Sara Schieffelin, LICSW, a Smith College School for Social Work alumna, has worked with children, adolescents, families and adults in Massachusetts, Colorado and Thailand. She has worked in community mental health, criminal justice, NGOs, hospitals, and schools. Sara has taught Motivational Interviewing in a wide variety of settings, including continuing education programs, community mental health agencies, AIDS research and evaluation programs and for towns adopting alternative to policing programs, and to wide audiences including social service providers, criminal justice provides, healthcare professionals, alcohol and drug counselors, educators, students and people in the recovery learning community. Sara has been teaching MI since 2013 and has been a member of MINT since 2017. Additionally, Sara has a private practice where she sees adolescents, transitional age youth and adults, and she is a field faculty advisor for students pursuing their MSW. She lives with her husband, son and various animals in Florence, Massachusetts, and when not teaching MI enjoys swimming, running, yoga, walking her dogs, and making pottery.
I believe that the best learning takes place within the context of a safe and connected group, one that caters to a wide variety of learning styles, and that challenges learners to consider new perspectives and try new skills. I am a skilled facilitator, creating strong group cohesion and evoking from learners their own wisdom and desire for growth and change. My trainings are dynamic, engaging and fun, and I am passionate about teaching Motivational Interviewing.
I am grateful for the generosity of spirit of the MI community, and to my many MINT mentors, especially John Brelsford, Katherine Galasso, Stephen Andrews, and Mary Dillion.
