I am a marriage family therapist working in the field of substance abuse and co-occurring mental health treatment. I am lucky that I have the best of both worlds. I train for a large agency in my role as Sr. Clinical Director and I work directly with individuals in private practice. Using Motivational Interviewing has helped with engagement and evoking people's values, hopes and dreams for their most meaningful lives. I am looking forward to "being MI" as I grow in opportunities to practice, listen to tapes, and learn more about coding. The current COVID pandemic and national Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S. six months after Tallinn have called me to engage in a different type of political activism; mindfulness-based stress reduction. My hope is out of the suffering in relation to the above and the growing awareness of the World-wide Climate Emergency that previously unknown strengths and resiliencies will emerge as people are invited to stand up for their own and for all of our collective best interests.
I provide trainings in Beginning and Intermediate Motivational Interviewing. Additionally, I incorporated the Spirit of MI into a full day Relapse Prevention Skills training. The classes enjoyed experiential exercises demonstrating MI Spirit and basic skills. The overlay of MI, Trauma Informed Care, and Strengths-based models of treatment is a current interest. I desire to include in trainings awareness of current and historical trauma that affects Black people and people of color. Use of the Spirit of MI connects to key principles of SAMHSA's trauma informed approach including Collaboration and Mutuality, Safety, Empowerment, Voice and Choice, as well as Trustworthiness and Transparency.
