Speaking
Conference sessions that are engaging, interactive, and unforgettable
After 30 years of conference speaking, I have learned something that most conferences ignore.
People do not change because they heard information. They change because they had an experience.
That is why I have moved beyond the traditional didactic lecture. My talks are designed to feel alive in the room. They are engaging, emotionally resonant, and often surprising. If your audience leaves thinking, “I’ve never heard it put that way before,” we’re doing it
right.
What your audience will experience
Whenever the format allows, my sessions are interactive and collaborative. That means attendees do not sit passively while someone talks at them.
Instead, they:
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participate in brief experiential demonstrations
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reflect and discuss what they are noticing in real time
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break into small groups for structured exercises
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share learning across the room and build shared insight together
This approach makes the content memorable, and it helps clinicians translate ideas into real-world practice the moment they leave the conference.
A speaking philosophy aligned with ICP
Most conference talks focus on what to do.
My talks also focus on:
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how to do it (procedural knowledge)
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when to do what (conditional knowledge)
Because clinical excellence depends less on knowing the model, and more on knowing how to respond skillfully in the moment with a real person.
My speaking is grounded in Integrative Collaborative Psychiatry (ICP). That means I emphasize good care that is integrative, collaborative, culturally humble, and responsive to social and structural determinants of health.
Speaking topics
Each talk is tailored to your audience and goals. Popular topics include:
ICP and “Good Care”
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Integrative Collaborative Psychiatry: what good care looks like now
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Moving beyond diagnosis-driven thinking toward negotiated care
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Collaboration as the backbone of outcomes (patients, families, teams, systems)
Clinical excellence
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The secret of superior outcomes and how great clinicians actually develop
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Feedback, coaching, and deliberate practice
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Why experience alone does not reliably produce mastery
Therapeutic alliance and relational skill
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What makes or breaks the alliance
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Repairing ruptures when things go sideways
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Relational skills that are learnable, observable, and trainable
Motivation, change, and accountability
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Motivational Interviewing for real-world complexity
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Working with ambivalence and mandated treatment
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Helping people move from compliance to change
Addiction, trauma, and justice-involved treatment
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Addiction recovery that integrates biology, trauma, systems, and meaning
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ASAM criteria applied in a practical, clinician-friendly way
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Justice-involved systems and how to reduce dropout and improve outcomes
Formats
Available for:
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keynote talks
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plenary sessions
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breakout workshops
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half-day or full-day conference intensives
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agency-wide invited talks
In-person and remote options available.