About Judith Thomas, PhD.
I am a conflict resolution specialist working with individuals, couples, families and organizations. My work with families includes helping couples and parents and children improve their relationships through better communication skills and greater awareness of each other’s needs.
When parents are unable to stay together, I help them make the difficult transition from being a committed couple to managing the complexities of two-household parenting and a new relationship as co-parents of their children. Even in the most difficult situations, where conflict is intense and chronic, parents are able to learn skills that support them in reducing their conflict and giving their children the calm space they need for healthy development.
My work with organizations includes mediation of workplace disputes, facilitating conflict resolution within and between organizations, and facilitating problem-solving in family-owned companies.
...about my background and experience
My Ph.D. in sociology from Columbia University focused on the dynamics of families and organizations. I have done in-depth research on post-divorce family structures and on the culture of organizations undergoing disruptive changes.
I received basic training in mediation from Community Mediation Services-Columbus Bar Association in 1991, and advanced training from the Association for Conflict Resolution and the Ohio Mediation Association. In 1997, I completed a three-year training program in Couple and Family Therapy at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland. I am a former faculty member at Denison University and Associate Faculty member of the graduate program in Conflict Resolution at Antioch University.
In addition to my private practice, where I have mediated more than 1,000 cases since 1991, I am a contract mediator for workplace conflicts at The Ohio State University and in the REDRESS program of the U.S. Postal Service. I am also an approved mediator in the Licking, Franklin, and Delaware County (OH) Domestic Courts, and I serve as a guardian ad litem for children in the Licking County Court.
I am an Advanced Practitioner mediator with the Association for Conflict Resolution, a member of the Ohio Mediation Association, and a Licensed Social Worker with the Ohio Counselor and Social Work Board.