HOLLAND, Mich. — Dr. Leslie Roberts, owner of West Michigan Psychological Services, has seen firsthand the toll high-conflict divorces take on families. Now, she hopes to help parents navigate separation with less harm to their children through her newly published book, Divorcing Without Damage.
Roberts opened her first practice in 2020 after identifying a shortage of mental health services along the Lakeshore.
“It was a good time to hit the ground running,” Roberts said. “Then we opened another location each year, simply because there were so many people who needed access to mental health services.”
She expanded to three more locations—Muskegon, Grand Haven and Hamilton—serving about 500 clients each week.
A forensic psychologist by training, Roberts spent much of her career working in the court system with “families involved in high conflict.”
“By the time they got to me to help them resolve this high conflict, through typically what would be a divorce, the damage is already done. People are already fighting. The kids… it’s already kind of a mess in the family system and it’s a high stress, high conflict situation,” she said.
Roberts has seen the toll on both parents and children, from rising depression and anxiety to “decreases in self-esteem and development.” She said, “It’s incredibly stressful when your parents can’t get along, regardless of whether they’re married or not.”
That experience inspired her new book, Divorcing Without Damage, a guide she hopes will help families start the separation process in a healthier way.
“It’s really meant to welcome people into, ‘Listen, you’re not alone, you can do this,’” Roberts said. “Here are many ways you can start the process of keeping your children at the center.”
Her goal is to alleviate harm before it begins.
“If we can teach families and parents how to make these decisions that are in their children’s best interest, or at least coach them through it when it’s hard, or when they're struggling, ideally on the other end of it, the family system can flourish, even if it looks different,” she said. “I really do believe if people engage in keeping their children’s best interests at heart, it will change the way they experience divorce."
In addition to the book, Roberts offers a coaching program that guides parents through difficult conversations and tense moments.
“How to talk to your family, how to handle this topic with your children, how to handle a difficult situation with your ex but if that’s not enough and you just need more support ... I’m available for individual and group coaching,” she said. “I think it’s something that can change the way people go through this process.”
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