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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.
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.
Sam Prabhudesai, MS, MHC- LP
Psychotherapist
Samruddhi, who goes by Sam (she/her), was born and raised...
Michelle Pinel, MS, NBC-HWC
Michelle is a master’s level counselor who approaches the therapeutic process from an integrative medicine lens, exploring concerns of mind, body, and spirit to help clients achieve optimal wellness. She works with individuals experiencing a range of mental and physical health concerns, including anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression, substance abuse, and chronic physical pain. She uses evidence-based treatment models, including humanistic-existential therapy, behavioral therapy, and somatic therapy, to get to the root cause of mental health concerns and connect clients to their innate capacity for personal growth and healing. She also works with couples and is skilled at empathetically supporting couples as they navigate conflict, communication, and intimacy. Her couple’s work is informed by Imago therapy, Gottman Method, and the Non-Violent Communication framework.
Michelle fosters a safe and accepting space for clients to explore their needs and collaborates with clients to create a tailored treatment plan. She lovingly empowers individuals to take control of their life and achieve self-determined goals. Michelle is a warm, caring, creative, and humorous therapist who deeply cares about the suffering of others. It is her heart-filled mission to help people connect to their strengths, values, and life purpose, so they can live a more fulfilling life.
Michelle is in her final year in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Saybrook University. She also holds a Master of Science in Mind-Body Medicine from Saybrook University’s College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences. Her research focused on the effectiveness of mind-body therapies in treating chronic health disorders within Mind-Body Medicine from Saybrook University’s College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences. Her research focused on the effectiveness of mind-body therapies in treating chronic health disorders, with a focus on gastrointestinal conditions (e.g., irritable bowel syndrome). Michelle is passionate about the mind-body connection and its role in chronic illness. She is also a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) and is adept at using holistic healthcare practices proven to reduce stress, anxiety, and pain while optimizing sleep and self-care. Before entering the health and healing space, Michelle was a corporate executive with 15+ years of experience leading high performing teams.
Michelle Pinel, MS, NBC-HWC
Clinical Intern
Michelle is a master’s level counselor who approaches the therapeutic...
Frances Zhang, Ed.M, MHC-LP
Born and raised in mainland China, Frances (she/her) has lived in New York City for the past decade. She is a client-centered psychotherapist dedicated to empowering her clients to accept, honor, and find meaning in their everyday experiences.
Frances holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from New York University and earned her Master’s degrees in Psychological Counseling and Mental Health Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University.
She uses an eclectic approach in her practice, incorporating CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), MI (Motivational Interviewing), and EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy). She is certified in TF-CBT (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). Her unique style blends Zen Buddhism practices with Western psychotherapy, emphasizing balance and reflecting her own experiences in both worlds.
Trained in the heart of NYC, Frances has extensive experience working with a diverse clientele. She conducts sessions in both Mandarin and English, and adopts multicultural and Queer-and-LGBTQIA+ inclusive frameworks. She specializes in treating depression, anxiety, ADHD, anger management, and grief. She works with individuals, couples, and families, and enjoys addressing intimate relationship and family-of-origin challenges, especially within the AAPI, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ communities.
Frances is a good match for those seeking a therapist who not only listens, but also challenges, collaborates, and motivates with humor and compassion. In her free time, she enjoys walking with her furry Aussie-doodle son, “Chips,” under abundant sunlight!
Frances Zhang, Ed.M, MHC-LP
Psychotherapist
Born and raised in mainland China, Frances (she/her) has lived...
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.
Kyle McEvoy, MS, LPC, LMHC, CCMHC, NCC
Founder & Therapy President
Kyle McEvoy (He/Him) is the Founder and President of Collaborative, a...
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