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Our Team
Founder/President: Linda V. Berens, Ph.D.
Linda V. Berens, Ph.D. founded Interstrength Associates (formerly Temperament Research Institute or TRI) in 1988 to provide a source for solid information about individual differences. Now Interstrength Associates is the premier source for research, education, applications and training support for the understanding of individual differences and change facilitation using applications of Temperament Theory, Jung’s theory of psychological types and the Berens Interaction Styles Model. Interstrength Associates became internationally recognized as a provider of exceptional Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® Qualifying Programs as well as training in advanced applications of the works of Carl Jung, Isabel Myers, and David Keirsey.
As President of Interstrength Associates, Dr. Berens has made it her goal to attract training, coaching, and organizational development professionals who are experts in their own fields such as leadership, teams, communication, training, coaching, counseling, and creativity to become faculty for Interstrength Associates and to develop applications of the study of individual differences to those fields.
Linda V. Berens, Ph.D., has been licensed in California as a Marriage, Family and Child Therapist (currently inactive status) and an Educational Psychologist. She has worked with the theory of personality types for over 34 years. Over the last 15 years, she has conducted extensive qualitative research into the characteristics of the sixteen personality types and the four temperaments. As a result of this research, she has integrated the work of Carl Jung, David Keirsey and a theory of living systems into a methodology for helping people understand themselves and others, placing her and her associates on the leading edge of work in this field. In her most recent work she has refined the popular social styles theory to see patterns of interaction styles. This recent addition places her as a leading contributor to the study of individual differences.
She has conducted thousands of training programs in this theory and its applications to counseling, education, career development and organizational development. She has qualified over 2500 people to purchase the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® assessment and is frequently called upon to be the consultant’s consultant. She has trained and consulted with professionals in a wide range of companies.
Dr. Berens is the author or co-author of multiple books and training materials, including the groundbreaking, web-based self-discovery process—Interstrength® CogBooks™.
Vice President: Linda Ernst, M.S.
Linda Ernst, M.S. is Vice President/Senior Faculty. In her role as Vice President, she contributes to strategy, business development, faculty and associate development, and curriculum design. She also consults, coaches and trains with individuals and client teams, develops and teaches workshops using the Interstrength Method. She co-designed and co-facilitated MBTI® Qualifying Programs for 12 years. She is certified as a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® Master Practitioner and has experience designing and facilitating workshops using a variety of type and temperament frameworks for personal development, leadership development, team building, and for trainers.
Linda facilitates group sessions for a variety of team experiences such as staff and Board retreats, leadership teams, annual meetings and organization events. Since 1983, she has conducted custom designed in-house workshops for a wide range of industrial and organizational clients. She has extensive preparation in adult learning theory, workshop and large group presentation methods, facilitation techniques, one-on-one leadership coaching, psychological type and instructional design.
A skilled professional development trainer, Linda works with groups from health care executive teams to refinery workers to government and public work teams to first line supervisors in manufacturing settings to teleworkers and their managers. As a senior instructor with the internationally known company, The Training Clinic, Linda has conducted hundreds of train-the-trainer and instructional design workshops over the last 25 years.Prior to becoming an independent consultant and trainer Linda's professional experience included 16 years in hospital nursing management and education. She is an RN and holds a Master's Degree in Health Care Management. Linda is a skilled process facilitator and a dynamic presenter and course designer who stimulates participation and active group involvement.
Linda’s publications include:
- The Guide for Facilitating the Self-Discovery Process - co-author
- Quick Guide to the 16 Personality Types and Teams - co-author
- Quick Guide to the 16 Personality Types in Organizations - contributing author
- Team Dynamics: Defining the Essential Issues for Team Success – an article for the Association of Psychological Type Bulletin Early Spring 2005 - co-author
- Interstrength® CogBooks™
Senior Faculty: Our senior faculty are responsible for training other professionals in using and applying the Interstrength Method. They hold responsiblity for training associates and are authors of many of our publications. They often conduct client work as associates as well.
International Faculty: Our international faculty train practitioners in their own countries/regions as well as serve as associates who do client work.
Adjunct Faculty: Our adjunct faculty serve in their areas of experise and conduct training of practitioners as well as serve as associates working with clients.