In the fall of 2018, Kelly was sitting in a conference room in northern Minnesota, wondering why in the world she had picked a four hour workshop session she had picked from a long list of (much shorter) options. The descriptor had stated, ‘rethinking challenging kids’, and since she had that one kid in the care and treatment program she was serving as the lead teacher, she figured maybe it would help. After that session, her life was changed for the better, forever. She went back to her administration and started plowing the path to bring Collaborative Problem Solving to the school district. Along the way, Kelly became the second person in the state of Minnesota to become a Collaborative Problem Solving Certified Trainer. 

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Kelly Leiseth has been in the field of Special Education for over ten years, with eight of those years working exclusively with residential care and treatment students, both male and female. It was the desire to better serve this marginalized and largely misunderstood population that drove Kelly to pursue a different way. Once she discovered the powerful philosophy of Collaborative Problem Solving, she knew that it was an approach that has and will continue to grow meaningful relationships with tough kids.
Kelly holds a masters degree from Concordia St. Paul in Special Education with an emphasis on Emotional/Behavioral Disorders. 

Kelly raises her three kids and two dogs with her husband in rural Minnesota. In her free time, she loves to read historical/suspense fiction, going for walks outside, kayaking, camping, and visiting various parts of this beautiful country - especially Alaska!