Organizations I’ve worked with
Organizations I’ve worked with
What is MI
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a person-centered, guiding method of communication and counseling to elicit and strengthen motivation for change. It’s used across clinical care, research, and education to support people at any stage of considering a change. Rather than persuading or directing, MI works by drawing out a person’s own reasons for change and building on them, in a spirit of partnership rather than expertise.
How this works
I offer MI training for teams and individuals, with the option of longer-term supervision. I also offer tape review using the MITI coding manual (Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity), with individualized feedback. My goal is not only to teach the broad strokes, but to foster mastery of the art of MI.
Live training for teams or individuals, from the foundations of MI to more advanced work on specific skills.
Ongoing group sessions to keep MI skills sharp — reviewing real conversations together and working through what’s coming up in practice.
One-on-one review of your own recorded practice, with specific feedback using the MITI coding manual on what’s working and what to try differently.
Ways to work together
Teams & programs
Individual practitioners
In their words
Valerie introduced Motivational Interviewing to our organization. She has trained our staff in MI for years and has transformed how we connect and engage with our clients. With MI implemented, we saw a significant increase in trial-to-paid conversion and both client and coach satisfaction. She is a natural teacher and cares deeply about her work. We're grateful for her!
Valerie is an expert clinician with a proven track record of applying evidenced-based treatments both clinically and in digital therapeutics. My company has been consulting with her over the past year to help us adapt and apply Motivational Interviewing into digital content as well as train our team of licensed clinicians. Valerie is a true professional who is knowledgeable and has done her research. Every session we've had with her has been invaluable. Her recommendations are backed by research and trends in data, and the quality of the training she's delivered has been top-notch. I can't recommend her services more highly.
Valerie helped our home visiting team learn to use motivational interviewing in their work with parents. Some parents have a hard time determining goals for themselves or their families. Using Motivational Interviewing has given us a strategy to help parents identify areas they would like to grow in or change.
Valerie has had a profound impact on my professional growth and development. She put her heart and soul into creating MI and CBT trainings for our team that were creative, engaging, and incredibly effective in supporting our learning and competency. She went above and beyond to provide us with ongoing learning opportunities, offering one-on-one training whenever needed and providing detailed feedback with compassion and warmth; her commitment to our growth was palpable. Valerie led by example by embodying the very spirit that she taught us to use with our own clients — empathy, collaboration, and unwavering support. She is one of the most effective teachers I have ever had, and I would not have the clinical skill set I have today if not for her strong leadership and innovation.
Coming January 2027
January2027
January 28–29, 2027 · Berkeley, CA · two days · $550 per person · open to the public
