Melody Riefer, MSW - Director of Training

Hello, I'm Melody Riefer. I'm the Director of Training for PDA. In this role, I get to work with the development team and help create the software, tools, and resources that are a part of CommonGround. I then create the curriculum and trainings used by all folks who use CommonGround. It is the greatest job in the world, because I am able to focus on getting the message of recovery to all my brothers and sisters who are a part of the mental health community.

More about Melody

Melody Riefer, MSW joined Pat Deegan, PhD & Associates, LLC as the Director of Training in July 2008. In this capacity, Melody works on the development and implementation team for CommonGround: a shared decision making systems intervention developed by Patricia E. Deegan PhD. Prior to joining the PDA team full-time, Melody was a member of the Office of Mental Health Research and Training at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare, where she established the first development site for CommonGround in a community mental health center located in Kansas City, Kansas. Melody also served as the inaugural director for the Office of Consumer Affairs for the State of Oklahoma and was the founding director of Georgia's oldest peer run center. Melody has over 20 years experience in mental health services, having worked in in-patient settings and in psychosocial rehabilitation programs. All of Melody's work in informed by and benefits from her personal journey of recovery from serious mental illness.