Therapy FAQs: The Collective by Francesca Emma
Have questions about starting therapy, finding the right therapist, insurance, or the types of therapy we offer? You’re in the right place.
Below you’ll find answers to common questions about The Collective, our approach to women’s mental health, eating disorders, body image, anxiety, motherhood, and what to expect when you begin therapy.
About The Collective & Getting Started
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The Collective: Therapy by Francesca Emma is a women’s mental health group practice founded by Licensed Mental Health Counselor Francesca Emma.
Our therapists specialize in areas including body image, eating disorders and disordered eating, anxiety, perfectionism, infertility, postpartum mental health, motherhood, and major life transitions.
The Collective was built around the idea that mental health involves the whole person. Rather than looking only at symptoms, we help clients understand the patterns, experiences, relationships, and beliefs that may be underneath them.
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You don’t need to figure that out before reaching out.
The right approach depends on what you’re experiencing, your goals, your history, and how you respond to different types of support. Our therapists use personalized approaches rather than applying the same method to every client.
During your initial consultation, we can learn more about what you’re looking for and help match you with the therapist and type of support that may be a good fit.
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The Collective offers individual therapy, couples therapy, group therapy, eating disorder meal support, and education and support for families navigating eating disorder recovery.
We also provide professional services including eating disorder training, clinical supervision and consultation, speaking engagements, workshops, school and parent education, and business consultation for therapists.
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No. You don’t need a diagnosis, or even a clear explanation for what you’re feeling, to benefit from therapy.
Many clients come to us because they’re experiencing anxiety, self-criticism, body image concerns, difficulty with food, perfectionism, relationship challenges, motherhood transitions, or simply a sense that something doesn’t feel right.
Therapy can be a place to understand what you’re experiencing, even if you don’t have a name for it yet.
Eating Disorder & Body Image Therapy FAQs
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Eating disorder therapy addresses both eating-related behaviors and the thoughts, emotions, experiences, and patterns that may contribute to them.
Depending on your needs, therapy may address restriction, binge eating, food anxiety, fear foods, body image, perfectionism, self-worth, emotional regulation, and other concerns connected to your relationship with food and your body.
Eating disorder treatment may also involve collaboration with other healthcare professionals depending on the individual and level of care needed.
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No. You may not identify with having an eating disorder but still find that food, weight, exercise, or your appearance takes up more mental space than you want it to.
We work with clients across a range of experiences, including diagnosed eating disorders, disordered eating, chronic dieting, food anxiety, body dissatisfaction, and difficult relationships with food and body.
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Body image therapy helps you explore the thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and experiences shaping the way you see and relate to your body.
This may include working through body criticism, comparison, avoidance, body checking, changing bodies, self-worth, or the belief that you need to look a certain way to feel confident or fully participate in your life.
You do not need to have an eating disorder to seek therapy for body image concerns.
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Meal support provides therapeutic guidance during meals to help clients practice eating disorder recovery skills in real time.
Sessions may focus on reducing anxiety around eating, challenging fear foods, increasing consistency, and developing greater flexibility and confidence around food.
Meal support may be used alongside other eating disorder treatment depending on your individual needs.
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Yes. The Collective provides support and education for parents, partners, and loved ones of individuals navigating eating disorders.
Family sessions can help loved ones better understand eating disorders, communicate more effectively, establish supportive boundaries, navigate meals, and feel more confident supporting recovery.
Location, Virtual Therapy, Rates & Insurance
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We provide in-person therapy from our office in Babylon, New York, as well as virtual therapy based on clinician licensure.
Our team currently serves clients across:
New York City, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens
Long Island
The Hamptons, including East Hampton, Southampton, Montauk, and surrounding areas
Connecticut
Florida
Maryland
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
New Hampshire
Virginia
Maryland
Rhode Island
Ohio
South Carolina
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Licensure varies by therapist.
Francesca Emma, LMHC is licensed in New York, Connecticut, and Florida.
Brittany Bacarella, LMHC, CEDS is licensed in New York, New Jersey, and Maryland.
Liza Castello, LMHC is licensed in New York.
Brian Fitzerald is licensed in NY, NJ, PA, NH, VA, MD, RI, and OH with telehealth registrations in FL and SC
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Yes. We provide secure, HIPAA-compliant virtual therapy through Sessions Health.
Online therapy allows you to meet with your therapist from home without worrying about commuting. All you need is a private space, a stable internet connection, and, if you prefer, sweatpants.
Virtual therapy availability depends on your location and your therapist’s professional licensure.
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We offer a free 15-minute initial consultation to learn more about what you’re looking for and help match you with the provider best suited to your needs.
After that, session fees currently range from 125 - 250 depending on the clinician and service.
BOOK A CALL -
The Collective is in-network with Northwell Direct.
For other insurance plans, we are considered out-of-network and can provide a superbill that you may submit to your insurance company for potential reimbursement. Your reimbursement will depend on your individual plan, deductible, and out-of-network benefits.
We work to assist with out of network billing to ensure clients get the most of insurance reimbursement.
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We offer flexible scheduling, including evening and weekend availability with select therapists.
We require at least 24 hours’ notice for cancellations. Appointments canceled with less than 24 hours’ notice are subject to the full session cancellation fee.
Therapy Approaches at The Collective
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Psychodynamic therapy explores how past experiences, relationships, emotions, and unconscious patterns may influence how you think, feel, and behave today.
Rather than focusing only on reducing a symptom, psychodynamic therapy can help you better understand why certain patterns keep showing up in your relationships, anxiety, self-image, or relationship with food and your body.
Our therapists may incorporate psychodynamic principles as part of a broader, personalized approach to therapy.
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Relational therapy looks at how relationships shape the way you understand yourself and interact with others.
The relationship between you and your therapist can also become a safe place to notice patterns, practice new ways of communicating, and build greater self-awareness.
This approach can be particularly helpful when working through self-worth, relationships, anxiety, identity, and longstanding patterns of self-criticism.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
CBT can help you identify thought patterns that may contribute to anxiety, perfectionism, negative body image, or other challenges and develop practical strategies for responding to them differently.
Our therapists may incorporate CBT techniques when they are useful for a client’s individual needs and goals.
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Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based type of talk therapy that balances emotional acceptance with practical steps for change.
DBT teaches practical tools split into four main areas: Mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
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No. We believe therapy should be personalized to the individual.
Our clinicians may draw from relational, psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, and other evidence-based approaches depending on your needs. Therapy may include both deeper exploration of the patterns underneath what you’re experiencing and practical tools you can use in everyday life.
Anxiety, Body Image & Women’s Mental Health FAQs
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Yes. Therapy can help you better understand the thought patterns, behaviors, expectations, and experiences contributing to anxiety and perfectionism.
For some, anxiety may show up as overthinking, people-pleasing, difficulty resting, fear of making mistakes, a need for control, or feeling like nothing they do is ever quite enough.
Therapy can combine practical anxiety-management strategies with deeper work around the patterns driving that pressure.
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Yes. Members of our team provide support for women navigating fertility challenges, pregnancy, postpartum life, motherhood, and the identity changes that can accompany these experiences.
Therapy may address anxiety, overwhelm, changing relationships, body image, self-worth, identity, and the pressure many women feel to be a certain kind of mother.
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Women’s mental health is a central focus of The Collective, but our services are not limited exclusively to women.
Our clinicians also work with adolescents, young adults, couples, families, parents, partners, and individuals seeking support in our therapists’ areas of expertise.
We welcome people of all genders, races, and backgrounds, and are committed to providing an inclusive, affirming space where everyone feels seen, heard, and supported.
If You Need Immediate Mental Health Support
The Collective is an outpatient therapy practice and does not provide emergency or crisis services.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or need immediate support, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.
For additional eating disorder support and resources, visit:
ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders) Free eating disorder support groups and resources
National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Eating disorder information, treatment resources, and support
If you are in immediate danger or experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
Still Have Questions About
Starting Therapy?
You don’t need to have everything figured out before you contact us.
Reach out for a free 15-minute consultation and tell us a little about what you’re looking for. We can answer your questions, talk through your options, and help connect you with the therapist or service that makes sense for you.