I completed my MPH in international health from Boston University and my PhD in Behavioral and Community Sciences at the University of South Florida. I held a postdoctoral research fellowship at Harvard University’s Cambridge Health Alliance in the Health Equity Research lab and The Center for Mindfulness and Compassion. I am now a Public Health Advisor for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). I have been a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) since 2016 and have since developed extensive experience designing and implementing interventions based on motivational interviewing and the application of person-centered care communication strategies for behavior change interventions. My research and community-based work has focused on health equity particularly for people experiencing substance use disorders, mental health issues, and co-occuring disorders and I am particularly interested in incorporating MI into healthcare and community settings to address behavioral health issues including addiction treatment, prevention and harm reduction. My motivational interviewing training reflects this expertise with the majority of my workshops tailored to an audience of behavioral health clinicians but also to drug court and problem-solving court staff, law enforcement, community-based providers (including but not limited to counselors, peer supprot specialists, social workers, and case managers), and faith-based organizations. While I became a member of the Network of Trainers in 2016, I began coaching and coding using MI in 2011 and am proficient in multiple coding systems including MITI 3.1.1 and 4.2.1, MICA, and HCPA. I have experience training and coaching MI in person, telephonically, online, and internationally. In addition to providing workshop-based MI training, I also provide one-on-one skill building, which often integrates the coding of MI sessions and written feedback for trainees to further develop and sustain their MI skills with fidelity.
I combine my academic, personal, and professional experiences in behavioral health to guide others towards positive behavior change in a culturally competent and patient centered manner utilizing Motivational Interviewing (MI). I am a researcher, trainer, recovery coach, and MI coder (MICA, MITI 4.1.2, MITI 3.1.1 and HCPA) focusing my services on the development and utilization of MI skills for a variety of clinical and community-based providers. I believe that through MI, and a genuine empathetic lens, providers can counter existing stigma and disparities to positively impact the lives of people seeking healthy lifestyle and behavior change in all walks of life.
