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
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...
Lisa Henshaw, PhD, LCSW
I am a Clinical Social Worker with over 10 years of experience working with adults with a broad range of mental health difficulties, including posttraumatic stress, loss and grief, depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties and more. My area of research and practice expertise has broadly focused on the field of trauma, which often entails working through associated grief, anxiety, mood, identity, and relationship difficulties concurrently.
I bring a down-to-earth, warm, and genuine approach to therapy. My style is open and supportive, committed to providing individuals with a safe space that honors their unique goals and expectations. Through a relationship built on trust, we’ll work together in a space where you feel comfortable to be who you are, helping you find ways to better understand, manage, or move forward from what challenges brought you to therapy. My hope is to make a difference in the life of every individual I work with, and I believe that therapy should not be a one-size-fits-all approach.
I use techniques from cognitive-behavioral, narrative, and relational models of intervention, including mindfulness, and while always incorporating a trauma-informed lens as I tailor the work to meet your unique needs. My clinical style is not to give advice but to support and empower individuals towards their goals with honesty and transparency. This can include developing healthy coping skills, processing grief or trauma from the past or present, exploring what you want in life both professionally and in relationships, and ultimately supporting you to reclaim your power and self-worth.
Lisa Henshaw, PhD, LCSW
Psychotherapist
I am a Clinical Social Worker with over 10 years...
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