–Collaborative Attorneys
Deborah Bennett Berecz Collaborative Attorney
Offices in Saint Joseph, MI & Grand Rapids, MI
Deborah Bennett Berecz (pronounced Be-Reece) obtained her law degree from Notre Dame Law School and focuses her practice primarily on family law, including Collaborative divorce, mediation, adoption and alternative dispute resolution. She is the immediate past President of the Collaborative Practice Institute of Michigan and has served as Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Section of the State Bar of Michigan. Deborah is committed to providing clients the opportunity to resolve disputes with respect and dignity for all parties, particularly when there are children involved who will be affected by their parent’s family transitions.
She is a member of the team selected to train professionals in Michigan who wish to practice in the Collaborative model and regularly presents for The Institute of Continuing Legal Education, including the Advanced Negotiation and Dispute Resolution Institute (ANDRI), and the Family Law Institute, on topics related to dispute resolution. She has served as a mediation training coach with nationally recognized trainers and is the author of a number of publications on ADR. Deborah encourages people facing a divorce to educate themselves on the options available. She or her legal assistant may be reached at 269.428.3447.
Deborah Berecz – 269-428-3447
Carl Burdick Collaborative Attorney
Carl Burdick – 269-983-0103
Carl Burdick’s law practice includes family law, collaborative divorce, civil and divorce mediation, and general civil litigation. He obtained his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School, and is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the Berrien County Bar Association. He is also admitted to practice in the Federal District Court for the Western District of Michigan. He is the past President of the Berrien County Bar Association, 1992 – 1993; former member of the State Bar of Michigan’s Representative Assembly, two terms; and Member State Bar of Michigan Attorney Discipline Board Hearing Panel. Mr. Burdick is a Member of Collaborative Practice Institute of Michigan and International Association of Collaborative Professionals. He served as Board President of Child & Family Services of Southwest Michigan, 6 years; and as a Member of Board of Directors of that organization for 12 years.
John R. Colip Collaborative Attorney
John Colip – 269-695-3849
John R. Colip is a native of Buchanan and a 1972 graduate of the University of Notre Dame. He obtained his law degree in 1975 from Valparaiso University. Mr. Colip served four years with the Judge Advocate Generals Office of the United States Air Force, with the rank of Captain. Mr. Colip joined the firm in 1980. He is active in the Buchanan Lions Club (President 1983-1984), the Lakeland Health Foundation Board, the Berrien Association of Mediators, the Berrien County Bar Association (Treasurer, 1984-1985), Buchanan Community Schools Board of Education Trustee (1994-2010), Southwestern Michigan Estate Planning Council (President 1996-97) and a member of the Berrien County State of Michigan and American Bar Associations. Mr. Colip currently resides in Buchanan, Michigan.
Blair Johnson Collaborative Attorney
Blair Johnson – 269-982-1100
Blair Johnson was born and raised in St. Joseph, Michigan before graduating from Hope College with a Bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing in 2002. He was employed with the Peter J. Johnson Law Office in St. Joseph as a paralegal from 2003 to 2007 where he developed an independent interior practice as a non-attorney representative for Social Security Disability claimants. Before graduating from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2010, Blair helped establish a free legal clinic for people experiencing homelessness in Bloomington, Indiana and sat on the first governing board of the Interfaith Winter Shelter, a faith-based collaborative project that has provided more than 50 beds per night to homeless individuals in community churches during the winter months since 2008. Blair was admitted to the Michigan State Bar in 2011 and, after a two-year term of service with his faith community in California and Chicago, returned to Southwest Michigan to rejoin the family practice with his father, Peter Johnson, as an associate attorney with a principal concentration in family law. Blair was trained in the practice of collaborative law in April 2016, which he believes promotes the compassion and care he has tried to apply in his prior professional and current personal life with encouraging and rewarding results.
269-982-1100
www.pjjfamilyprobatelaw.com
–Collaborative Divorce Coaches
Margo Runkle Collaborative Coach and Child Specialist
Margo Runkle – 269-615-2450
Margo C. Runkle, M.A. – Margo is a Master’s level psychologist, having earned a degree in Counseling Psychology from Western Michigan. She works in private practice in St. Joseph and Paw Paw Michigan, primarily with families, couples and adolescents on issues including anxiety, trauma, depression, loss, self-esteem, conflict and relationships.
Her psychology training includes existential, client-centered, cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic psychotherapies. Margo also has extensive training and experience working with family conflict as a certified Family mediator and Collaborative Divorce attorney. She can be reached at 269-615-2450or via her website, www.runkletherapy.com.
William A. Schnell, M.A. Collaborative Divorce Coach
William Schnell – 269-983-1600
William A. Schnell, M.A. is a seasoned psychotherapist who has been practicing in the Michiana area since 1984. He received his Masters in Psychological Counseling from the University of Notre Dame in 1984 and is a Limited Licensed Psychologist in the State of Michigan, supervised by Dennis Waite, Ed.D. Fully Licensed Psychologist. His education has included training and practice in a variety of psychotherapeutic modalities including Rogerian Humanistic Therapy, Humanistic Psychoanalysis, Gestalt Psychotherapy, Psychodramatic Therapy, , Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Hypnosis, Neurofeedback Therapy, Group Psychotherapy, Nature Immersion Therapy, Holotropic Breath Work, Kundilini Meditation, Marital and Family Therapy, Play Therapy and Life Coaching. He studied under James Reagan Ed.D., for eleven years. Dr. Reagan was a student of Fritz Perls, M.D., Ph.D. and Virginia Satir, M.S.W.
Bill is a trained Collaborative Professional who has worked successfully as a divorce coach and as a child specialist with the local team here in Michiana for the last several years. He enjoys the work of assisting individuals and families in their personal growth and in their life transitions.
Dr. Marcia Wiinamaki Collaborative Divorce Coach
Marcia Winimaki – 269-429-7727
Dr. Marcia Wiinamaki is the Director of Southwestern Medical Clinic Christian Counseling and Psychological Services in Stevensville, MI, and is a licensed clinical psychologist as well as a licensed professional counselor in Michigan. She has been practicing as a therapist for since 1988, and she received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Cedarville College in Cedarville, Ohio, her M.Ed. in Counseling from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, and her M.A. and Doctor of Psychology degree from George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon.
Her experience as a therapist includes working with issues such as depression, anxiety, childhood sexual and physical abuse, personality disorders, premarital and marital therapy, family therapy, relationship problems, group psychotherapy, and adjustment issues. She also does divorce and post-divorce mediation, and serves as a divorce coach for collaborative divorce cases. Her interests in the field of psychology include psychopharmacology, the integration of psychology and spiritual issues, object relations therapy, and personal growth issues. In addition, she teaches on-line psychology and counseling courses for Taylor University and Liberty University, and teaches Psychopharmacology at Andrews University for social work students.
Nadine Fish Licensed Clinical Therapist
Nadine Fish – 269-359-1065
Nadine Fish is a licensed clinical therapist. She earned her master’s in social work from Western Michigan University. Prior to starting her private practice, she worked as an outpatient therapist at Riverwood Center for over nine years. During that time, she also became a Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor. Her greatest passion, though, is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which she is certified in and is a Diplomate of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.
Nadine owns Hope Reborn Counseling, PLLC which she has offices in both Saint Joseph and Portage, Michigan doing individual therapy, couple therapy, and group therapy. Nadine helps people who are coping with depression, anxiety disorders and panic attacks. She is also a business coach, a mentor, and has a holistic belief system. Nadine states: “As a cognitive behavioral therapist, I’m passionate about helping people through CBT. I love seeing the progress my clients make when they realize their power. By changing their perspective, they are able to change their lives.” You can find her on her webpage at www.hopereborncounseling.com or call her at 269-359-1065.