Interviewing Essentials


Learn basic strategies and techniques for engaging and interviewing adults and children.  Explore critical components of effective interviewing such as introduction, building rapport, transitioning, addressing areas of concern, summary and closure. Examine the impact of regulation on the interview process.


About the Presenters:

Mitzi Lee provides over 26 years of experience in child care licensing.  She began her career with Bachelors in Family Relations and Child Development and worked as a service/eligibility worker for over five years for Oklahoma Department of Human Services.  She continued her employment with OKDHS as she was involved in monitoring of child care facilities for over eight years as a child care licensing specialist, supervisor, and district supervisor.  Since 1993, she has been responsible for development and implementation of the licensing division staff training program, child care facility training projects and development of division policy and child care requirements at the state office level.  Her licensing experience is complimented by completing a Masters in Human Development and Family Science, being a current NARA trainer and also an adjunct professor in the field of Early Care and Education. 

Gerald Peters II began his career in child welfare with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services in 1987.  For the next 14 years he worked in every area of child welfare from investigations to adoptions both as a worker and a supervisor.  He left child welfare in 2001 and began contracting with the University of Oklahoma as a consultant and trainer.  For the past 11 years he has provided training for all child welfare and child care licensing staff in Oklahoma on topics ranging from child sexual abuse to compassion fatigue.  His primary focus is on engagement and interviewing skills with children and adults. He returned to OKDHS in March of 2011 and is now a Program Field Representative with the Children and Families Services Division Training Unit.

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