Continuing in our series of introducing our Master Trainers, it’s truly a great pleasure for me to introduce Dr. Roberta Neault. I’ve known Roberta for so long now that it’s hard for me to remember a time when we weren’t working on, or refining, some project or other. She’s a soft-spoken but powerful and extremely effective force in shaping career development in Canada and been recognized and awarded for her commitment nationally and internationally. It’s actually very difficult to keep track of Roberta. When I send her an e-mail I never know from what part of the globe she will respond! For me it’s been a tremendous pleasure and privilege to know and work with Roberta. Most recently we had a few brief moments of catch-up time while registering at the hotel for the Cannexus conference – and in truly wonderful Authentic Blue fashion she greeted me with a great warm, open smile and a hug.
Roberta’s been involved with Personality Dimensions® from long before we actually published any of the materials and I am very grateful to her for sharing her expertise with all of us and her commitment to Personality Dimensions®. If you ever get the chance to hear Roberta at a conference or have a cup of coffee with her count it as a real privilege, I know that I do.
In her own words …
“It’s interesting to reflect on my history with Personality Dimensions® – I can recall providing feedback on some of the earliest materials before the tool was even officially launched. Then there was a transitional period when I had training booked for True Colors Level 1 and 2 and had to sort out what to do when I knew that Personality Dimensions® was almost ready to go public. We gave those participants “two for the price of one” and certified them in both models at the same time – that took a lot of binders! I then provided Bridging training for hundreds, perhaps over a thousand, True Colors trainers to equip them to transition to the new tools. Our Level 2 trainees have come from the UK, the US, and all parts of Canada and I’ve facilitated Personality Dimensions® workshops with clients from throughout Asia, South and Central America, North America, Europe, and Africa – it resonates with groups of diverse ages, ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds.
I’ve had the privilege of expanding the Personality Dimensions® suite of resources by writing and/or co-authoring most of the Personality Dimensions® Toolkits for Trainers, working on the Retirement Dimensions tool and toolkit, and co-developing the Level 1 Online Training with Dr. Deirdre Pickerell and the support of our team at Life Strategies Ltd. One of the most challenging projects was developing PD Basics as it was intended to be useful for two very distinct audiences – English language learners and individuals with low literacy. We had to ensure that the language was clear and simple but not insulting, suitable for adults who might speak English fluently but struggle with reading but also for adults who might be very well educated but struggle to understand English. We also wanted the tool to be useful in a mixed group, not singling out individuals who would have struggled with the regular package but seamlessly equipping them to keep up with the assessment activities. The PD Basics materials have achieved all of those goals!
I’ve been especially impressed with the publishers, Career/LifeSkills Resources – they have been so open to feedback, supportive of extending the suite of resources, and responsive to trainers’ needs. I also appreciate the enthusiasm of the family of Personality Dimensions® trainers. I recall attending a conference in the Maritime region where one exhibitor was eagerly introducing me to the Personality Dimensions® products at her table and all of the benefits of using Personality Dimensions® until she suddenly noticed that my name tag matched the author’s name for most of the books on her table!
I’ve used Personality Dimensions® in a variety of settings but one of my most memorable moments was with a group of hospice volunteers. As you’d expect, many of them had strong preferences for Authentic Blue and, of course, kept trying to engage their dying residents and family members in the types of creative activities that Authentic Blues tend to love. They were frustrated by the lack of interest and appreciation that they were getting from some people – what an “aha moment” when they recognized that not everyone wants to spend their final days scrapbooking or telling stories! Personality Dimensions® is SUCH a wonderful tool for helping us to recognize and celebrate both similarities AND differences!”
Credentials: Canadian Certified Counsellor, Certified Career Development Practitioner, Global Career Development Facilitator – Instructor, Personality Dimensions Master Trainer
Degrees: PhD (Educational Psychology), MA (Counselling Psychology), BEd (Special Education / Psychology)
You can reach Roberta through the Life Strategies website: www.lifestrategies.ca, at roberta@lifestrategies.ca or the Life Strategies office: 604-856-2386 Follow her on Twitter: @RobertaNeault