Meet our Psychologists trained in Separation and Divorce
DURHAM OFFICE click here for Chapel Hill office click here for Raleigh office
Tina Lepage, Psy.D.
From the very beginning of her career with a B.S. in Child Development & Family Relationships, Dr. Lepage has been focusing on families, and she has extensive experience working with individuals, couples, parents, and children going through divorce. Dr. Lepage completed both her master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation in Clinical Psychology in the area of developing parenting plans, and is an expert in cooperative co-parenting and parallel parenting. Her combined experience in divorce transitions, child development, parenting plans, and conflict resolution make her highly sought out by people going through separation. She is skilled at helping within the traditional divorce model that most use, and is an advocate for the non-adversarial model of collaborative divorce.
Dr. Tina Lepage was the first psychologist in the Triangle to become fully trained in collaborative divorce (CD), and she continues to be the most highly trained and experienced mental health professional working in CD in this geographic area. Since 2004 Dr. Lepage has engaged in well over 200 hours of training in CD and mediation, and works with numerous families each year going though this transition. A leader in CD in the Triangle, Dr. Lepage was the Case Manager and Child Specialist on the first Full Team CD in this area, and is on the Executive Committee of the NC Association of Collaborative Divorce Professionals. Her training and experience includes the Full Team and Referral Models of CD.
Dr. Lepage completed both her clinical master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation in the area of developing parenting plans, determining the highest quality protocol for assessing child and family needs and then addressing those needs in potential parenting arrangements. At Lepage Associates she went on to develop a unique, tiered approach to parenting plan consults and to custody evaluations which meets the information and cost needs of every family. Click here for additional information on her qualifications regarding parenting plans and custody evaluations, as well as for a list of frequently asked questions regarding custody evaluations. Dr. Lepage is certified to act as a Parent Coordinator in NC, and is an expert in Cooperative Co-Parenting and Parallel Parenting. She brings the expertise of understanding the unique developmental needs from birth through the teen years, and understanding the dynamics of family relationships. She is able to address how these intersect, that is, how the various family relationships are meeting the developmental needs of the child.
A related area of expertise for Dr. Lepage has been career counseling, and she has developed and managed successful professional growth programs for universities, corporations, and the U.S. military. This area of expertise can be very helpful as people going through divorce reconsider career paths and choices, or struggle with practical issues such as selling oneself after years out of the workforce, selling oneself into a new profession, job searching, resume writing, and successful interviewing.
Erica Blystone, LCSW
Erica Blystone provides therapy for couples navigating the difficult transitions of separation and divorce. Working with the couple together or individually, she assists them in selecting reasonable goals for the separation process and moving towards those goals with respect and civility. During this time of life transition, Erica provides supportive individual therapy as people navigate the emotions and daily practical life changes of the separation and divorce itself, as well as helps individuals begin to develop a new future life vision. If children are involved she works with the parents on developing co-parenting skills and jointly developing a process and environment that is healthy for the children. Erica also provides supportive therapy for adolescents whose parents have chosen to separate.
Nina Solanki, Psy.D.
Separation and divorce is a difficult time for both partners as well as children. Dr. Nina Solanki provides therapy to assist in the transition. Trained as both a psychologist for adults and as a child psychologist, she has education and experience working with all ages and thus can assist any family members needing help. Whether adults decide to be seen together or individually, she provides support to each partner, assists in establishing goals and provides therapy or co-parenting sessions to achieve those goals. Dr. Solanki emphasizes self-care during this period of transition, teaches coping skills, and helps foster hope for the future for family members of all ages.
Lindsey Ohler, Psy.D.
Dr. Lindsey Ohler works with children, families and couples who are transitioning through the separation and divorce process. Providing supportive therapy, she works with children and adolescents to process their emotions in relation to the break-up of their family. Dr. Ohler provides a warm and safe environment for children and teens to share their fear, anger and sadness. Furthermore, with adults she helps individuals develop coping skills to manage their feelings during the transition period, and assists parents establish effective communication styles to use with one another as well as their children.
Colleen Hamilton, Psy.D.
Dr. Colleen Hamilton provides assistance to individuals transitioning following divorce or separation. Her individual work focuses on life-restructuring issues often seen during that time, such as identifying support systems, changing one’s peer groups, and effective co-parenting. As one of our resident child psychologists, she is well versed in helping parents understand, help, and guide their children through the divorce process. Dr. Hamilton also works with parents to develop an effective co-parenting relationship or parallel parenting system.
Julie Michalowski, Psy.D.
Dr. Julie Michalowski works with couples and individually with people who are going through the separation and divorce process. She also works with children whose parents are in the process of separating or divorcing. Dr. Michalowski is interested in providing a safe, supportive, solution-focused environment to guide individuals through this stressful life transition as smoothly as possible. She believes in identifying goals and developing hope for a happy, peaceful future. Dr. Michalowski works with couples and individuals to develop coping skills to manage the often painful emotions associated with separation and divorce. She works with children and teenagers of separating or divorcing parents so that they have a safe place to process their experience and also develop a set of coping skills to help make this life transition as smooth as possible.
CHAPEL HILL OFFICE
Kevin Metz, Psy.D.
Dr. Kevin Metz assists couples, families, and children to make the often stressful process of divorce as smooth and manageable as possible. He has significant experience working with children and teenagers who are going through or who have experienced divorce in their family in processing this event and moving through it with a healthy and intact sense of self. Dr. Metz is particularly interested in working with parents through the divorce process to provide parent guidance in creating healthy households after divorce takes place.
RALEIGH OFFICE
Colette Segalla, Ph.D.
When couples have made the difficult decision to end their marriage, Dr. Segalla can assist them in bringing closure and working toward an amicable dissolution of the marriage contract. When children are involved, this is an especially important process that assures the children are protected from the emotional distress that results from a more contentious divorce process. She has completed the Full Team Collaborative Divorce Training and is a member of the Collaborative Divorce Interdisciplinary Practice Group (CDIG) of the Triangle. She is qualified to serve as a divorce coach as well as the child specialist for couples seeking divorce through the Collaborative Divorce process. In addition, for adults going through a traditional divorce process, she provides life transitioning counseling to assist in this difficult transition. Dr. Segalla also does individual therapy with children and teens whose parents are going through a divorce, and works with divorced couples on developing cooperative parenting practices for the benefit of their children during and beyond the divorce.