Our Services

We provide work opportunities for individuals who have difficulty obtaining or maintaining jobs due to occupational barriers. We also present realistic alternatives for people who have suffered a work-related injury or physical impairment and, as a result, are having difficulty resuming their normal work. Through a re-evaluation process, we test the individual's abilities to determine current work skills. The systems that we use to help people obtain or return to work include assessments, training, real-work situations, supported employment, and direct placement services. For those in need of in-home support, we also provide supported living and community support services.

CGC services are made possible by fees paid, funding from various agencies, and COR's production income.

Eligibility and Access to Services

To be eligible for our services an individual must be at least 16 years of age and have obtained the sponsorship of a public agency or an appropriate private source. We may be able to refer individuals to an appropriate financial resource if he or she is not presently sponsored. To schedule an appointment or find out more about our services, call 406-256-8160.

A number of our services are funded through the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS). To learn more about programs sponsored by DPHHS, you may visit their website at http://www.dphhs.mt.gov/programsservices/index.shtml.

Services by County

Most recent service and quality reports

CAREER EXPLORATION SERVICES

Among the Department's programs is Career Exploration Services. The purpose of this important service is to help people learn about different jobs to better determine whether or not they would be satisfied with the type of work involved. It also offers job seekers an opportunity to establish if a particular job is compatible with their abilities, interests, and personality

Career Exploration is designed to be a "tailor-made" way to assess the skills of a potential employee. Participants are given opportunities not only for assessment, but also to learn skills and to try out available jobs. Work experience is gained at a community job site where wages are paid by COR Enterprises. All work is overseen by a job site supervisor or by Career Guidance Center staff. Following the assessment, a CGC staff member writes a full performance report and submits it to the referring counselor to aid in job placement.

COMMUNITY EMPLOYMENT SERVICES

The goal of this service is to help workers find the right job for their skill level and for businesses to gain a valuable employee. Participation in this program may be initiated with a referral from a state agency, federal source or from a private business or individual. Services may include (1) help in facilitating employment without job coaching supports, (2) employment in a community job with assistance as needed from a job coach (transitional employment); and (3) placement into a job with the assistance of the job coach until an acceptable level of performance is assured. Supported employment can also be provided to ensure ongoing job coaching supports if needed. Placement services include intake and assessment, job development and analysis, and job modification and accommodations. Services are individualized to meet each participant's needs.

EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

This unique service is provided for persons who need additional work training to prepare for the "real world" of employment. Depending on an individual's needs, the training may be completed in our facility or in the community. When a person practices work skills in-house, he or she works in one of our production areas (outlined in the Organizational Employment Services Section) and is supervised by our specially trained staff members. If a participant works at a community-based worksite, the employer will provide direct training and supervision. In the community worksite option, the employer reports worker hours to COR Enterprises and the participant's wages are paid by COR Enterprises.

The goal of this program is to help people to understand the demands, value, and meaning of work. We help individuals establish skills, personal characteristics, and work behaviors that will help them excel in the real work environment. Once workers reach a level of skill and understanding that is acceptable for placement, they are typically referred to the Career Guidance Center for community employment services.

ORGANIZATIONAL EMPLOYMENT SERVICES

These services are designed for persons who have difficulty maintaining regular employment in the community. For such persons we offer in-house work including mailing services, assembly and disassembly work, document shredding, and shrink wrapping. Other work areas include daytime work in the community, such as cleanup at Metra Park, working on janitorial or cleaning crews, and making door-to-door deliveries. We also have a complete woodshop where individuals operate power equipment and manufacture wood products that are sold to community businesses. Another work option is our nighttime janitorial program that includes work on a janitorial crew in the community or working with our stationary crew at the James F. Batten Federal Building.

COR's trained staff works with participants to set goals for increasing productivity levels and improving work skills. Since wages for all jobs are paid by COR and are based on personal performance, participants come to understand the relationship between paid productivity and meeting their own financial needs.

WORK FORCE SKILLS

The Workforce Skills class is a one-week, 12-hour course that meets 2.5 hours a day for five days to address three key issues: work ethics, communication skills, and lifestyle management. Based on Department of Labor and Montana Job Training Partnership research, we selected the work ethics issues that local employers indicated are most important to them, including appearance, attendance, attitude, work safety, reliability, responsibility, and flexibility. The communication skills section of the course covers assertive communication, positive statements, body language, business manners, and conflict resolution, as well as responsible communication. The course's lifestyle management component includes time management skills, making back-up plans, managing personal and health issues, talking to employers about personal and health problems, and working through a life crisis. The class includes scored activities and daily assessments. Those students who achieve a score of 80% or higher on the competency standards receive a Workforce Skills Certificate.

SUPPORTED LIVING SERVICES

CGC provides positive, supported living services to persons who face barriers to living independently. Our services are designed to help individuals with disabilities maximize their ability to live, work, play and travel.

Our training program includes working with individuals on everyday living tasks such as menu planning, meal preparation, housekeeping, money management, medical matters and health maintenance, mobility and community transportation issues, recreational and leisure activities, self advocacy and assertiveness, personal safety, and use of community resources. Prior to developing any living arrangements, a review is conducted of all areas of personal assistance needed. Following the review, an individualized plan is developed that includes goals to be achieved in order to increase independence. Each participant then works directly with a trainer to accomplish the assistance objectives. Our staff will provide complete support, as well as any needed contacts, to help participants function most effectively in the community.

VOCATIONAL EVALUATION SERVICES

CGC's vocational evaluation services are designed to help people identify work skills that best fit their individual abilities. The process begins with an interview to gather general information and determine any functional limitations to be considered during the evaluation process. After analyzing the results of the interview, an evaluation plan is developed which is tailored to the individual's specific needs and interests.

The final evaluation includes written tests, job samples, psychological testing if needed, and/or a short assessment in a community worksite. Following the evaluation, a written report is created and then reviewed with the participant. This report highlights careers that will best meet the person's interests based on his or her strengths, abilities, supplemental test results, physical tolerance, work sample results and vocational recommendations. The entire process usually takes no more than three to three and one-half days.

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL SERVICES

Personal and social services provide opportunities for the community participation of the persons receiving services. The organization defines the scope of these services based on the identified needs and desires of the persons receiving services. A person may participate in a variety of community life experiences that may include, but are not limited to:

• Exercise and fitness
• Communication activities
• Educational activities
• Cultural activities
• Safety practices
• Self advocacy
• Production work
• Development of work attitudes
• Development of living skills
• Arts and crafts
• Volunteerism

COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES

These services are offered through a special program funded by DPHHS' Developmental Disabilities Program. Funds are limited, but are sufficient to offer a wide variety of services, as outlined below.

• Homemaker - meal preparation and routine household care
• Personal Care - assistance with eating, bathing, dressing, personal hygiene, activities of daily living
• Residential Habilitation - Assistance with acquisition, retention, or improvement in skills related to activities of daily living; i.e.. household chores, hygiene, etc.
• Day Habilitation - Assistance with acquisition, retention or improvement of social, adaptive, and self-help skills. Day Habilitation services are normally furnished outside of and separate from the facility in which the individual resides
• Prevocational Habilitation - Aimed at preparing an individual for paid or unpaid employment. Subjects addressed include attendance, task completion, safety, and problem solving.
• Supported Employment - Paid employment for persons for whom competitive employment is unlikely and who, because of their disabilities, need intensive, ongoing support to perform in a work setting
• Accessibility Adaptations - Physical adaptations to the home environment which are necessary to ensure the health, welfare and safety of the individual
• Transportation - Enables individuals to access community services, activities and resources by funding allowable transportation costs.
• Specialized Medical/Adaptive Equipment and Supplies - Devices, controls or appliances which enable individuals to increase their abilities to perform activities of daily living, or to perceive control, or communicate with the environment in which they live
• Adult Companion Services - Non-Medical care, supervision and socialization provided to a functionally impaired adult
• Private Duty Nursing - Provided when specified by a physician and offered in private home, foster home, day program, job site or other community location
• Social, Leisure and Recreational Supports - Address needs related to personal growth and development, community integration, friendship formation, relationships, and social skills and to enhance quality of life for the individual
• Health, Health Maintenance, Health Safety Supports - Services or supports which may include purchase of communication devices, emergency personal defense devices, monitoring devices, and provide risk-reducing supports
• Educational Services - Classes, instruction, tutoring, distance learning, courses, instructional materials, software, internet access fees, tuition fees, and supplies

DRIVER’S EDUCATION

CGC provides individualized driver’s education to persons with disabilities. All training is provided by a Montana certified driving instructor. Services include classroom preparation for the written exam as well on-the-road training in CGC’s driver’s training vehicle.

MORAL RECONATION THERAPY (MRT) AND ANGER MANAGEMENT

COR Enterprises offers courses in both MRT and Anger Management for participants who may benefit from such instruction. Each course may be taken either in a group classroom setting or individually with a facilitator. MRT instruction lasts a minimum of twelve weeks, with an average of 16-36 sessions being needed for completion. Sessions are offered once or twice per week. The Anger Management course takes a minimum of 8 weeks to complete, with the average participant finishing it in 12 to 32 sessions. The length of time needed for completion depends on the amount of effort a participant makes to complete the exercises, as well as on how truthful he or she is to self, the group (in group sessions), and the facilitator.

Both courses are designed to enhance the participant's self-image, facilitate the development of higher levels of moral reasoning, and produce a greater sense of life purpose. Reconation is a process of altering the way an individual makes decisions. The techniques taught in the MRT course include coping skills that enable individuals to deal with conflict and with feelings of anger in adaptive ways, with the ultimate goal of better decision-making. The Anger Management course, while not as advanced as the MRT course, covers many of the same concepts. Once a participant has successfully completed either course, he or she begins to make decisions based on higher levels of moral reasoning by focusing on personal belief systems and on behavioral choices. This is a process of self-discovery and self-mastery.