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

 
mts wreath.JPG

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

Training alone isn’t enough: lasting change requires Implementation Practice. This approach uses research-based strategies to ensure evidence-based practices like Motivational Interviewing (MI) take root and stay strong over time.

Our Implementation Practice Facilitators work with agencies to design supports that build and maintain fidelity—the degree to which a practice is delivered as intended. In MI, for example, fidelity tools like the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) form assess whether practitioners are using MI with competence.

Strategies to strengthen fidelity may include:

  • Assessing the barriers and facilitators to support MI practice

  • Hiring staff whose skills and values align with the practice

  • Ensuring policies, workflows, and forms support the EBP

  • Providing ongoing training, coaching, and feedback

buffalo.png