WHO WE ARE
Get to Know Calla Collective
Calla Collective caters to one of the most essential—and often overlooked—components of your family planning and fertility journey: your mental health. We are a network of licensed therapists who are true experts in reproductive mental health, a niche dedicated to the complex experiences faced throughout the process of building a family. Our passionate team knows this industry intimately, through years of professional and personal experience. Founded by thought leader Batya Novick, LCSW, we’re uniquely qualified to provide tailored support to anyone on the path towards building their family.
Kristy Zadrozny, LMFT
Clinical Suprvisor and Therapist
Kristy Zadrozny, LMFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who offers clients a grounded and practical approach to therapy, merging her work as a therapist with her experience as a seasoned Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting teacher.
Kristy brings a genuine, warm, and non-judgmental foundation to all of her work. For over 15 years Kristy has supported clients through pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting as an educator, labor and postpartum doula, Certified Lactation Counselor, and mindfulness teacher. In addition to maternal mental health, Kristy has focused training and expertise in fertility and reproductive health from The American Society of Reproductive Medicine. Kristy works with clients on an individual level and in relationships, exploring thoughts, emotions, behaviors, family of origin, and the contextual circumstances of life with the goal of helping cultivate insight and the ability to navigate uncertainty.
Kristy holds a Bachelor of Arts from Purchase College in Cultural Anthropology and a Master's Degree from Iona University in Marriage and Family Therapy. She holds various faculty positions with the Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association and is a published author within the field of maternal health.
Michelle Pollack, LMSW
Therapist
Michelle Pollack, LMSW, is a Licensed Social Worker with a passion for helping women throughout their reproductive, perinatal, and postpartum journeys. Michelle is a warm, empathetic, and patient therapist who understands the struggles of family building, pregnancy, and postpartum and is dedicated to supporting these life stages.
After completing her education, Michelle received specialized training in reproductive mental health from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and training in maternal health and perinatal mood disorders from The Motherhood Center of New York. Additionally, Michelle trained in trauma-focused therapy through Exhale to Inhale.
Michelle attended Lander College for Women for her bachelor’s degree and received her master’s degree in social work from The Wurzweiler School of Social Work. Prior to joining the practice, she worked with children and domestic violence survivors.
Kara Becker, MA BCC
Integrative Health Coach
Kara Becker, MA BCC is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and Certified International Health Coach who educates women and couples struggling with infertility about holistic health. Passionate about integrative wellness, Kara helps her clients reclaim control over their bodies, well-being, and mindset and develop strategies to make tangible and sustainable changes.
Kara studied at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition where her training focused on the concept of bio-individuality (i.e., when it comes to diet and lifestyle, one size does not fit all). Kara holds a Masters in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, Teacher’s College and her Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Michigan. In addition, Kara is a Board-Certified Coach by the Center for Credentialing & Education.
Kara has a proven track record of helping individuals find their most successful paths. She previously worked for 14 years as a Career Coach, helping clients navigate their career path, make important employment decisions, and develop strategies to achieve their professional goals.
Renee Picciolo, MHC - LP
Therapist & VP of Marketing
Renee Picciolo is a therapist who is passionate about supporting individuals, couples, and families as they navigate life’s challenges, with a focus on family building. Renee brings warmth, honesty, and humility to the therapeutic relationship through a person-centered and humanistic approach. Her goal is to create a safe environment for clients to explore their emotions, concerns, and ultimately increase their quality of life. She is dedicated to providing grounding and calm throughout the reproductive journey, and beyond.
Renee is trained in fertility and reproductive mental health from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, and in maternal health and perinatal mood disorders from The Motherhood Center of New York. Renee received her Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling from CUNY Hunter, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Public Relations from Syracuse University.
Prior to entering the mental health field, Renee worked in advertising for over a decade. She now brings that expertise to Calla Collective as our Marketing Advisor.
Christine Franz, LCSW
Therapist
Christine Franz, LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in women’s mental health. With compassion, expertise, and clinical experience, Christine is on a mission to support women and their families through all stages of the reproductive journey. She creates and holds space for the emotional struggles while providing strategies for support surrounding fertility challenges, miscarriage and neonatal loss, pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting.
Christine brings warmth, candor, humor, and relatability into the therapeutic process. She has extensive training in interpersonal and cognitive behavioral therapies, along with expertise in treating perinatal mood disorders therapies in both outpatient and inpatient clinical settings. Christine has expertise and specialized training in reproductive mental health from The American Society of Reproductive Medicine.
Christine received her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Columbia University and her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Brown University. For over ten years, Christine has been a practicing clinical social worker at a major Manhattan medical center in Women and Children’s health. Prior to her career in mental health, Christine worked in public relations in the fashion and film industries.
Lauren Zettler, MHC-LP
Therapist
Lauren Zettler, MHC-LP, is a therapist committed to supporting people through their family-building journeys. She is a queer female who uses a blend of modalities and strongly believes in tailoring therapy to each unique individual. She aims to help people feel understood and empowered, through evidence-based interventions, while also creatively integrating her clients' own interests and passions.
Lauren draws on her many years of experience as an artist to approach the therapeutic process as a creative collaboration, where the skill of listening is the starting point of any path forward. Her background in meditation and mindfulness education serves as a foundational lens in her work. Lauren holds postgraduate training in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania as well as the Gottman Method and Imago Relationship Therapy in supporting her work with couples. Lauren has trained in the field of reproductive mental health from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and has worked as a therapist in outpatient settings, specializing in supports for the LGBTQ+ community.
Lauren holds a Master's Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Hunter College and a Bachelor of Arts from Berklee College of Music. In addition to her career as a therapist, Lauren is a performing and touring musician.
Latoya Attis, PHD, MFT-LP, M.ED.
Therapist
Latoya Attis, PhD, MFT-LP, is a therapist and certified professional in yoga, health, and wellness. She works with couples and individuals to help them identify and utilize their internal strengths to navigate life transitions. With her diverse background in therapy, postpartum doula work, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and yoga training, Latoya is dedicated to supporting couples and individuals in maintaining mind-body wellness throughout all stages of the reproductive journey and beyond.
For over 17 years, Latoya has supported families through various life transitions. She carefully observes patterns and aims to understand an individual’s complete story before addressing any specific issues. Her therapeutic approach is characterized by calmness, empathy, collaboration, and optimism. She employs a systemic and nonjudgmental approach, providing space for exploration within the context of her clients’ relationships, facilitating the processing of thoughts and feelings, and developing strategies for overcoming challenges. Latoya has specialized training in reproductive mental health through The American Society of Reproductive Medicine. She has training in cognitive behavioral therapy, family systems therapy, and Level 1 Gottman Method Couples Therapy, and takes into account cultural concerns and practices.
Latoya earned her Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Social Work from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work and her Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Iona University. She is a university professor within the graduate School of Psychology and serves as a learning and development coach for students with learning differences.
Jewel Spencer, LMFT
Therapist
Jewel Spencer, LMFT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who works with individuals and couples to help heal a variety of relational dynamics and support reproductive stressors. Jewel’s practice integrates family systems frameworks and somatic experiencing to increase her clients’ self-insight and thereby improving their approach in relationships.
Jewel cultivates a relaxed and safe atmosphere that encourages open and thoughtful conversation with space for levity. She began her practice at Adler University in Chicago, IL where she earned her Master of Art in Couple & Family Therapy and later her Certificate in Sex Therapy. She cultivated a passion for the study of sexology and the human sexual life cycle. She continues to explore research on the relational implications of infidelity, dysfunctional communication, and sexual desire discrepancy. Jewel looks forward to applying her family systems and sex therapy insight to address the intersecting needs that arise during family building and in perinatal care.
Jewel is an active member of AAMFT, the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and KPACT (Kink and Poly-Aware Chicago Therapists). Jewel has specialized training in reproductive mental health through The American Society of Reproductive Medicine. Jewel has also been published in the Journal of Feminist Family Therapy.