The Program

Ninety days to change how a person thinks under pressure.

A counselor-led cohort that runs alongside a new job, designed around the one thing employers and workforce agencies are measured on: who is still there at 30, 60 and 90 days.

IThe format

Simple on purpose.

A small cohort, a steady rhythm and a licensed professional counselor in the room.

Duration
90 daysOne cohort, start to finish.
Rhythm
Two sessions a week1.5 to 2 hours each, scheduled around training and work.
Cohort size
10 to 15 adultsWho choose to take part.
Led by
A licensed professional counselorLed or supervised by an Illinois LPC, with qualified, supervised staff.
Where
Your site, ours or telehealthAgreed with each partner before the cohort begins.
Cost to participants
None, everEmployers, agencies or funders pay. Job seekers do not.
IIThe practices

Three practices that build on one another.

i.

Mindfulness

Noticing the body's alarm before it becomes behavior. Participants learn to find the pause between a trigger and a reply, and to use it at work: on the floor, at the depot, in front of a supervisor.

ii.

Cognitive restructuring

Identifying the automatic story, testing it against evidence, and replacing it with one that serves the person. Vocabulary expands, so that frustration can be named and negotiated rather than acted out.

iii.

Motivational interviewing

A conversation style that draws out a person's own reasons for change. Participants articulate why this job, this apprenticeship and this life matter to them, in their own words.

IIIHow we measure

Four measures. Same tools, start and end.

  • Self-awareness. Recognizing triggers, patterns and effect on others.
  • Vocabulary and expressive speech. Words for feelings and needs.
  • Reactivity. How quickly a trigger becomes a reaction.
  • Critical thinking. Weighing evidence before acting.

Alongside these, partners share employment outcomes for consenting participants: placement and retention at 30, 60 and 90 days, and, where it applies, apprenticeship completion and conversion to a permanent role. Each cohort ends with a one-page outcomes brief of aggregate results.

IVWhat stays private

The room is confidential. That is what makes it work.

Counseling content is protected by Illinois law, including the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act, and by 42 CFR Part 2 where substance-use records are involved.

  • Partners never receive counseling content or clinical records.
  • Attendance and completion are shared only with a participant's written consent, which they can revoke.
  • Results go to partners as aggregate, de-identified data.
  • Participation is never required for hire or continued employment, and stepping away is never held against anyone.
Next

Run a pilot cohort.

Ten to fifteen participants, ninety days, and numbers you can take to your board or funder.

The pilot