Trainer Biography

David A. Haapala, Ph.D.

Dr. David Haapala is the founder and president of Bold Solutions, the non-profit organization he created to deliver culturally relevant and effective human services and evaluate them. Educated as a psychologist, he holds a Ph.D. in psychology from Saybrook Institute. He has over 30 years of experience in training and consultation; providing direct services to individuals, couples, and families; developing and implementing research and evaluation projects; professional writing and speaking; and supervising and directing diverse work groups in Washington State and New York City. Dr. Haapala is probably best known as a co-founder of the internationally recognized Homebuilders program that began in Tacoma, Washington, in 1974, and inspired the Family Preservation Services movement around the globe.

In addition to his responsibilities associated with Bold Solutions, Dr. Haapala serves a member of the graduate faculty in the Psychology Department at Chapman University. He has been a featured speaker and lecturer at over 20 universities in North America and abroad.

Dr. Haapala is a member of the international Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), a group of individuals who have extensive expertise and training in the theory and practice of Motivational Interviewing. He has been a Motivational Interviewing trainer and consultant since 1994 and a trainer and consultant in the areas of Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, Mental Health, and Family Therapy since 1976. He has provided training and consultation to over 100 groups and thousands of individuals from over 25 countries and six continents. He has consulted to such diverse groups as: Universal Studios, Hollywood, California; the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Nation, Towaoc, Colorado; the Department of Social Services, Stockholm, Sweden; the New South Wales Division of Aboriginal Affairs in Sydney, Australia; The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Washington, D.C.; and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, Maryland.

A principal investigator on numerous research projects, he has published three books and over 30 journal articles, book chapters, and technical reports.