I was first exposed to MI in 2013 while employed by the State of Vermont's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (VT DVR) and while there, I participated in MI training and assisted with a full scale implementation of MI within the organization. I attended the Berlin, Germany train-the-trainer session in 2015 to become a MINT member. Subsequently, I helped develop and support an internal group of MI Coaches, facilitated coaching circles, and provided intro, advanced and refresher MI training for all staff until my resignation in 2016. I resigned to pursue my doctorate degree in clinical psychology with the intention to continue my investment in MI and organizational development and change processes. My doctoral dissertation, Motivational Interviewing in Vocational Rehabilitation: Why it Matters for People with Disabilities, focused on the effectiveness of the MI training and implementation design used by VT DVR. During my doctorate, I continued to offer pro-bono MI trainings and consultation to non-profit organizations. Currently, I provide psychological services for individuals and also offer consultation and training for organizations. In both settings, MI informs or is the direct focus of my work.
As a psychologist, I am intently interested in the process of change for both individuals and organizations and appreciate that MI provides a way to understand and work with small and large scale change. Whether I am offering consultation to an organization embarking on MI implementation, supporting leadership in navigating a change process, offering MI trainings to staff groups, or providing individual coaching in MI, my focus is on listening to understand and then collaborating to achieve meaningful growth and positive outcomes.
