Professional Accreditations & Vitae Curriculum

Barbara Berndt, M.ED.
C.R.C., C.C.M., C.D.M.S., A.B.V.E.
P.O. Box 64262
Tacoma, WA 98464-0262
FAX (253)564-2665
Office: (253)564-2489
 

 

RESUME OF EXPERTISE
VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION COUNSELING/VOCATIONAL EXPERT

Education:

University of Idaho Masters of Education in Guidance and Counseling, specialized in Rehabilitation Counseling, through an HEW scholarship. Summer internship: Office of Students Affairs, Washington State University. Responsibilities included: Counseling students, grant writing, public relations, and assisting the formation and administration of the Physically Impaired Program, now called Disabled Student Services.
September 1974 - August 1975

Washington State University BA in Foreign Languages: Spanish (Major), French, and Italian. Special interest area: Business Administration.
September 1970 - January 1974

University of San Francisco Abroad, Valencia, Spain.
Undergraduate work completed: 16th century Spanish literature.
July 1973 - August 1973

Carupano, Venezuela International Exchange Program, Rotary.
September 1968 - August 1969

Profession Certifications:
*Diplomat, American Board of Vocational Experts ABVE 1985
*Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification CRC 1984
*Certified Disability Management Specialist, Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification CDMS 1985
*Certified Case Manager, Commission of Rehabilitation Counselor Certification CCM 1993
*Registered Private Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Washington State Department of Labor and Industries 1982
*Registered Counselor, Washington State Department of Licensing.
*Preferred Provider, Standard Insurance, Boeing & State of Alaska

Honors:
*Washington State Counselor of the Year, National Rehabilitation Association, 1992
*Library of Congress: Honoree in National Distinguished Service Registry, 1987
*Technical Advisor, Department of Labor & Industries, 1996

Expertise: Vocational Expert Witness

- Worker Compensation: Experience as an expert for defense, plaintiff, and the Office of the Attorney General-Labor & Industries Division for Seattle, Tacoma, & Olympia Assistant Attorneys General. Perform review of medical, vocational, psychological or psychiatric records to determine injury related vs. non-injury related barriers to work. Analyze employment and/or personnel records, school records and/or transcripts, or other training records. Review deposition and interrogatory records. Possess knowledge of and the ability to research labor market for work factors and data. Analyze residual physical functioning capability based on medical records or physical capacity evaluation. Determine transferable skills, work pattern, attachment to the work force, loss of earning power, second-injury pension, retraining success/failure, or employability pursuant to WAC and RCW.

- Personal Injury: Experience as an expert in evaluation and assessment of employability, earning capacity, rehabilitation issues and/or retraining. Analyze the nature and extent of physical and/or mental disability to determine employment options and earning capacity in relation to temporary or permanent disability. Perform extensive review of records: medical, psychological or psychiatric, employment, personnel, training, school or transcript, and vocational/occupational. Review deposition and interrogatory records. Review and analyze physical and other testing records to include neuropsychological, aptitude, interest, academic or other vocational testing. Determine method of work search skills and attachment to the work force. Review and analyze employment, Employment Security and Social Security earning records. Analyze union agreements or related factors. Conduct or obtain labor market information to determine employability, wage earning capacity, and/or need for accommodation, retraining, or other vocational assistance to return to work. Determine worker’s self-initiated return to work efforts or efforts to mitigate loss. Perform assessment by records review, or with the individual and records review, depending on attorney request. Possess ability to analyze case for mediation and to write vocational assessment. Extensive experience with both defense and plaintiff work, including deposition and testimony.

- Divorce: Experience as an expert to determine earning capacity of spouse based on interview and/or review of earnings records. Experience in determining spousal rehabilitation, retraining or earning capacity based upon limited work experience, volunteer or non-working spouse. Determine issues by interview, transferable skills analysis, home management & volunteer experience, or by occupational testing to include work samples, aptitude and interest, academic and psychological motivation to work. Earning capacity analysis determined by labor market analysis with projection of earnings for maintenance. Determine job placement or job coaching assistance necessity. Experience in both plaintiff and defense work.

- Medical Malpractice: Experience in determining loss of wage earning capacity or ability to advance in employment due to (increased) disabling conditions. Perform psycho-socio-economic interview to determine loss, adaptation or accommodation issues needed or required in work, home, family (child/spouse), and leisure/recreational endeavors.

Expertise: Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor

- Plan, design, and implement individualized rehabilitation program to facilitate re-entrance to the labor force utilizing skills, interests and temperaments. Specific counseling designed to aid in adjustment process related to the disability and/or disabling condition. Vocational assessment and related diagnostic skills and test interpretation. Determine appropriate method of retraining. Determination of adaptive aids and/or accommodation needed to return to work. Provide assistance with job search and placement activities.

- Cross-cultural counseling and communication skills experience. Bilingual interpretation and counseling in vocational, medical and legal situations (Spanish). Possess ability to assess cultural implications in rehabilitation efforts. Ability to analyze non-English speaking or English-as-a Second Language clients and their work history, education, and assimilation into U.S. work force in consideration of work options and cultural factors.

- Experience and knowledge of various labor market conditions. Research data, perform skills assessment, analyze jobs and tasks, investigate labor force, compare with medical diagnosis and restrictions, assess psychological aspects of disabling condition, analyze information, and prepare comprehensive report of employability. Ability to interview diverse client populations, to assess skills, abilities, interests and capabilities, and to establish a viable counseling relationship designed to facilitate return to work efforts. Knowledge of various labor force factors and the inherent worker characteristics, including but not limited to private sector, state government, labor unions, military, federal government, university and academic institutions, sheltered workshop, small and large manufacturing employer, service employers, and rural and agricultural employment.

- Expertise includes long-term disability evaluations involving congenital, traumatic, or recent onset of severely disabling conditions. Experience includes such physical disabilities as heart, stroke, vision/blindness, various neurological impairments, paralysis, hard of hearing/deafness, and progressive conditions such as diabetes mellitus. Experience with psychiatric or psychological impairments includes sexual abuse/trauma, post traumatic stress disorder (accident or war-related), head injury trauma or other cognitive impairment, emotional/judgment/mental illness factors, and limited intellectual capacity (mental retardation, truncated education, or injury related cognitive loss). Client interview and analysis to make recommendations to referral source for adaptive devices, accommodation issues, or restorative services needed to return client to gainful employment near to prior wage-earning capacity. On occasion, monitoring, counseling, training or placement services offered.

- Industrial Rehabilitation Consultants, Tacoma, WA. Owner December 1983 - Present
- Olsen and Associates, Tacoma, WA. June 1983 - December 1983
- Professional Dynamics, Auburn, WA. April 1982 - May 1983

Additional Vocational Experience:

- Metropolitan Development Council/Cuban Resettlement Program Refugee Program Counselor
- Responsibilities required counseling refugees in personal adjustment to independent living concerning culture, laws, customs, and social mores. Services involved coordination of activities of ESL classes, social activities, physician visits and transportation to participants. - Coordinated services for individuals with psychological disorders and aided in treatment plans. All services provided in Spanish. Responsibilities included the supervision of three residences on a 24-hour basis and six staff members. November 1981 - April 1982

- Self – Employed: President of corporation. Owned and operated Old Town Tacoma Eatery and Pub with husband; in charge of food service. December 1980 - November 1981

- Interviewer I: Lakewood Job Service, Tacoma, WA. Primary responsibility involved intake and assessment for employment referrals and unemployment insurance. Provided vocational guidance, provided local labor market information, acted as community resource referral agent, developed job opportunities and counseled those with employment barriers. Responsibilities included weekly presentations on the benefit requirements for unemployment insurance laws in Washington and all interstate claims. Administer General Aptitude Test Battery. May 1979 - December 1980

- Rural Manpower Division: Olympia, WA. Reviewed Migrant and Seasonal Farm Worker (MSFW) program data from Job Service centers to assure that compliance with rules, laws, and policies are met. Responsibilities involved preparation of data and materials for field directives and memorandums, and technical advice to Job Service center staff on the delivery of services in meeting program goals. Developed training for outreach workers. Translate materials into Spanish. March 1979 - May 1979

- Interviewer I: Yakima Job Service, Yakima, WA. Interview applicants and processed application forms for unemployment insurance and employment referrals. Counseled individuals and provided vocational guidance. Administer General Aptitude Test Battery. Outreach worker function: provided information of services available in office, took applications, accepted complaints, made employer visits, did job development, and served as community resource person. Recognized ability to provide documentation to meet and exceed Department of Labor guidelines. This activity was directed to the farm workers in the upper Yakima Valley and majority of contacts were performed in Spanish. January 1978 - March 1979

- Program Manager: Tacoma Goodwill Industries, Tacoma, WA. Designed and implemented entire individualized rehabilitation program for clients with a variety of disabilities. Client population included mental, physical and emotional disabilities. Emphasis was in vocational training and development leading to sheltered or competitive employment.

- Tacoma Goodwill Industries: Responsible for evaluation of vocational potential, choice of appropriate therapeutic and developmental program, provision of necessary direct counseling services (individual, group, crisis), and coordination of related ancillary services within various agencies. Additionally, required to make periodic assessments of client progress in program and make necessary adjustments to promote probability of client success. Administrative responsibilities included ability to effectively communicate both in writing and orally with client-sponsoring state and federal agencies, other professional staff, non-professional supervisory personnel, and the general client population. Maintained up-to-date client files and documented client progress. July 1976 - August 1977

- Program Assistant: Physically Impaired Student Services Program, Washington State University, Pullman, WA. Instrumental in development of program that is now the Disabled Student Services (for ADA requirements). Responsibilities involved counseling students to determine needs and services; program development; coordination of volunteer taping, van transportation, and volunteer reading programs; and office duties. Included supervision of 82 volunteers and 12 staff personnel; trained all new staff. June 1975 - June 1976

- Interviewer I: Department of Employment, Pocatello, ID. CETA Coordinator for Southeastern Idaho Counties for Summer Youth Program: applicant interviews, job development, placement, evaluation, reports to central office in Boise, and supervision of staff and workers. Interviewer: job application interviews and processing, translator for Spanish speaking individuals, Job Corps, and Food Stamp program. March 1974 - August 1974

- Bilingual Teacher Aide: Child Development Center, Quincy, WA. Supervised and instructed pre-school and elementary children in remedial summer school program. Facilitate communication with children as well as parents in Spanish. Summers 1970 - 1972

Professional Organizations:

- National Rehabilitation Association, past membership chair, Olympic Cascade chapter
- National Rehabilitation Counseling Association, past president, Olympic Cascade chapter
- Independent Disability Employment Assessment Specialists, co-founder & continuing education chair
- Professionals in Worker Compensation

Other Professional Certifications:

- Masters of Education - Rehabilitation Counseling
- Board Certified Vocational Expert
- Certified Disability Management Specialist
- Certified Rehabilitation Counselor
- Certified Case Manager

Experience:

- Thirty years experience in employment counseling.
- Founded counseling firm in 1983.
- Recognized as most experienced/qualified counselor during first Department of Labor and Industries’ statewide contracting 1987.
- Recognized statewide by colleagues by award of Counselor of the Year 1992.
- Expertise developed in return to work decisions and economic impact.
- Experience with psychological/psychiatric illness/injury resolution.
- Effective counseling and communication skills developed.
- Skilled application of RCW & WAC in industrial insurance decisions.
- Competent analysis of personal injury and vocational assessments in various venues.
- Extensive working knowledge developed in employment & disability-related return to work in manufacturing, business, agricultural, medical/hospital, and service businesses.
- Evaluations for national, long-term disability company which includes extensive knowledge of other congenital or traumatic, disabling conditions: heart, stroke, vision/blindness, neurological, paralysis, et al; and the ability to determine work or disability issues at higher levels of employment: nurse managers, university vice-president, managerial, and physicians.

Bi-lingual Skills:

- Bi-lingual skills and resources developed for Spanish speaking individuals.
- Skill to provide translation services: in counseling, clinic, hospital, and surgical settings.
- Able to write and provide presentations in Spanish.

Other Experience:

- Testimony experience for personal injury and divorce matters.
- Expertise acquired in legal/forensic casework analysis for attorneys and Department of Labor & Industries.
- Comprehensive research and analytical skills for case presentation provided.
- Low rate of case decisions that have not been upheld in worker compensation determinations; only two cases in last 20 years that have reached Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals.
- Extensive knowledge of Americans with Disability Act, Family Leave Medical Act and personnel issues in persons with disability.
- Skill to testify: mediation, Superior Court and Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals.
- Effective resolution of Second-Injury Pension cases determining injury vs. non-injury related disabling conditions.
- Experience in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission resolution.
- Effective counseling techniques demonstrated in employment, career changes, and adjustment to disability services for clients with varied backgrounds.
- Extensive continuing education in counseling and vocational seminars; including continuing education in medical, nursing, legal, psychological seminars.