Programs & Services

The goal of Dreamcatchers is to support and nurture the people seeking employment services through our on-going vocational services. The philosophy at Dreamcatchers is a client-centered approach to providing services with respect and dignity. We believe that when an individual achieves meaningful employment, the community benefits from the exposure and contributions of individuals, who are frequently marginalized and dismissed as individuals.

Services available to clients regardless of disability may include:

Vocational Assessment which assesses information about a client’s vocational interests, abilities and values. This information identifies basic work skills, work habits, work tolerances, work behaviors, and interpersonal skills of clients. This assessment considers backgrounds, experiences, and transferable skills to help identify a vocational goal.

External Situational Assessment provides paid work experience opportunities within the community to identify each client's current level of employability. We place the client in a safe, supervised and supported real work environment with community employers where Dreamcatchers staff member assists with hands-on trainer for the client. Assessments identify strengths and barriers of the individual in order to enhance job placement and retention outcomes.

Work Adjustment Programs are on an individual basis to help clients understand the meaning, value and demands of a job and to establish skills, attitudes, personal characteristics, and appropriate work behaviors that can lead to a successful and sustained employment experience. This program identifies specific barriers to employment that the client will focus on during the work adjustment period. Clients are support within community-based job settings during this short-term evaluation.

Employment Preparation Services help prepare clients for employment with an organized, structured curriculum that includes the development of a resume, a master application, role playing interviews and obtaining appropriate interview clothes.  Individuals are taught how to set up online career profiles, email accounts and how-to job search.

Job Development provides a structured, systematic job development and placement services for clients. The client directs the job development process by specifying the general direction of the job search related to their vocational goal.  Dreamcatchers conduct a targeted job search to accommodate individual client desires including offering hiring incentives to employers.

Job Coaching provides individual client assistance and support on or off the jobsite for employment-related activities. This service may assist clients who are adjusting to a job including transportation, onsite job orientation, hands-on training at the worksite and job task analysis including problem solving and workplace advocacy.

Retention is provided by our team after a client has been hired in the community to help maintain employment.  This may include employer contact to ensure client progress, employer satisfaction and job success via telephone calls, personal visits or other means of contact to support the client's continued employment.

Benefits Planning is a service specifically for those receiving Social Security benefits (SSI or SSDI).  The service provides an analysis of the current benefits received by an individual and how employment may impact those benefits.

Paid Work Experience provides is a short-term, time-limited, opportunity for clients to obtain hands-on work experience to add to a resume.  Staff help individuals learn on-the-job work ethics, develop soft skills, and job skills in a variety of community-based employer settings.