Michelle Sobel, MSW, completed her social work degree at Portland State University (Portland Oregon) in 2002. She has worked at the VA medical center since November 2002, in the Substance Abuse Treatment Program and Hepatitis C Resource Center. She works to provide integrative services for clients with co-occurring disorders, as well as with complicating medical conditions and challenging social/financial circumstances.

She has broad experience in the social service field. In 2001, she did social service work in Israel, evaluating barriers to services among different immigrant groups. In 1999, she worked in Barlad, Romania, where she joined an international social service program providing care for orphaned infants and children labeled as "failure to thrive." She has also worked in group homes in Seattle, supporting clients with bipolar and schizophrenia in their efforts to enhance quality of life.