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.
Frances Zhang, BS
Frances (she/her) holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Child-Adolescent Mental Studies from New York University. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Psychological Counseling and an Ed.M. in Mental Health Counseling at Columbia University.
Her counseling style is client-centered, with a touch of humor and passion. Frances celebrates the courage of her clients and deeply values the intersectional complexities of our lived experiences. Tailoring treatment plans to each unique individual, she works from an eclectic framework, including Cognitive-Behavioral, Emotion-focused and mindfulness approaches.
Frances is comfortable addressing a wide range of concerns, including assisting those grappling with anxiety, depression, family or romantic relationship issues, career burnout, life adjustments, and other specific challenges faced by AAPI Queer individuals.
Born in China, Frances brings an international perspective to her work and is fluent in both English and Mandarin. She offers Mandarin counseling services upon request. Her curiosity and open-mindedness have driven her to study, research and work within both East Asian and U.S. communities.
Frances aspires to be a therapist who walks alongside her clients, sharing in their laughter, tears, and moments of growth. In her leisure time, she enjoys listening to music, walking her furry friend “Chips”, and traveling to islands with abundant sunlight!
Lisa Piccinnini, BA
Lisa (She/Her) is a graduate student at Baruch College pursuing an M.A. in Mental Health Counseling and has a B.A. in Clinical Psychology from Hunter College. She is from Long Island, New York and now lives in NYC. She is committed to offering a nonjudgmental space for others where they can feel comfortable to explore and process their experiences, thoughts, and emotions, as well as be their most authentic selves in order to reach their goals and fullest potential.
Lisa’s therapeutic style is warm, attentive, and flexible. She believes in working together with her clients to meet them where they are at and discover what approaches will work best for them. She often uses various components of CBT and psychodynamic theory when working with her clients. Lisa is passionate about helping individuals who are struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, disordered eating, and other presenting issues, as well as those in the LGBTQ+ community.
Lisa feels strongly about the bidirectional relationship between the mind and the body and believes in the importance of physical movement and self-care. In her free time, she loves strength training, going for walks, spending time outside, and spending time with her dog, Koda. She also enjoys cooking, trying new restaurants in New York City, puzzles, and spending time with her friends and family.
Lisa recognizes how important it is to take care of one’s mental health and how challenging it can be to take the steps to do so. She looks forward to working with you and supporting you in the process!
Blair Luedke, MA, MHC-LP
Blair has a passion for women’s health and would love to serve as a support across the dynamic lifespan. She is a queer affirming, social justice driven clinician. Blair is open to work with all genders and identities; folks dealing with anxiety, depression, home life or relational issues as well. Her ideal client is someone who has the desire to strengthen their self-awareness and is open to movement and mindfulness exercises.
While an eclectic therapist, Blair leans towards REBT and CBT modalities in her practice. Her education in multicultural competence has helped her acknowledge biases and privileges to best serve all populations, while honoring individuals’ experience. Blair attained her MS in Mental Health Counseling at Long Island University and her BS in Kinesiology and Applied Physiology from the University of Delaware. She encourages a holistic lifestyle and enjoys using her background to connect both physical and mental health to achieve overall wellness. She strives to create a nurturing environment for clients to grow and explore through comforting challenge and support. She loves connecting with others to help them to tap into their true potential, which is already inside of them.
Blair loves to spend time outside in the sun whenever she can, especially if it is with one of her dogs. She is an avid lover of animals and will try to pet one every chance she gets. Blair enjoys spending time in the kitchen with new recipes, and her favorite part: eating them. She gravitates towards all things’ movement: practicing yoga, dancing, and hiking, all with a smile on her face.
Maria Pietruszka, MS, LMHC, CASAC-T
Maria (She/Her) 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.
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