Discussion: View Thread

Many of you know that I, for one, having been banging the drum about the state of our profession - our relevancy, encroachment by other professional specialties, watering down of qualifications, and more.   Yesterday, I came across a vocational evaluation that has renewed my angst, and I wanted to take the opportunity to try and raise some awareness once again of the challenges that we continue to see and the danger our profession remains in for even existing.

Yesterday in a SSA hearing, there was a vocational/psychological evaluation report by a psychologist hired by a State department of rehab agency to perform voc rehab services.  This Ph.D. wrote a report  with her summary below, and the attorney for the claimant asked me to consider the statement as a hypothetical. Of note, this Ph.D. is NOT a CRC, nor a member of IARP, nor could I find any information (CV, website, etc.) of her qualifications do to a vocational evaluation. Simply, I was appalled that a state RS agency should hire such a person who clearly does not understand the role nor vocational factors, and for all the consumers who are now being provided services by counselors who are unqualified and lake the skills and knowledge to really be of service.

Here is what she opined: "A summary of workplace qualities that would suit XXX based on her test results is work that involves low physical impact, a noncrowded, non-stressful environment, flexible schedule, understanding management and coworkers who are sensitive to her mental and physical challenges, no sitting for long periods of time without a break to stand up and stretch, possibly work that would allow her to attend her Church on Sundays, and work that allows her to attend counseling twice a week."

In addition to this person in one state, we know state RS agencies in other states are hiring bachelor - level VRs to work with consumers.  I am fine with this as job developers and assistants to a Master's level VR, but not as the sole and primary counselor.  We need training grounds...but also standards/qualifications.

I urge IARP to step forward as a voice for our profession as we have done for many years.  I ask IARP to engage again with the VRCC, to let the membership know what the VRCC is doing, to start a different coalition if the VRCC has fallen apart - as I suspect given internal undue influence by CRCC, and regain our voice.  Our voice is heard by SSA due to ongoing constant monitoring, communication and commitment tot he quality of SSVEs, but this is not the only area we work in and we had lost a foothold (unfortunately long ago).  IARP State Chapters need to speak with the administrators at their respective RS agencies and advocate for standards, their state legislators, etc.

Please raise your voices and take action! 





------------------------------
Lynne Tracy
Vocational Counselor
lynnetracy@sbcglobal.net
Calabasas, CA United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 9/9/2022 2:22:00 PM
From: Lynne Tracy
Subject: State of our profession

Many of you know that I, for one, having been banging the drum about the state of our profession - our relevancy, encroachment by other professional specialties, watering down of qualifications, and more.   Yesterday, I came across a vocational evaluation that has renewed my angst, and I wanted to take the opportunity to try and raise some awareness once again of the challenges that we continue to see and the danger our profession remains in for even existing.

Yesterday in a SSA hearing, there was a vocational/psychological evaluation report by a psychologist hired by a State department of rehab agency to perform voc rehab services.  This Ph.D. wrote a report  with her summary below, and the attorney for the claimant asked me to consider the statement as a hypothetical. Of note, this Ph.D. is NOT a CRC, nor a member of IARP, nor could I find any information (CV, website, etc.) of her qualifications do to a vocational evaluation. Simply, I was appalled that a state RS agency should hire such a person who clearly does not understand the role nor vocational factors, and for all the consumers who are now being provided services by counselors who are unqualified and lake the skills and knowledge to really be of service.

Here is what she opined: "A summary of workplace qualities that would suit XXX based on her test results is work that involves low physical impact, a noncrowded, non-stressful environment, flexible schedule, understanding management and coworkers who are sensitive to her mental and physical challenges, no sitting for long periods of time without a break to stand up and stretch, possibly work that would allow her to attend her Church on Sundays, and work that allows her to attend counseling twice a week."

In addition to this person in one state, we know state RS agencies in other states are hiring bachelor - level VRs to work with consumers.  I am fine with this as job developers and assistants to a Master's level VR, but not as the sole and primary counselor.  We need training grounds...but also standards/qualifications.

I urge IARP to step forward as a voice for our profession as we have done for many years.  I ask IARP to engage again with the VRCC, to let the membership know what the VRCC is doing, to start a different coalition if the VRCC has fallen apart - as I suspect given internal undue influence by CRCC, and regain our voice.  Our voice is heard by SSA due to ongoing constant monitoring, communication and commitment tot he quality of SSVEs, but this is not the only area we work in and we had lost a foothold (unfortunately long ago).  IARP State Chapters need to speak with the administrators at their respective RS agencies and advocate for standards, their state legislators, etc.

Please raise your voices and take action! 





------------------------------
Lynne Tracy
Vocational Counselor
lynnetracy@sbcglobal.net
Calabasas, CA United States
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 9/9/2022 2:49:00 PM
From: Jan Lowe
Subject: RE: State of our profession

Unlike Social Workers and Psychologists, it seems we, as Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, have never been able to establish credentials for our field of expertise, even though we have a significant body of knowledge that differs from these other professions.

Social Workers and Psychologists exist in greater numbers than Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors.  Individuals in communities as a whole don't even know Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors exist, and if they do know, they think we are Social Workers or simply Counselors, not understanding the skills we offer.

What do we need to do to become professionally known in our communities?  What do we need to do to become credentialed to prevent others, without the proper training, work experience, and credentialing, to do our job?

My field of expertise is Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling and I do not have the skills to answer my own questions and implement a plan regarding an increase in our community presence and credentialing.  Who does?  Or, who could we hire to get this started?

Original Message:
Sent: 9/9/2022 2:22:00 PM
From: Lynne Tracy
Subject: State of our profession

Many of you know that I, for one, having been banging the drum about the state of our profession - our relevancy, encroachment by other professional specialties, watering down of qualifications, and more.   Yesterday, I came across a vocational evaluation that has renewed my angst, and I wanted to take the opportunity to try and raise some awareness once again of the challenges that we continue to see and the danger our profession remains in for even existing.

Yesterday in a SSA hearing, there was a vocational/psychological evaluation report by a psychologist hired by a State department of rehab agency to perform voc rehab services.  This Ph.D. wrote a report  with her summary below, and the attorney for the claimant asked me to consider the statement as a hypothetical. Of note, this Ph.D. is NOT a CRC, nor a member of IARP, nor could I find any information (CV, website, etc.) of her qualifications do to a vocational evaluation. Simply, I was appalled that a state RS agency should hire such a person who clearly does not understand the role nor vocational factors, and for all the consumers who are now being provided services by counselors who are unqualified and lake the skills and knowledge to really be of service.

Here is what she opined: "A summary of workplace qualities that would suit XXX based on her test results is work that involves low physical impact, a noncrowded, non-stressful environment, flexible schedule, understanding management and coworkers who are sensitive to her mental and physical challenges, no sitting for long periods of time without a break to stand up and stretch, possibly work that would allow her to attend her Church on Sundays, and work that allows her to attend counseling twice a week."

In addition to this person in one state, we know state RS agencies in other states are hiring bachelor - level VRs to work with consumers.  I am fine with this as job developers and assistants to a Master's level VR, but not as the sole and primary counselor.  We need training grounds...but also standards/qualifications.

I urge IARP to step forward as a voice for our profession as we have done for many years.  I ask IARP to engage again with the VRCC, to let the membership know what the VRCC is doing, to start a different coalition if the VRCC has fallen apart - as I suspect given internal undue influence by CRCC, and regain our voice.  Our voice is heard by SSA due to ongoing constant monitoring, communication and commitment tot he quality of SSVEs, but this is not the only area we work in and we had lost a foothold (unfortunately long ago).  IARP State Chapters need to speak with the administrators at their respective RS agencies and advocate for standards, their state legislators, etc.

Please raise your voices and take action! 





------------------------------
Lynne Tracy
Vocational Counselor
lynnetracy@sbcglobal.net
Calabasas, CA United States
------------------------------

IARP has not done much regarding this problem IMO. Embrace of "diversity" which is IMO absurd, dumb as a box of rocks, radically undermining the association's majority population.  The corruption is based upon economic motivation to keep numbers up, to solicit members who are poseurs and interlopers from other professions. We are supposed to make all nice-nice to these folks. And they often are nice. I like them as people but can and do (and teach attorneys how to) tear them to smithereens in a heartbeat. Most such folks a could not possibly in a blue moon obtain a CRC. Many are proficient in explaining why having a CRC allegedly "does not matter", at least sufficient to get retained by lazy attorneys, not the sharpest of legal minds, who cannot quite get all that is required to be us. They assume that Rehabilitation Counselor and/or Vocational Expert professions, like virtually all other professions, is populated by folks who all have extremely similar stuff, not a weird and stupid hodge-podge of junk. It is one reason why many lawyers don't think much of us...........who the hell are these people who cannot decide what is required to do what you do. Why exactly would that not undermine us. 
I tell attorneys that people without a CRC are simply not qualified to be either an RC or a VE. They usually do not meet the qualifications and would have to, oh my, boo-hoo, go back to school (like the vast majority of us already did in the specific RC program) get supervised by someone who actually knows what they are doing, and pass a very demanding test of minimum competency. Yes, I know that some such "experts" are actually qualified to obtain a CRC but might elect not to. But I question the reasoning ability of such an "expert" who elects something as stupid as choosing not to get something almost all of their competition possesses. What other dumb stuff might they do, beware! Retaining someone like that or some "expert" who could not obtain CRC could potentially even be an issue of legal malpractice. Joe loses his case because Dick, his attorney, retains Jane the "expert", lacking in the qualifications/training/VR experience of the vast majority of providers of said expertise, and surprise, could not punch her way out of a paper bag when it came to stuff like standard methods. 

Economists, CPAs, psychologists, RNs, DCs, OTs, PTs, MDs, HR professionals are nice people with lots of great skills. But they just lack the training, skills and VR counseling, plan development and placement experience most of us possess. What exactly was it about their primary occupation that did not quite work out for them such that they found it necessary to depart and waltz onto our dance floor. Follow the money.

RC programs are popular. There are many. States should only hire RC with CRC and pay them same as other counselors/MSWs, period.

------------------------------
Scott T. Stipe, MA, CRC, CDMS, IPEC, D/ABVE
Certified Rehabilitation Counselor
Board Certified Vocational Expert
Scott Stipe & Associates, Inc.
DBA Career Directions Northwest
4110 SE Hawthorne Blvd
#188
Portland, Oregon, 97214
(503)234-4484
(503)234-4126 fax
email: sstipe@careerdirectionsnw.com
website: www.careerdirectionsnw.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 09-09-2022 15:01
From: Lynne Tracy
Subject: State of our profession

Jan, you are correct.    There was a movement for this very thing for years...in fact CRCC convened a group of leaders from various organizations in 2012 to work on, amongst other things, writing a concise statement of our difference and about marketing/advocating.   It was from that work group that the idea for the VRCC took seed. 

Between none of the professional associations willing to give up their turf, too many professional associations, just total fatigue of the few people working on efforts, and other internal politics, things have stalled in past few years.

I hope people will start to work again toward strengthening and delineating our profession.  As so many of us in the profession are aging out, I believe it will take revitalized energy from younger members with a few mentors to move this forward. 

Best Regards,

Lynne Tracy, M.A., LMFT, CRC, ABVE/D

Vocational Counseling 
P.O. Box 8333, Calabasas, CA 91372

Direct: (818) 880-6460  

FAX:  (818) 880-6494   

 

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Original Message:
Sent: 9/9/2022 2:49:00 PM
From: Jan Lowe
Subject: RE: State of our profession

Unlike Social Workers and Psychologists, it seems we, as Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, have never been able to establish credentials for our field of expertise, even though we have a significant body of knowledge that differs from these other professions.

Social Workers and Psychologists exist in greater numbers than Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors.  Individuals in communities as a whole don't even know Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors exist, and if they do know, they think we are Social Workers or simply Counselors, not understanding the skills we offer.

What do we need to do to become professionally known in our communities?  What do we need to do to become credentialed to prevent others, without the proper training, work experience, and credentialing, to do our job?

My field of expertise is Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling and I do not have the skills to answer my own questions and implement a plan regarding an increase in our community presence and credentialing.  Who does?  Or, who could we hire to get this started?

Original Message:
Sent: 9/9/2022 2:22:00 PM
From: Lynne Tracy
Subject: State of our profession

Many of you know that I, for one, having been banging the drum about the state of our profession - our relevancy, encroachment by other professional specialties, watering down of qualifications, and more.   Yesterday, I came across a vocational evaluation that has renewed my angst, and I wanted to take the opportunity to try and raise some awareness once again of the challenges that we continue to see and the danger our profession remains in for even existing.

Yesterday in a SSA hearing, there was a vocational/psychological evaluation report by a psychologist hired by a State department of rehab agency to perform voc rehab services.  This Ph.D. wrote a report  with her summary below, and the attorney for the claimant asked me to consider the statement as a hypothetical. Of note, this Ph.D. is NOT a CRC, nor a member of IARP, nor could I find any information (CV, website, etc.) of her qualifications do to a vocational evaluation. Simply, I was appalled that a state RS agency should hire such a person who clearly does not understand the role nor vocational factors, and for all the consumers who are now being provided services by counselors who are unqualified and lake the skills and knowledge to really be of service.

Here is what she opined: "A summary of workplace qualities that would suit XXX based on her test results is work that involves low physical impact, a noncrowded, non-stressful environment, flexible schedule, understanding management and coworkers who are sensitive to her mental and physical challenges, no sitting for long periods of time without a break to stand up and stretch, possibly work that would allow her to attend her Church on Sundays, and work that allows her to attend counseling twice a week."

In addition to this person in one state, we know state RS agencies in other states are hiring bachelor - level VRs to work with consumers.  I am fine with this as job developers and assistants to a Master's level VR, but not as the sole and primary counselor.  We need training grounds...but also standards/qualifications.

I urge IARP to step forward as a voice for our profession as we have done for many years.  I ask IARP to engage again with the VRCC, to let the membership know what the VRCC is doing, to start a different coalition if the VRCC has fallen apart - as I suspect given internal undue influence by CRCC, and regain our voice.  Our voice is heard by SSA due to ongoing constant monitoring, communication and commitment tot he quality of SSVEs, but this is not the only area we work in and we had lost a foothold (unfortunately long ago).  IARP State Chapters need to speak with the administrators at their respective RS agencies and advocate for standards, their state legislators, etc.

Please raise your voices and take action! 





------------------------------
Lynne Tracy
Vocational Counselor
lynnetracy@sbcglobal.net
Calabasas, CA United States
------------------------------