mental health technician

support worker

program director

service associate

rehabilitation associate

Adapt of Illinois

I spent nearly 21 years working for this company. My knowledge of mental health was pretty much bare bones when I was hired fresh from getting my Master's degree.  I've had 3 different roles in the company due to promotions (a huge plus that they value their employees to promote from within whenever possible!) Have there been challenges along the way? Of course there were, but every company-no matter what sector-is going to have bumps. Riding them out has been the single smartest decision I could have made, both professionally and personally. I received TONS of clinical experience and managerial support, enjoyed an excellent benefits package (yes, Adapt has a very good benefits package if you are informed about everything they offer), and lots of flexibility in my job roles over the years. If you are considering a position with Adapt, I highly recommend it, but most importantly, if you're hired, give it time to settle in and you will reap the rewards. The only reason I left is to pursue another professional dream of mind that I had put off for years because Adapt was so hard to leave.

Great company and even better co-workers! Adapt provides opportunities for new graduates to obtain actual clinical experience working in the mental health field. We work with adults living with serious mental illnesses in the community, so every day is different because you are working with people who might be experiencing an increase in symptoms.  You definitely learn to multi-task and balance many responsibilities.  Competitive wages, good benefits, supervision for licensure, extensive training, small caseloads. Promotion from within. Good work/life balance.  Working with a small treatment team and making a difference in the lives of the clients is the best part of the job. The hours are long (you work four 10 hour days), but you are off three days every week.

This is a great starting job for someone fresh out of college and every counselor should experience such a wide variety of clients who live with chronic, severe mental health conditions. Lots of great learning experiences but management cares only about billing (they are 2 hours away and have little contact with the Cobden office) and there is rarely a supervisor who stays here more than a month or 2, so staff are on their own most of the time. Pay is ok for starting out and job security is good since it isn't a job most people could handle, but management and their *bill bill bill* mentality ruin it!

I've gained a lot of knowledge and experience in mental health treatment, and case management skills.  The Program Director is typically unavailable, as they are meeting the demands of the corporate office.  The Assistance Program Director is at times helpful with answering questions, but the mood of management varies by day, which affects the types of answers provided to your questions.  

The teamwork atmosphere is excellent!  The QMHPs and MHPs I worked with over the years almost always had my back, and were willing to pitch in at any time.  I knew that I could rely on them without question. I made friends for life with several coworkers.  This was the best part of the job!

The hardest part of the job is that the consumers have such severe mental illness, that minuscule progress is to be celebrated.

My opinion remains that this is the worst job I've ever had. The hours are long, the pay is extremely poor, the PTO earn rate is low and there is no separate sick/vacation time so you're basically stuck if anything happens. This is also part of why burnout is so high and people are drained, exhausted, overworked, and have no emotional distance from their job. It is very emotionally draining and taxing. Turnover is an issue. The building facilities are a concern. Team lacks support and site management is among the poorest I've ever experienced, consistently unhelpful to their employees and lacking guidance. Difficult to ask questions or feel collaborative with coworkers. These are my opinions, but would not recommend.

a typical day at work
About 6 hours of resident interaction, 2 hours for paperwork, 1 hour lunch, 1 hour team meeting. That's what the 10-hour shift consists of, not in that order.

what you believe you learned
I learned about the long-term effects of people with schizophrenia and what it's like to live with a chronic mental illness.

management
You'll be told one thing one day and then the next it will be completely wrong. Condescending comments from time to time and a "lace up your bootstraps" mentality. 

the hardest part of the job
Managing a crisis with a resident and guessing what will help that resident calm down. Managing judgment from management and the increased anxiety of not being perfect.

the most enjoyable part of the job
Getting to know the residents and your coworkers. 

This was a private for profit company that specialized in providing psychosocial rehabilitation for Geropsychiatric clients.
This job provided me with the first and best possible training that I could have received for my level of interest in mental health. Working in an inpatient Geropsychiatric, allowed me to really see all angles of chronicity of these mental illnesses. I also learned so much about medications, medical conditions and their effects on mental illness. I loved working the staff and clients, Everyday was a challenge that I looked forward to.

My opinion? Don’t work here. Paper work never filled out, they take your PTO time to cover any overtime you work instead of paying you, TOXIC management that will throw you under the bus and constantly gas light you, won’t train you will just throw you in to figure it out, management will call/ text nonstop on your days off and act entitled to your personal time off, rodent problem in the parking area that chewed up several people’s car wires that resulted in $1,000 plus worth of damages, facility buildings are a concern, poor communication from management and no support whatsoever from them, and the pay is not worth it. My advice? Don’t work here there are plenty of other jobs and you deserve better. Only good part about this job were the consumers and the coworkers. 

Adapt has opened new RSA POSITIONS,, the position DOES NOT PAY WELL AT ALL. However Adapt wants the RSA’s to do the same amount of work as the MHP but with less PAY . They  expect the RSA to meet the Same exact criteria’s as The MHP, They want the RSA to reach the max billing goals which is 7hrs per day ,  they want the RSA to do 1 hr of group at least 2xs a week. They expect the RSA to do medication training and billing notes. Whatever job duties that’s expected by the MHP is also expected by the RSA,,, but because a RSA doesn’t have a bachelors they get paid less then a CNA. 

Management is terrible and shady. They will not respect the work you give to the clients, the work you give to the company, your time, or you as a person. They take advantage of people with a Bachelor's in the humanities because they know options are limited. They are too lazy to do the basic aspects of their own jobs, but will micromanage you. They won't fire anyone because they don't want to pay unemployment, but they will make your job hard to the point you have to quit. I would rather be homeless than work for Adapt ever again.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Mental health technician 16 salaries reported	$26.20 per hour
Support worker 3 salaries reported	$22.17 per hour
Program director 2 salaries reported	$72,800 per year
Service associate 3 salaries reported	$19.70 per hour
Rehabilitation associate 2 salaries reported	$17.75 per hour

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