Michele Albers
Michele's path to becoming a rehabilitation professional
I was completing my internship at Crawford & Company (now Broadspire) in Phoenix, AZ and was asked to stay on as a full time consultant. I worked here for two + years and then went to work with an independent company for another 3 1/2 years. I moved back to Madison, Wisconsin in 2003 and have been working with Expert Vocational Consulting since then. I enjoyed my undergrad and grad experiences in working with people with disabilities and it paved the foundation for getting into forensic work. I enjoy the litigation and expert witness testimony.
Michele's rehabilitation education
I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the UW-Madison in 1995. I completed my Masters' degree in Rehabilitation Psychology from the UW-Madison in 1997. I became a CRC in October of 1998 and have been a member of IARP since early 1999. Subsequently, I went on to obtain my LPC from the state of Wisconsin in 2005 and my CLCP for life care planning in October of 2008. I am active in IARP and our newly formed state chapter (formerly WARPPS).
How Michele developed her practice
As noted earlier, I was provided the opportunity to work in private rehabilitation while completing my Master's degree and then after graduating. Through my experiences, I have developed testimony skills in the worker's compensation arena, Civil court, Family Law and in Social Security disability hearings.
Michele's "Ah-Ha!" moment that changed her rehabilitation career path
I think the first time I actually testified on a case, I realized that "Ah Ha, this is what I love about my work!" It took 2 1/2 years of working up cases, writing reports on loss of earnings, developing my caseload and working with attorneys before I testified on my first case. I value my career choice and find it to be challenging and interesting everyday!
Outside interests that have influenced Michele's work
I have enjoyed working with people with disabilities since I was in college. My first job after undergrad was as an attendant for a gentleman with quadriplegia and those experiences were amazing. I enjoy learning about new technology for people with disabilities or reading stories about people who overcome amazing obstacles. Although I do not do a lot of case management/vocational rehabilitation, I enjoy keeping up with trends in disability and how people are changing their lives everyday.
How IARP has served Michel through her career
IARP has been wonderful throughout my career. I have gained valuable networking opportunities through my numerous colleagues involved in IARP. I have made friends throughout the entire US through IARP. I have attended amazing conferences that provide me not only with continuing education, but unbelievable nuggets of knowledge to carry into my everyday practice! IARP's listserves (I belong to Forensic, Social Security and IALCP) are amazing and the assistance, knowledge and insight gained from those listserves are beyond words.
Michele's advice for anyone thinking about a career as a rehabilitation professional
If you think you want to be in rehabilitation, go for it! There is so much diversity in the rehabilitation profession and you can change your roles and goals as you go through your career path. You may find that forensic is not the path for you, but rather life care planning and case management/disability management. Or, the opposite could occur, where you find that testifying and evaluating persons in litigation is interesting work and being a part of the IARP Forensic section is so valuable to your continued expertise. Follow your instincts!
