I am the behavioral science faculty at Sutter Family Medicine Residency Program, and continue to teach at UC Davis School of Medicine. For 10 years, I worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs. I treated Veterans with substance use, mental health, and co-morbid medical conditions in both primary care and specialty mental health settings. I also served as a consultant/trainer for the national VA training of Motivational Interviewing, Motivational Enhancement Therapy, and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Substance Use Disorders. Previously, I worked in community mental health agencies with clients from diverse backgrounds presenting with a wide variety of clinical presentations. The common theme of my work is helping people make effective transitions and move toward optimal wellness. I also have an interest in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Multiculturalism, and Recovery-based care. Motivational Interviewing is a natural fit with these approaches and useful in my daily work.
I find Motivational Interviewing to be incredibly applicable in my clinical work, and greatly enjoy training others to utilize this approach. During trainings, I focus on helping people find skills and approaches that could be most useful in their specific work setting. MI involves the flexibility to meet clients where they are in the moment, and I bring this spirit to the training environment. I enjoy collaborating with individuals, groups, and organizations; and am interested in helping others find novel ways to incorporate MI to improve patient/client outcomes.
