About Michael Luber
Dr. Michael Luber, born in 1963 with muscular dystrophy, faced many challenges related to his health and resulting disability. At the age of 10, Michael began using a wheelchair. He excelled academically and was often viewed as someone who could be confided in and provided sound advice. When it came time to choose a career path, Michael chose psychology because helping others was a passion and he felt that his declining strength would not prevent him from being a therapist.
The University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana was his choice for undergraduate studies followed by a Masters in Science – Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and a Doctorate of Psychology from the Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology.
As a student, Mike struggled to find a program that would accept him and provide the required supervision to fulfill his doctorate requisites, until Jewish Family Services (JFS) gave him that opportunity. Mike began his remarkable career as a clinical psychologist in 2004 at JFS. As a result, he had a particular interest in mentoring interns who were similarly overlooked and challenged to find sponsor programs.
During the course of his doctoral studies, Michael’s faced a crossroads. The effects of muscular dystrophy left him weighing 68 pounds and struggling to breathe. He feared that if he underwent a tracheostomy procedure and was placed on a ventilator, he would no longer be able to speak and work as a therapist. Luckily he met a woman who used a ventilator and was out in the community, able to speak, and live a productive life. She explained to him that she used a Passy Muir valve which allowed her to speak normally with a tracheostomy. With new hope at the age of 34 Michael decided to undergo life-saving surgery knowing that he would be dependent on a ventilator for the rest of his life. He described the night before his surgery as the lowest part of his life not knowing if he would survive the operation and not knowing fully what living on life support would entail. After adjusting to his new normal, Michael finished his Doctorate degree in 1998 and went on to fulfill his dream of working as a clinical psychologist.
Despite his own struggles, Michael found purpose in helping others who were in crisis. He volunteered for the Underground Switchboard as a Crisis Phone Counselor, often covering unstaffed shifts by forwarding calls to his home line and answering them during all hours of the day. Michael also volunteered as a crisis counselor for Parents Anonymous providing help to perpetrators and survivors of child abuse, and as a volunteer for Froedtert Hospital’s spinal cord injury unit providing counseling and support to newly injured individuals. Because of his disability, Michael was also dedicated to helping others with disabilities live independently and with purpose.
Dr. Luber died on May 9th, 2020 leaving behind a spouse, 3 children, and countless individuals who benefitted from his guidance and passion to live a purposeful life.