Denise Ernst, Ph.D. received her doctorate from the University of New Mexico under the renowned Dr. William Miller, co-founder of motivational interviewing (MI), with a research focus on the application of MI in real clinical practice. She has been involved in efforts to increase the effectiveness of training, has provided structured feedback and coaching to a variety of professionals, and has developed and delivered several levels of advanced MI curriculum.

Dr. Ernst has participated in the development and refinement of the family of MI coding instruments, including the Motivational Interviewing Skill Code (MISC) and the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) coding system, to determine treatment fidelity, practitioner skills and the critical elements of good MI practice. She has developed, trained, and overseen coding labs. With strong quantitative and analytic training and experience, she is committed to ensuring interrater reliability, utilizing a variety of methods to accurately assess that reliability.

A member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), Dr. Ernst trained as a MI trainer in 1993. She has conducted trainings internationally in MI to a wide variety of professionals working in substance abuse, criminal justice, medical care, and public health.

Denise Ernst Curriculum Vitae

Denise Ernst