At the age of 22, Ernie had completed his Masters Degree and had worked for over two years as a drug counselor/educator with youth and adults in a counseling center, providing talks on drugs and alcohol to middle school and high school students, and teaching Diversion Classes for first time drug offenders as mandated by the courts. When he turned 23, he was hired as a high school teacher where he spent 12 years teaching, counseling, coaching basketball, and an array of other common functions on a high school campus. During the last years of teaching high school, Ernie maintained a private counseling practice after school gaining his license as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT). His private practice continued for 11 years.
Ernie's interest in working with older students led him to an 11-year adjunct teaching position in the psychology department at a local College. He taught basic and advanced psychology courses, including: Biological Psychology (which later became known as Behavioral Neuroscience), Learning & Memory, and Developmental Psychology. During the end of that time he attained his Ph.D. in Psychology (with a specialized track in Organizational Psychology). His consulting and training business had jumped from a part time experience in 1988 to a full-time adventure in 1993. Ernie now had a solid background both in terms of experience and academics in Education, Counseling, Psychology, and Organizational Development. He continued working with teachers, employees and leaders in all organizational settings. He is currently a top rated instructor at UCSD's Rady School of Management where he has designed six courses for managers and employees across diverse industries.
Ernie has put in the time and resources to become an expert in his field. He is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (MFT) with specialized training in Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) from Adept International, Cognitive Therapy of Depression (Beck, Seligman, Shaw), Guided Imagery (Rossman, Bressler), Facilitation Skills (Canfield, Noble, Martin, Rutte), Quantum Learning from the Learning Forum, Research Based Approach to Marital Therapy (Gottman), Treatment of Anxiety Disorders (Burns), Understanding and Treating the Brain in Clinical Practice (Amen), Brain-Based Teaching & Learning (Jensen), Cognitive Coaching, Thought Field Therapy (Danzig), and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) from the UCSD Center for Mindfulness.
Ernie's hobbies have included music (playing guitar in various groups/bands) and martial arts. Ernie studied TaeKwon Do for 15 years, earning a 3rd degree Black Belt and merely months away from testing for his 4th degree, he became interested in Brazilian Jujitsu (which was new to America--before the MMA scene). He studied Brazilian Jujitsu for almost 5 years earning a purple belt (the rank before brown belt). With an increased work schedule, the responsibilities of parenting, and a few injuries, Ernie transitioned from martial arts to yoga and swimming.
