The workshop will include presentations by highly qualified professionals.
Each of the following will be making a presentation in each area –
(Speakers will be rotated throughout the year)
Trisha C. White, Esq., CFP®, CDFA™ – LPL Financial Advisor
Trisha C. White is Vice-President of Honolulu Financial Partners, LLC and holds the Series 7 and Series 66. She is a Certified Financial Planner™ Professional, and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst™ (CDFA).
Trisha was raised in Honolulu, Hawai’i and graduated from the University of Hawai’i William S. Richardson School of Law in 2013 and also completed a course in negotiation at UC Hastings College of Law.
At Honolulu Financial Partners, LLC, Trisha works directly with clients to understand their goals, then assists them in creating a personalized financial or estate plan to help clients best meet their objectives. Her goal is to create a long-lasting relationship with clients. Together they create, maintain, and pass on a legacy to future generations.
As a CDFA™, Trisha volunteers her time with ‘Second Saturday Honolulu’ educating women on financial issues that may come up in the divorce process. Together with a local Family Law Attorney and a Licensed Psychologist, they cover the legal, emotional, and financial part of divorce. She is trained to help analyze the financial outcomes of divorce.
In addition, she provides Trust and Estate Services with Mitch Burns, Esq. and his firm, Hawai‘i Estate Planning Law Group.
Membership:
- Shidler College of Business Family Business Center of Hawai’i
- Hawai’i Chamber of Commerce Youth Professionals Program
- Hawai’i Estate Planning Council
- Financial Planning Association, Hawai’i Chapter
- Hawai‘i State Bar Association
- Probate Section of the Hawai‘i State Bar Association
Volunteer Experience:
- FPA Hawai ‘i Chapter, NexGen Director/Board Member: 2019 – Present
- Hawai‘i Filipino Lawyers Association, Board Member: 2013-2014
- Honolulu Waldorf School Board, Secretary of the Board, 2018 – 2019
Britt Young, Marriage & Family Therapist, MA, LMFT – Xplor Counseling, LLC
Britt Young is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who is also the owner and founder of Xplor Counseling, LLC. She works with individuals, couples, and families who find themselves in need of support due to anxiety, depression, trauma, relational distress, and relationship transitions. She uses a collaborative, yet engaged and directive approach with her clients, as they often are seeking real-world tools to help move forward.
After working in both Georgia and Illinois, Britt moved (back) to Hawaii to start her private practice; however, after two years in a solo practice, she’s recently expanded into a group practice with locations in both Hawaii Kai and Ala Moana. In each of these locations, Britt and a team of professional, licensed therapists work with clients who are struggling in all areas that impact personal relationships.
Before Britt became a therapist, she was a reporter and meteorologist for KGMB (now Hawaii News Now), but knew she had a different calling when her weather office became a make-shift therapy practice. No regrets–Britt believes she’s doing the work she was meant to do!
Britt believes the best way to help clients is by creating a supportive, understanding, non-judgemental environment in which clients can gain insight, communicate effectively, and learn coping skills to help them prosper.
Britt uses a collaborative approach to therapy and tailors each session to fit the client’s needs, but she specializes in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, and (for couples) Emotionally-Focused Therapy. She’s directive, engaged, and is committed to finding the best way to connect with her clients, so she can help them find the best way to get “un-stuck” and move forward.
Joan Parker-Dias, MSN, APRN-CNS, RN – Xplor Counseling, LLC (Hawaii Kai Location)
Joan Parker-Dias has been working in inpatient and outpatient behavioral health for more than 28 years and is both an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and therapist.
She works with clients by helping them change unhelpful patterns and providing support for their new path forward. Joan uses Behavior Focused Therapy techniques, as well as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy to help her clients learn the skills they need for long-term behavior change.
Joan works with adults, as well as children and adolescents at Xplor Counseling, LLC and enjoys swimming, movies, and walking her two dogs!
Dr. Katie Oring, PsyD – Xplor Counseling, LLC (Eaton Square Location)
Dr. Katie Oring is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in both California and Hawaii with more than six years of experience working with patients of all ages and backgrounds.
Katie completed her internship and post doctoral program at Alvarado Parkway Institute, a psychiatric hospital, where she worked with both the severely mentally ill, as well as patients in a variety of outpatient settings. Katie also worked at Tarzana Treatment Center, a 30 day rehabilitation center, where she also worked with clients struggling with substance abuse.
She has extensive experience in relationship problems and conducted her dissertation on love at first sight. She has helped many couples navigate difficult situations and come out better on the other side.
Katie believes in meeting patients where they are and getting to know them to better help them grow and heal. She has worked with and had success with children, elderly, family, and couples counseling as well as individual counseling for patients suffering from anxiety, depression, or trauma.
Cassandra Bagay, Esq. – Family Law Attorney
Cassandra Bagay was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and is a graduate of ‘Iolani School. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College and continued on to pursue her legal education, receiving her Juris Doctorate at the William S. Richardson School of Law (WSRSL) at the University of Hawaii. During her time at WSRSL, Cassandra was the recipient of the Hartley & McGehee Family Law Excellence Scholarship for the 2013-14 academic year.
Cassandra is currently an Associate Attorney at Kleintop & Luria, LLP. She practices in the area of family law, which includes divorce, child custody and support, guardianship, paternity, and temporary restraining orders. Cassandra has also previously worked as a staff attorney for the Domestic Violence Action Center, providing family law services to victims of domestic violence. Cassandra is admitted to practice law in the State of Hawaii, is a member of the Family Law Section of the Hawaii State Bar Association, and is a member of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association. She also has devoted her time as a volunteer attorney for the Volunteer Legal Services of Hawaii.
Lisa Jacobs, Mediator/Collaborative Attorney
Lisa Jacobs heads her own mediation and collaborative law firm named Better Way Divorce, also known as Pono Divorce, where she devotes 100% of her practice to support families resolve their disputes using non-adversarial processes. Lisa has been licensed to practice law in Hawai’i for the past 24 years. She has handled over 1,800 cases as a Family Law Consulting Attorney, 110 cases as a Mediator, and 12 cases as a Collaborative Attorney, with an agreement rate exceeding 90%.
Lisa also mediates divorces and facilitates Kupuna Pono family conferences at the Mediation Center of the Pacific (MCP) and has helped train and mentor budding mediators at MCP, law students on Mediation and Collaborative Law at the University of Hawai’i, Richardson School of Law, and paralegals about Mediation and Collaborative Law at Kapiolani Community College. In December 2016, Lisa received the Mediation Center of the Pacific’s “Domestic Mediator of the Year” Award, and in December 2018, Lisa was co-recipient of the Mediation Center of the Pacific’s “Peacemaker” Award.
Lisa is Co-Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Hawai’i State Bar Association. Lisa is Past President of the Hawai’i Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution, where she has served on the Board of Directors since January 2014. Lisa also serves on the Board of Directors of EPIC ‘Ohana and the Hawai’i Center for Nonviolent Communication.
Katie Bennett, Family Law Attorney and Mediator, JD, MSW
Katie Bennett runs Family Mediation Hawai‘i, a mediation and collaborative law firm focused on supporting Hawai‘i’s families through difficult transitions.
Born and raised in Nu‘uanu Valley, Katie’s practice focuses on assisting families reach child-focused settlement agreements. As a mother of three, Katie understands the toxic effects sustained parental conflict and litigation can have on children. With a background in law, family systems theory, child welfare, mental health, and child development, she understands the complexities and pitfalls of co-parenting from separate households. In addition to her private practice, Katie regularly mediates for the O‘ahu Child Welfare Mediation Program at the Ronald T.Y. Moon Judiciary Complex in Kapolei.
Licensed to practice law in Hawai‘i since 2005, Katie is a member of the Family Law, Child Law, and Alternative Dispute Resolution Sections of the Hawai‘i State Bar Association, the Hawai‘i Association for Conflict Resolution, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. Over the years, Katie has served on numerous nonprofit boards in our community. Currently, she serves on the board of directors for Mental Health America of Hawai‘i, Hale Kipa, and Kāhi Mōhala.
Katie received the Hawaii Access to Justice Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service in 2014 and the National Association of Social Workers, Hawai‘i Chapter Social Justice and Advocacy Award in 2015. She holds a Juris Doctor and a Master of Social Work from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in anthropology and economics from Occidental College in Los Angeles.
Shelby N. Ferrer, Family Law Attorney
Shelby N. Ferrer has a unique depth of knowledge about Hawai’i’s Family Court. After graduating in 2014 from the William S. Richardson School of Law, Ms. Ferrer served as a law clerk to the Honorable R. Mark Browning, Senior Judge of Family Court and Deputy Chief Judge of the First Circuit. As Senior Judge Browning’s law clerk, Ms. Ferrer assisted in the administration of over 500 employees and the numerous programs and court proceedings of the Family Court, including juvenile probation programs, a youth detention facility, and proceedings involving juveniles charged with crimes, unsupervised minors, adoptions, guardianships of minors and disabled adults, abused and neglected children, domestic abuse, divorcing families with alimony, property division and child custody issues, and never-married families with child custody disputes. After concluding her clerkship in 2016, Ms. Ferrer became an associate attorney for The Law Office Of Mei Nakamoto. In May 2018, the Law Office Of Mei Nakamoto transitioned to Nakamoto & Ferrer, with Ms. Ferrer being a named partner.
During law school, Ms. Ferrer was a pro bono volunteer with the Family Court’s Ho‘olokahi program, which assists parents who have children subjected to abuse or neglect. She also helped establish Law for Youth Empowerment (also known as LYtE), a law student organization designed to educate and advocate for incarcerated and at-risk youth in Hawai’i. In addition, Ms. Ferrer also served as an extern with the family law division of the Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i, where she assisted LASH attorneys and staff with indigent adults who needed assistance with divorce, child custody and domestic abuse protection needs.
A 2006 graduate of Punahou School and 2010 graduate of the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Ms. Ferrer was admitted to the Hawai‘i State Bar Association in November 2014. She is licensed to practice in all courts in the State of Hawai‘i.
As a result of her experience, Ms. Ferrer understands the stresses that the court system can have on the families in Hawai’i who are involved in it, especially its impact on children.
Whether she’s embedded in the court system or employed in the private sector, Ms. Ferrer continues to dedicate herself to helping children and adults navigate through one of life’s most difficult events and begin a new chapter in peace and safety.
Kainani Collins Alvarez, Family Law Attorney
Kainani Alvarez is the newest addition to Farrell & Associates joining the firm in March of 2018. Kainani brings a wealth of courtroom experience, including over eight years as a Deputy Public Defender.
Kainani is a 2000 graduate of Maryknoll High School and 2004 cum laude graduate of the University of Nevada Las Vegas. After graduating from Creighton University School of Law, Kainani was admitted to the Bar in October of 2009 and served as a law clerk for Circuit Court Judge Glenn Hara in Hilo. In 2010, Kainani was appointed a Deputy Public Defender where she defended hundreds of clients in misdemeanor and felony jury and bench trials involving all types of offenses, including family abuse and violations of protective orders. She also filed briefs with Hawaii’s Intermediate Court of Appeals and the Hawaii Supreme Court, appeared at hearings before the Hawaii Paroling Authority, and represented clients in Family Court juvenile proceedings and civil commitment hearings.
Kainani has been an adjunct professor of criminal law at Kapi’olani Community College, and continues to provide court appointed criminal defense to indigent clients. Her pro bono activities include service on the board of directors of the Hawaii Filipino Lawyers Association, advisor to the Legal Aid Society of Hawai’i’s Access to Justice Legal Clinic, volunteer attorney for the Hawai’i Filipino Fiesta Legal Clinic, participant in Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii’s Juvenile Records Expungement Program, and counselor at the YMCA College Camp.
Outside the courtroom, you can find Kainani on the mats of Ronn Shiraki’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy training for her next national competition as a Relson Gracie blue belt.
Hawaii Psychology Collective
Hawaii Psychology Collective is a private group therapy practice founded by Allana Coffee, Ph.D. and Clare Rountree, Ph.D. Both Dr. Coffee and Dr. Rountree have been in practice for a collective total of nearly 30 years. They have combined their experience, knowledge, expertise and love of the community to establish Hawaii Psychology Collective. HPC is comprised of clinical psychologists and clinical social workers who have a high level of experience, knowledge and compassion.
HPC borrows from the Hawaiian value of kina’ole: which is “doing the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, in the right place, for the right reason, with the right feeling.”
Rebecca Heron – Program Director of Second Saturday – Honolulu Workshop
Rebecca Heron works as a Client Relationship Manager for Jeff White, CFP®, CRPC® at Honolulu Financial Partners (LPL Financial), which specializes in financial/retirement/divorce planning. She works closely with the firm’s financial advisors & attorney to ensure all the details of the clients’ plans are carried out and implemented in terms of their financial needs & goals.
As the Main Coordinator/Event Organizer of ‘Second Saturday – Honolulu’, she has a passion for giving strength & inspiration to others through her past experiences. She works with you to offer recommendations to address your future needs & discover how we can help you pursue financial independence!
Susan Lewis – Volunteer/Divorce Survivor
Susan Lewis has walked the renowned Camino de Santiago pilgrimage two times, on two different routes, but her most impressive journey to date is the one that has taken her from “wounded” to “warrior.”
Susan experienced a range of emotions when her husband of 27 years announced that he wanted to leave the marriage and the home they shared with their two grown sons. From heartbreak to anger to acceptance and finally, to opportunity, Susan has devoted many hours to educating herself in topics such as Medicare, Medicaid, pension plan disbursement, QDROs (qualified domestic relations order), a post-divorce budget, and researching and evaluating a divorce attorney.
Her theme song of the past few years could easily be Helen’s Reddy’s “I Am Woman” as an exemplar of someone who is actively creating the life she wants and deserves.