“Mentoring brings us together – across generation, class, and often race – in a manner that forces us to acknowledge our interdependence, to appreciate, in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words, that ‘we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied to a single garment of destiny.’ In this way, mentoring enables us to participate in the essential but unfinished drama of reinventing community, while reaffirming that there is an important role for each of us in it.”
~ Marc Freedman
In order to be successful within a variety of occupations, aspiring professionals can benefit greatly from mentors. At some point in all of our careers we can think of an individual who helped guide our professional learning and growth. A mentor affects the professional life of a protégé by fostering insight, identifying areas of growth and how to obtain that growth and knowledge. Mentoring gives you the extraordinary opportunity to facilitate a protégé’s personal and professional success by sharing the knowledge you have learned through years of experience. The protégé is not the only one who benefits from this relationship. As a mentor, there are a variety of ways that you benefit as well. The experience of being a mentor can facilitate your own professional growth, making you more of a professional asset.
Don’t just take our word for it; here are the words of those currently involved within the mentor/protégé program:
"As an IARP Mentor I was assigned a Protégé in another state. We decided our goals for the Mentoring process and set a time frame of 6-8 months. Then we met by Skype once a month to share information and progress. My time commitment was no more than 2 hours a month and we met all established goals. It was a rewarding experience and I plan to continue serving as a Mentor. I can recommend this activity to all experienced( and really busy) rehabilitation professionals as a way of helping our profession to grow and sustain value with minimal time commitment out of your already stretched schedule.
Please consider signing up to Mentor fellow professionals this year."
~ Barbara Azzam
"Jeff Peterson started working with me July 2013 in order to train and prepare me to provide expert vocational testimony within Social Security adjudication hearings. He was very thorough, providing me with the information that is required prior to my first hearing, ensuring that I possessed all of the necessary tools required to be successful and credible. He has spent a significant amount of time advising me on what kinds of questions I should expect and how he would typically respond.
Jeff has always made himself available to me at any time, day or night and responds to my questions quickly. It has been my experience, while sitting in a hearing, emailing Jeff in a panic with a question, his response arrived in my inbox prior to my testimony. He has given me the confidence and reassurance that I required in order to respond appropriately and effectively to challenging attorneys.
Being fairly new within the field, it has been refreshing to belong to an organization that cares about developing new professionals. Having access to seasoned experts who take the time from their busy schedule to develop and teach our craft is invaluable.
Jeff started as my mentor but has turned into a friend and trusted colleague that I cherish, words cannot express my gratitude for having been extended this opportunity for professional growth, development and support."
~Rachel Duchon
“The greatest value of the protégé/mentor experience was being exposed to the diversity of practices that make up private vocational rehabilitation. I was able to talk to practitioners from a variety of backgrounds and ask them in depth questions about their scope of practice. This experience opened my perspective on the various avenues that are possible within this profession. I have taken away invaluable advice and direction of my future endeavors.”
~Aaron Hill
"IARP provides the “Course of a Lifetime.” The new IARP brand could not be any closer to my heart than if I had written it myself. I began my quest for knowledge through joining IARP while in graduate school. For more than twenty years, I have found many mentors that guided me sharing their knowledge and providing a great generosity of time. The training offered through IARP guided me as I began my career in forensics in the early 1990’s and as I continue to grow in my profession. I can say that the secret to my success has much to do with my IARP membership. The Forensic Mentoring Program helps formalize and bring people together to keep the IARP tradition of providing mentorship."
~Michelle McBroom Weiss
Forensic Mentoring Committee Chair.
The IARP Forensic Section leadership envisioned the need for a formal mentoring program. John Meltzer graciously led the charge with the help of many and the support of the Forensic and IARP Boards, the program was developed. We matched our first group of mentors and protégés in 2013. We have had tremendously positive feedback.
The mission statement for the program is highlighted below:
The IARP forensic mentoring program is designed to assist with the skill development in the area of forensic vocational and/or life care planning. The program is not meant to provide assistance in case-specific issues but rather is meant to enhance a protégé’s overall practice.
The program has applications to help outline the mentor and protégés skills and specific needs. A liability waiver was developed in an effort to help encourage mentors to work with the program.
We encourage members with a minimum of ten years of forensic experience in vocational assessment or life care planning to apply.
Those interested or new to the field of forensics may apply to be a protégé. You must be a member of IARP with one year of experience as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, medical case manager or life care planner.
By becoming a mentor, you have the opportunity to create a legacy that will have a lasting impact not only on your protégé, but within the industry as a whole. Not only will you gain the professional satisfaction of assisting to develop the future talent within the industry, the knowledge that you foster within your protégé can inspire new ideas for future generations to come. Through mentoring, you have the unique opportunity to help carry on IARP’s legacy by passing on its values and mission to your protégé. Without mentoring, the mission and vision of our profession will be carried on. Create a legacy.
Those who are interested may contact any current Forensic Mentoring Committee member or
click here to obtain a copy of the application and waiver forms. Please return to forms to Michelle McBroom Weiss at mcbroomweiss@comcast.net. Please apply by April 30, 2014. We plan to pair mentors and protégés in May. Current committee members include: Barbara Azzam, Penelope Caragonne, Lisa Clapp, Rachel Duchon, Jinnie Lawson & Rick Robinson.
Submitted by Rachel Duchon and Michelle McBroom Weiss