Todd & Melanie provide training nationally,
but they call Buffalo, NY home.

 
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We are Todd and Melanie, and we do most of the work at Sage Training and Consulting. We have been married for over 25 years, and our interactions and examples in role plays (and real plays!) with each other provide a fun source of entertainment. We know each other so well that our work together, and in our groups, is natural, fun, and engaging. We model professional curiosity, humor, vulnerability, care for the people we work with, and lifelong learning.

In training, we nudge participants toward thinking bigger about what drives human behavior, encourage and cajole participation and practice, and help people identify their own reasons for becoming better helpers. We try to see the humanity in everyone we work with and model this for our participants.

Our approach is informed by cultural humility, and practices that are humanistic, client-centered, and trauma-informed. We understand the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences and other Social Determinants of Health, including poverty and racism.

We love our work.

 

Todd Sage,
PhD, MSW

Todd a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers. He is a college professor and licensed drug and alcohol counselor in New York. He teaches graduate classes in Motivational Interviewing, social work practice, and other practice skills, both on campus and online. Todd’s doctoral dissertation focused on organizational and delivery variables that impact Motivational Interviewing learning.

His practice experience includes work in substance abuse counseling, domestic violence, with law enforcement, child welfare, and with Veterans. He is currently involved in research and workforce development with child welfare workers.

Trained Professional Coach

Melanie Sage,
PhD, MSW

Melanie has been a social worker since 2001. She has been an MI trainer since 2011. She serves as the organizational implementation specialist at Sage Training and provides leadership coaching and project management supports. She’s worked across academic, industry, and non-profit settings.

She is passionate about workforce development and family-centered practice. She also researches and speaks nationally about the use of technology, social media, and ethics in social work practice. Her direct practice experience includes work with child welfare, psychiatric programs, crisis lines, homeless veterans, substance abuse treatment screening, and private practice. She co-authored the textbook Teaching Social Work with Digital Technology and is skilled in online teaching and consultation.

 

Implementation Practice

 
 
National Implementation Research Network implementation drivers model helps explain evidence about factors that contribute to fidelity

National Implementation Research Network implementation drivers model helps explain evidence about factors that contribute to fidelity

Implementation Practice

We work with agencies to make sure that their training sticks for the long-run. The science of moving an evidence-based practice to work settings is called Implementation Practice. Utilizing research on what makes new practice stick, Implementation Practice Facilitators work with agencies to design strategies in their settings that support fidelity.

Fidelity is the degree to which practice is used as intended. For instance, in Motivational Interviewing, fidelity tools like the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity form can be used to assess whether a practitioner is using MI with competence. IThave good fidelity, research says that agencies can use many strategies, such as:

  • hiring the right people

  • making sure policies and forms are aligned with the evidence-based practice

  • providing ongoing training and coaching


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