IPS EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

Living in a small town, not sure what direction to go in life and needing help to get on the right path is the situation this client was facing.  This person was working in a rural employment program since high school but understood it was time to find competitive employment as an adult.  He had applied for two jobs but had no luck getting employment.

The client met with an employment specialist and a vocational rehab counselor to talk over job dreams and goals.  They met two times to talk over ideas and share how the IPS program could help.  At the end of the second meeting, the client completed an application to work at Dollar Tree.  Together the employment specialist and the client delivered the application to the store.  The two talked with the manager regarding the opening she had.  It was a very brief interview and the client was offered a job as a cashier.  The client had applied at the store before but had never gotten in interview.

As work began, there were some rough patches with adjusting to a new job and having an overwhelming feeling of working in a toxic environment.  The employment specialist continued to meet and support the client as he adjusted to his new job.  The client discovered that there are many different management styles in the world and his present manager was very different than the manager he had worked for previously.

Presently this client feels successful with his job and continues to improve his work skills in an environment he has adjusted to.  The client feels that the IPS program has helped him build up tolerance for a different type of job than what he was used to.  Also, his eyes were open to the varying things different jobs have to offer.

The vocational rehab counselor referred this person to the IPS program with one major job goal, customer service. Customer Service is where this person shines.

The employment specialist met with this person to compete a placement plan where job goals and work preferences were discussed.  This person knew she wanted to work in customer service in some capacity.  This person didn’t own a vehicle and would need to stay in her rural community working when the local transportation service was available. This person had no problem voice what she needed and said she wanted to work the day shift. This person has found jobs on her own in the past.  To be supported while working was important for her.

This person completed an application for the local DQ and was interviewed by the owner and was offered a job to work the drive-up window.  This person enjoys talking with customers and making them happy. The salesperson that she is says, “ice cream makes everyone happy!” This person admits there are challenges to the job but says she can handle most situations and does have great support from her manager.  The employment specialist continued to meet with this person every other week to support with any work concerns as well. This person also met with her county case manager monthly for support and attended therapy session with her therapist for support.  These people were all part of the IPS treatment team and could share ways to support this person with her employment.

This person has worked at DQ for over a year when most other employees have quit. She now trains new employees and helps wherever she can to keep things running smoothly.

This person was referred to the IPS program by his case manager and the vocational rehab counselor found him eligible. This person was presently employed at a cafeteria in a school system and was looking for summer employment. This person was neurodiverse and did not communicate with ease. This person had a goal of being a chef someday and enjoyed working in the food industry. A placement plan was completed with this goal in mind. This person received SSI and a DB101 was completed to show this person how his benefits would be affected by working. This person said he already knew his SSI would be a lower payment since he had worked for six years at the school.

With the employment specialist assisting, this person applied at a local restaurant to work as a prep cook, to be a dietary aide at an assisted living facility and at a pizza place. This person did interview at the pizza place but would not answer any questions and the employment specialist answered for him. The employment specialist was learning more about this person and how he communicated. This person said he needed time to process questions that were asked. This person said he did have answers but sometimes he could not verbalize them. Finding an environment that supported this person was so important.

The Pizza Ranch in town was hiring for the back of house and this person said he would give the job a try. The employment specialist completed an online application. We discussed the importance of answering the phone and this person said he doesn’t answer strange numbers. The employment specialist gave this person the number for the Pizza Ranch and asked that he answer phone calls from that number. This person did answer the phone call and an interview was set up. We practiced interviewing prior to the interview and went to the interview together. The person interviewing happened to be a high school classmate. This person wasn’t asked any interview questions, just if he would like to wash dishes or make pizza and if he was available four evenings during the week. This person had to decide which position he would like to perform and together we made a pros and cons list of each job. This person needed to decide and contact Pizza Ranch with his answer. The employment specialist suggested that a job coach be present to support this person when he started his job. The manager interviewing said that she would support this person, and having a job coach would be a personal choice. The manager made this person feel comfortable and welcomed.

This person started his new job as a dishwasher right about the same time his cafeteria position ended for the school year. This person decided he did not want a job coach and could do the dishwashing position on his own. This person worked through the challenges of the position. There were slow times and there were times when the dishes piled up. The delivery drivers would help when they could, and this person was grateful.

The employment specialist supported this person throughout his journey as a dishwasher. This person was scheduled to go back to his cafeteria job in the fall but decided that he preferred the dishwashing job. This person needed to resign from the cafeteria position and the employment specialist helped write a resignation letter and took this person to talk with the food service director at the school cafeteria. This person was informed that he left on good terms and if he ever wanted to come back, he was welcome to do so.

This person felt more accepted at Pizza Ranch. This person wasn’t treated disrespectfully at Pizza Ranch. This person was invited to employee parties at Pizza Ranch. Sometimes change is OK. 😊