About 2BSD

    What We Do

    We are passionate about helping people make self-determination a reality in their lives.  We imagine a better world where people acting from their best selves are filled with motivation and achieving what is most important to them. We welcome the opportunity to talk with you or your group to discuss consulting services to achieve outcomes customized to your needs, audience, time and budget.  Feel free to contact us at sharon@beselfdetermined.com or 248.613.0899 to let us know the best way to connect with you to discuss how we could help you learn more, expand your skill set, find and implement resources, share your self-determined story, launch new projects, or conduct a research project.

    A Few Ways We Can Help

    • Infusing self-determination assessment and instruction into early childhood, K-12, higher education and/or workplace and adult learning programs
    • Using a self-determination mindset and practices to promote successful transitions from high school to postsecondary education and/or employment
    • Implementing evidence-based practices that foster greater self-determination in college students
    • Adapting your marketing and college curriculum to be more responsive to the self-determined success of your students with or without disabilities
    • Reading, sharing application ideas, and fostering a learning community focused on self-determination
    • Helping you design research using self-determination constructs and assessment tool

    Approaches We Use

    • Via Zoom meetings and webinars
    • In-person visits
    • One-time meetings, workshop series, book clubs, training weekends…

     Examples of Past Projects

    • We recently worked with Bard College faculty to design strategies to better meet the needs of their teacher candidates so they could become stronger self-advocates in their rigorous master’s program and as they move into employment.  For more information, see https://www.beselfdetermined.com/blog/bard-college-helps-future-educators-become-more-self-determined/.
    • During the pandemic, we designed and delivered The Road Ahead, a three part series of webinars for students with disabilities and their parents, to prepare for the transition from high school to postsecondary education and employment. For more information, see https://www.beselfdetermined.com/blog/the-road-ahead-students-and-parents-learning-together-to-create-successful-transitions/
    • A partnership with the Association on Higher Education and Disability led to the development of two publications (Becoming Self-determined: Practical Strategies for a Changing world [2021] and Becoming Self-determined: Creating Thoughtful Learners in an Admissions-crazed, Standards-frenzied Culture [2016] to help higher education faculty and staff learn more about creating instruction and supports to promote self-determination on their campuses.

    What People Are Saying

    • “We thoroughly enjoyed working with and learning from this gifted team of experts, who always took special care to let us know how highly they regarded our efforts and accomplishments. That meant a great deal to us, and we thank you for your time, energy, and devotion to this work.”

    Jaime Alves, Ph.D. and Derek Furr, Ph.D. (Bard College faculty)

    • “I wish that I had joined these sessions before now! Wonderful!”

    Workshop participant (teacher)

    • “In their ‘must read’ book, Becoming Self-Determined: Creating Thoughtful Learners in a Standards-Driven, Admissions-Frenzied Culture, Sharon Field, David Parker, and the host of other contributing authors provide indisputable research, theory, and very practical strategies that will allow administrators, faculty, staff, transition coordinators, and parents to help students develop lifelong skills that will help them reach their goals and continue to improve their learning, relationships, and growth.”

    Linda Nissenbaum M.A., Certified Professional Coach (CPCC, PCC)

    Who We Are

    The foundation for 2BSD was provided by work conducted through the Initiative for Self-Determination in the College of Education at Wayne State University. The three principal investigators for the Initiative were Dr. Sharon Field, Professor (Research and Clinical) of Educational Leadership, Dr. Alan Hoffman, Professor in Counseling Psychology, and Dr. Shlomo Sawilowsky, Professor in Educational Evaluation and Research. Over a period of 25 years, the team examined how people can be supported to navigate transitions and found that self-determination was an essential key to helping people successfully make changes in their lives. They examined how self-determination can help people be successful, as well as what helps individuals be more self-determined and what gets in their way. Most of the team’s work was conducted in schools, but activities were also extended to other groups, including parents, women’s groups and retirees. The work of the Initiative for Self-Determination was supported through several federal, state and private grants. Curricula, assessment instruments and workshops aimed at helping individuals maximize their self-determination were developed as part of the work of the Initiative for Self-Determination. A summary of the research the team conducted at WSU can be found at http://coe.wayne.edu/self-determination/index.php.

    Sharon Field Headshot 3 (1)

    Founder

    Sharon Field, Ed.D.

    The founder of 2BSD is Dr. Sharon Field. Sharon was Professor of Education (research and clinical) at Wayne State University from 1989-2010 and WSU College of Education Interim Associate Dean for Research from 2010-2012. While at WSU, she directed several federally funded self-determination research and demonstration projects. Sharon has experience working in k-12 schools as a special education teacher, job placement specialist and administrator. If you want to learn more about her academic background, click to see a copy of her curriculum vitae.

    Sharon retired from WSU in August, 2012 to focus on her passion for self-determination—both exploring and increasing her own self-determination and finding new ways to share information about self-determination with others. Since that time she has taken tap dance and floral design classes, read voraciously, spent great times with friends and family, put thousands of miles on her car on some great road trips, studied meditation and brain-based factors that affect emotions and self-determination, talked about self-determination at conferences, written for academic publications, and consulted with teachers, students and parents in schools about how self-determination can contribute to positive educational outcomes. Sharon has thoroughly enjoyed the freedom she has had to explore self-determination in new ways. She looks forward to expanding her self-determination journey, and meeting new friends, through 2BSD.

    Alan Hoffman

    Partner

    Alan Hoffman, Ed.D.

    Dr. Alan Hoffman is Senior Partner of 2BSD and Wayne State University Professor Emeritus. He was Professor and Founder of the Counseling Psychology program and Director of the Initiative for Self-Determination in the College of Education at Wayne State University. As a psychologist, he has extensive experience working with clients in private practice. With Drs. Sharon Field and Shlomo Sawilowsky, he has written numerous articles and books on self-determination. His expertise in couples and family psychology has had a major influence on the instructional materials and research the team has produced. For more information on Alan’s academic background, please click to see his curriculum vitae.

    After retirement from 43 years of teaching at Wayne State University, Alan has been exploring new interests that contribute to his self-determination. He is enjoying time with family, playing golf, taking road trips with Sharon, striking out on new adventures, painting with watercolors, woodworking, and is thinking in new ways about self-determination. He is excited to be part of the 2BSD team and see where this new adventure will take him!

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    David Parker

    Associate

    David R. Parker, Ph.D.

    David Parker is a 2BSD Associate who wears many professional hats.  David earned his Ph.D. in Special Education (Postsecondary Programming) at the University of Connecticut where Sharon served as an external member of his dissertation committee.  He has coordinated campus services for college students with LD, ADHD and ASD at UNC-Chapel Hill, UCONN, and Washington University in St. Louis.  He is a Postsecondary Disability Specialist and ADD/Life Coach at CRG, a behavioral health practice in Indianapolis, where he provides strategy instruction, career assessments, college search help and life coaching to high school and college students with these disabilities.   He is also the research coordinator for the Gregory S. Fehribach Center, which provides paid internships and professional development to college students with physical disabilities to improve their employment outcomes. David is also a writer who has published three books and numerous research articles with the 2BSD team and other colleagues.  He loves to teach and has conducted training workshops across the U.S. and in Italy, Austria, Kuwait and Japan.

    David drew and painted a lot when he was younger and now enjoys collecting paintings, nature photographs and Craftsman-styled ceramics.  He enjoys good independent and foreign films, meandering through the Sunday New York Times all week long, traveling internationally, and eating out at inspiring restaurants and pubs.  Most of all, he loves nourishing his soul by sharing what the Irish call “craic” with family and good friends.