try new vegan recipes.
Maria Pietruszka, MS, LMHC, CASAC-T
Psychotherapist
Maria was born in Poland and migrated to NYC at...
Kyle McEvoy, MS, LMHC, CCMHC
Kyle utilizes a client-centered based approach to therapy by adapting to individual needs. He focuses on the unique needs to support the person’s internal/external relational system healthily and clearly to reach overarching goals.
He believes everyone can better themselves if they are willing. Kyle studies the development of personality disorders from a psychoanalytic perspective. Kyle has advanced training in integrating complex psychological structures and fragmented mental health systems through the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families.
Kyle has helped people with substance abuse issues, explore individual identity (LGBTQ), cope with psychological/cognitive/developmental disorders, accept medical diagnoses, overcome sexual abuse/intimate partner violence, and various maladaptive behaviors or modes of thinking. Throughout his career, Kyle continues to add his experience and knowledge into expanding mentalization-based treatments.
Utilizing an eclectic approach to therapy and his training in various evidence-based modalities, Kyle seeks for you to receive the most out of your treatment. Kyle will implore you to be an active participant in your treatment and discuss the treatment techniques. He encourages you to focus on your needs and what you think is best. Kyle is trained in Mentalization-Based Treatment for Adults, Adolescents, and children, along with Adaptive Mentalization-Based Integrative Treatment for complex systems. Kyle is adding to his educational arsenal by registering with the Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies to pursue his license in Psychoanalysis. As a leader in the mental health field, Kyle is the founder and president of Collaborative Therapy, a group therapy practice dedicated to multifaceted psychological disorders.
For fun, Kyle loves spending time with friends, traveling, relaxing with his dog (Otis), lying on the beach, and listening to music.
Kyle McEvoy, MS, LMHC, CCMHC
Founder & Therapy President
Kyle utilizes a client-centered based approach to therapy by adapting...
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