Todd has been a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers since 2016. He is a college professor and licensed drug and alcohol counselor in New York. He teaches graduate classes in Motivational Interviewing, Research, and other practice skills.
His current training focus is on the implementation of Trauma-Informed Motivational Interviewing (TI-MI) for agencies seeking to be in compliance with the Families First Prevention Services Act. Our work focuses on assisting agencies in developing a workforce that utilizes trauma-informed practices with the use of Motivational Interviewing. This is accomplished at the agency level through the use of implementation science practices to ensure fidelity in TI-MI practice.
His practice experience includes work in substance abuse counseling, domestic violence, law enforcement, child welfare, and with Veterans.
Training can be delivered both online and in-person to best meet your agency's needs.
https://www.motivationalinterviewingwny.com or https://traumainformedmi.com
With years of university teaching experience, we know that nobody likes to sit through long boring lectures and have PowerPoint slides read to them. We know how adults learn, and are grounded in research on adult learning. Most of the training day is chunked in to 15-20 minute units followed by hands-on practice or conversation. We bring in our years of practice experience with child welfare and mental health clients so that we can talk about realistic scenarios- we know what it's like to work with people who experience environmental and personal barriers. We keep it real.
There's no "black box" to methods when we teach. Good practitioners don't want just a set of tools, but want to know why and how the tools work. We teach theory of change, including Stages of Change, motivational theory, and psychological reactance theory. We find that when people know how the tools work they stick to them better. This is especially helpful for reducing conflicts with clients.
Although Motivational Interviewing has good efficacy in research, the literature behind the importance of relationships is just as strong. Motivational Interviewing must be authentically applied in the context of real relationships. Our philosophy of training models this approach; we need to be real with the people we train and the agencies who ask for our help. This means we'll be as transparent as possible, be genuine in our efforts to support good practice, and provide you with the tools that best meet your needs. Reputation and trust is more important than good advice.
