Professional Bios
AMY ARMSTRONG, LISW, PCI CERTIFIED PARENT COACH®
As a family therapist, parent educator, mediator, certified parent coach®, parenting coordinator, and family coach in Collaborative Law cases, Amy Armstrong has dedicated her career to the productive resolution of conflict. Through her work with hundreds of families, Amy inspires self-awareness, skillful communication and solutions that support parents as they reach their goals for parenting and co-parenting. Amy often involves legal professionals and other therapists to address family needs in complex situations such as high-conflict separation and divorce or post-decree co-parenting issues.
Amy is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio, and obtained her Masters in Social Work from The Ohio State University. She is past president of the Central Ohio Academy of Collaborative Divorce Professionals, past president and current secretary of the Ohio Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, and works with the Overcoming Barriers Family Programs for high-conflict families where a child resists contact with a parent.
As a parent educator, Amy taught The Art of Positive Parenting, a program of Action for Children, for over 20 years. With her colleagues, Amy developed and opened The Center for Family Resolution (CFR) in Columbus, Ohio in 2015 which is a primary referral source for court-ordered interventions. CFR provides a variety of services and interventions serving individuals and families, including multi-day interventions in a home or other residential setting.
Areas of specialized training and experience for Amy Armstrong, LISW, include appreciative inquiry, cognitive behavioral and solution-focused therapy, multi-factorial assessment and interventions for high-conflict families, and including the child’s voice in family matters.
WENDI STERN, MBA, PCI CERTIFIED PARENT COACH®
Wendi Stern is a Franklin County Domestic Relations Court Approved Mediator and became a PCI Certified Parent Coach® in 2017. Prior to her work as a mediator and parent coach, she earned her MBA from Franklin University. Wendi brings professional experience and understanding learned through working as a mediator, serving as a parent coach, spending nearly a decade in large, private sector financial services companies and serving on the boards of multiple non-profits. She also has a solid understanding of personal finance and experience raising her own teenagers. She is skilled at listening and asking questions in a way that enables her clients to provide detailed and personalized input into the issues they care to have resolved.
Wendi believes her clients are the experts on their own situations, particularly when it comes to their children. Her goal is to provide a positive, constructive environment that catalyzes conversations that lead to agreements about what is fair and best for everyone involved.
MARY T. (TERRI) JOHNSTON, MBA, MS ED
Terri Johnston is a seasoned professional coach working with individuals and families. Many clients seek out Terri when they are involved in the court system, specifically where a Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) has been appointed or there is a complex family dynamic involving a child(ren) resisting or refusing contact with a parent. She is a highly skilled listener not only as a coach but also as mediator, parenting coordinator and collaborative divorce coach helping couples terminate their marriage or manage their parenting plan in a respectful and more cooperative manner.
Terri is passionate about helping parents and co-parents be the best parent possible for their child(ren)and provide an environment that allows their child(ren) to thrive emotionally. Terri helps her clients meet their specific goals, whether it is improved communication skills, finding ways to cope with difficult situations, changing behaviors that contribute to problems, or discovering constructive ways to deal with a situation outside of a person’s control.
Terri received her MBA and MSEd in Clinical Counseling through the University of Dayton. Prior to Terri following her passion in helping people, she worked in various executive positions for several Fortune 500 companies in the field of IT (information technology).
DEBORAH FRAZIER, MSW
Deborah Frazier is a Domestic Relations Mediator. Deborah attended The Ohio State University for both her undergraduate degree in science, and her Master’s degree in Social Work. Deborah integrates her background in counseling with extensive mediation training through Franklin County and Ohio Court System. With divorcing clients, Deborah provided the capability for couples to create a self-directed divorce agreement that works for both parties.
Deborah is also a trained Co-Resolver. Co-resolution is a process where each party is further supported by having a coach in the negotiations. Coaching is a way for each person to be supported during the negotiations and decision making process. The coach works directly with the individual, helping them to refine their goals, look to the future and how to best strategize and work with the other person.
Deborah believes strongly that it is within the power of each and every person to create the life he or she desires. While divorce and separation can be difficult processes, it is the decisions you make regarding how you separate that impacts the future. The mediation process can be a supportive process in helping you move toward a positive future.
