JUDY SHERWOOD is dedicated to working with families, individuals, and couples to reduce conflict, enhance communications, and develop healthy coping and problem solving skills.

Judy's experience encompasses more than 30 years of consulting, communications, training and development work with individuals, groups, and organizations -- small and large.

Currently, she specializes in working with parents and children as a coach, consultant, custody and parenting time evaluator, helping them learn and apply solution-focused communications and problem solving skills.

Her educational credentials include two master's degrees: Marriage & Family Therapy and Business Administration, and an undergraduate degree in psychology and organization development. She is a Qualified Neutral under Minnesota Supreme Court Rule 114.

Higher Education:

    Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University. Master of Arts (MA), Marriage and Family Therapy. 

    Metropolitan State University. Master of Business Administration -- Management (MBA). 

    Metropolitan State University. Bachelor of Arts (BA). Business Administration and Organizational Psychology. 

Professional Experience:

    Judy Sherwood, LLC 2004 to present. Family/Divorce Mediation, Custody & Parenting Time Evaluations, Coaching, Parenting Consulting, SENE

    Minnesota Mediation & Counseling Center. 2004 - 2013 Mediator, custody evaluator, parenting consultant/coach. Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

    Century College, White Bear Lake, MN. Adjunct faculty (former) 

    Metropolitan State University, Minneapolis, MN. Adjunct faculty. (former)

    Connexus Energy, Ramsey, MN. Vice President.

    Anoka Ramsey Community College, Coon Rapids, MN. Adjunct faculty. (former)

    State of Minnesota Department of Employee Relations,St. Paul, MN. Sr. Employee Development Specialist

    Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN. Community Relations Manager; administrator for the Medtronic Foundation. 

Continuing Education:


AFCC Annual conference:  Resist Refuse Dynamics; I'm not going and you can't make me! 2022

Ambiguous Loss and Building Resiliency: Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health 2022

Racial Equity Training: Family Law League 2021-2022

William James College High Conflict Coparenting:  Interventions for Children's Alignment and Resistance.2019

AFCC:  Family Court "Excellent Adventures" 2019

MAMFT Annual conference 2019

MAMFT Annual conference 2018

Theraplay Interventions with challenging children: 2018

AFCC Overcoming Odds:  Resilience conference

AFCC MN Half Day program: Chemical Health Considerations during Custody & Parenting Time Evaluations

MAMFT Annual Conference Ethical Considerations & Autism Spectrum Disorders

AAML Annual Divorce Camp "Dousing the Flame: Strategies for Working with High Conflict"

AFCC Annual Conference 2018 "Overcoming the Odds: Recognizing and Restoring Resilience in High Conflict Families"

Advanced SENE Training 2018

AFCC Half Day ADR Ethics Board Training "We're Here to Help - Really!" Nov 2017

AFCC MN 2017 Annual Conference: Implicit Bias - "When just get over it is not enough!"

MN Continuing Legal Education: 38th Annual Family Law Institute (2017)

AFCC MN Child Development in the Context of Separation and Divorce

AFCC MN Court-Involved Therapy for Young Children; Marsha Kline Pruett, PhD

PESI: Nutritional and Integrative Interventions for Mental Health Disorders

Advanced Early Neutral Evaluation Training: 5th District Bar Association, Family Law Section

MN Psychological Association: Ordinary Magic - Advances in Developmental Resilience Science and Its Applications

The Mediation Center: Intractable Issues in Child Custody Cases - Mindy Mitnick

AFCC MN Court Involved Therapy for Young Children February 2016

AFCC MN Chapter Annual Conference: Broken Triangles - Dr. Ben Garber

AFCC 2016 Annual International Conference

PESI: EMDR & Mindfulness

MN Continuing Legal Education: 2016 Family Law Institute

Family Arbitration & Consensual Special Magistrate Training; The Mediation Center at Hamline Law School

AFCC MN Divorce & the Family Farm, St. Cloud, MN 2015

AAML Annual Divorce Camp 2015 "The Gray Divorce"

AFCC MN Chapter Annual Conference: Minnesota Families: Are Fairness and Justice for All Possible?" July 2015

Best Interests, Taxes, and Support. Legal Services State Support. July 2015

MN Continuing Legal Education, 36th Annual Family Law Institute

AFCC MN Chapter: "Smoke Screen or Fire: Sexual Abuse Allegations in Family Court, Part 2"

AFCC MN Chapter Annual Conference: "Opening a Dialog - Revisitng A Parental Guide to Making Child-Focused Parenting Time Decisions"

Antisocial, Borderline, Narcissist and Histrionic: Effective Treatment for Cluster B Personality Disorders."

Association of Family & Conciliation Courts (AFCC) 51st International Conference "Navigating the Waters of Shared Parenting: Guidance from the Harbour"; Toronto, Ontario, Canada May 2014

AFCC Leadership Conference, KC, MO

American Association of Marriage & Family Therapy, Supervisor Training, AAMFT Advanced Clinical Institutes. March 2013

AFCC MN Chapter: Hearing the Voice of theChild, February 2013

Neuroscience & Brain Trauma, AFCC MN

Therapeutic Interventions for Infants and Toddlers. Cross Country Education

"One size never fits all" Child Centered Parenting in the Midst of Conflict, Separation, and Divorce. Dr. Ben Garber. AFCC MN annual conference and meeting 2012

Attachment Disorders Resulting from Abuse. Cross Country Education

Child Inclusive Mediation, Dr. Jennifer McIntosh @ Hamline University School of Law

49th Annual Conference AFCC, "Attachment, Brain Science, and Children of Divorce: The ABCD's of Child Development for Family Law"

MN Association of Custody Resolution Specialists 15th Annual Conference: "Attachment Issues and Parenting Plans"

Why can't the baby spend the night? Parenting Plans for Young Children. AFCC-MN

Demystifying Reunification Therapy, AFCC-MN

Institute for the Advancement of Human Behavior: "Use Your Brain to Change Your Age"

MN Chapter AFCC 2011Conference and Annual Meeting: Resources for Families in Crisis

Understanding Personality Disorders. Institute for Brain Potential.

31st annual Family Law Institute

Overindulged Children and the Adults they become, St Paul, MN

MN Chapter AFCC Intensive Interventions for High Conflict Parents, St. Paul, MN

MAMFT Annual Spring Conference: Children, Families, and Trauma, Bloomington, MN

AFCC 47th Annual Conference "Traversing the Trail of Alienation" Denver, CO

Presenter, Fall Conference of the MN Association of Marriage & Family Therapy: Closure Therapy

Anger, Forgiveness, and the Healing Process

Drug Free Treatments for Mental Health Disorders: Improving Outcomes through Brain Wellness, Nutrition, & Mindfulness

Insider's Perspective on Autism & Asperger's Syndrome: Bridging the Gap Between Understanding & Intervention

Association of Family & Conciliation Courts (AFCC) 46th Annual Conference: Children, Courts & Custody - 2009

AFCC MN Chapter: Is it Abuse, Alienation, and / or Estrangement: A Decision Tree - 2009

30th Family Law Institute, Minnesota State Bar Association

Freedom of Forgiveness

AAML Annual Divorce Camp 2008

Understanding the Complexities of Male Sexuality

AFCC Advanced Issues in Child Custody: Abuse, Alienation and Other Challenges; Loyola University Law School, Chicago, IL

AFCC Parenting Coordination: Helping High Conflict Parents Resolve Disputes; Loyola University Law School, Chicago, IL

AFCC 45th Annual Conference "Emerging Challenges for Family Courts" Vancouver BC

29th Annual Family Law Institute, MN State Bar Association, St Paul, MN.

MICOD/AFCC Annual Conference; Custody and High Conflict Families: Strengths, Challenges and Options, Isolina Ricci, Ph.D.; St. Paul, MN

AAMFT Winter Institutes, Advanced Clinical Training, Autism Spectrum Disorders, "Making a Difference with Challenging Children," Santa Fe, NM

State of Minnesota, Early Neutral Evaluation (Social and Financial), Duluth & Anoka, MN

MN Association of Marriage & Family Therapy; presenter Fall Conference, St. Paul, MN

AAMFT National Conference: Healing Relationships in the 21st Century. Long Beach, CA

28th Family Law Institute; Minnesota Continuing Legal Education

Solomon’s Surrogates: Minnesota Association of Custody Resolution Specialists.

The Person of the Therapist, Dr. Harry J. Aponte, MSW, LCSE, LMFT. National Association of Social Work

Assessment/Treatment of Children & Families, Argosy University Twin Cities; Psy D Program (doctorate in clinical psychology)

Social Psychology, Argosy University Twin Cities; Psy D. Program (doctorate in clinical psychology)

High Conflict Divorce: Treading Lightly/Working with Personality Disordered Clients, William A. Eddy, LLCSW, JD; Minnesota Interdisciplinary Committee on Divorce.

Marital Dissolution Practice; Minnesota State Bar CLE, Mpls., MN

27th Family Law Institute; Minnesota Continuing Legal Education; MN State Bar Association

Custody and Child Support, Minnesota State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education, Mpls., MN

Collaborative Law Institute, Mpls., MN – The Collaborative Experience

Parenting Coordination for High Conflict Families; Loyola University Law School, Chicago (Association of Family and Conciliation Courts)

Beyond Victimhood: A New Approach to Domestic Violence; Century College

Advanced Family Mediation Training; Dispute Resolution Services

Certified Civil Arbitration Training; MN Continuing Legal Education

42ndAnnual Conference Association of Family & Conciliation Courts; Seattle, WA

Ethics Primer of Child Practitioners; MN Board of Psychology

Couples’ Counseling; Clinical Social Workers’ Conf.

Human & Animal Systems; Hamline University Center for Global Environmental Education

Spring Conference; Assoc. of Marriage & Family Therapy

Collaborative Divorce & Co-Parenting; WI Assoc. of Marriage & Family Therapy

Beyond Victimhood: Victims, Perpetrators, & Rescuers; MICOD (MN Interdisciplinary Committee on Divorce

Narrative Workshop; Michael White @ Temple Israel

High Conflict Workshop; MN Assoc. of Marriage & Family Therapy

Prepare/Enrich Workshop (David Olson); Argosy University/Twin Cities

Fall Conference; MN Assoc. of Marriage & Family Therapy

2004 -2005-2006-2007-2008-2009-2010-2011-2012-2013 Annual Divorce Camp; MN Association of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML)

AAT: The Healing Power of the 4-footed co-therapist; Medical Education Services

Conducting Child Custody Evaluations; University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

Assessing & Treating Reactive Attachment Disorder; Cross Country University, St. Cloud, MN

Mediation Training; Hamline University School of Law, 2004M

Professional Memberships and Affiliations:

     Child Focused Parenting Time Guide Work Group, Minnesota Judicial Branch, 2016-2018

     Former Board Member: Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy

     Former Clinical Fellow: American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)

     Member: Minnesota Association of Marriage & Family Therapy

     Minnesota Chapter of AFCC. Chapter Past President, Co Chair - Education & Professional Development

     Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC). National Member