CRISIS TEAM 701-364-0431
OFFICE NUMBER 320-335-5100
Region 4 South along with our 4 Partnering Counties Grant, Stevens, Pope and Traverse County recognize and value the opportunity for individuals to hold employment. If you have a mental health diagnosis and would like assistance surrounding employment you can contact your County Social Services and request assistance through the IPS employment program. Region 4 South offers an employment program that is accessed through your county. CLICK HERE to download a brochure. Douglas County also values individuals obtaining employment but has their own IPS Program that can be also accessed through Douglas Social Services.
For more information about IPS visit DHS website:
https://mn.gov/dhs/people-we-serve/adults/health-care/mental-health/programs-services/ips.jsp
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.
