case worker

mental health technician

counselor

case aide

program director

Alternative-Family-Services

AFS is helping some of the most vulnerable children in our community and it is certainly meaningful and fulfilling work but also incredibly difficult, stressful and overwhelming. Unfortunately upper management at the Oakland office was completely unsupportive towards staff in managing these stressors, seeming to care more about numbers and productivity than ensuring staff were taken care of and able to provide high quality clinical work. To that end, in my one year there, I witnessed a turn around of three supervisory staff, two within a 5 month period, and six of the direct clinical staff (a significant amount given a team consisting of about 12 clinicians total). 

There was a complete lack of training at the onset of the job, and multiple clinicians when I was there voiced having been suddenly thrown into the deep end- immediately being given caseloads of 10-13 clients before even being fully trained. Subsequent discussions about overwhelm with management were consistently shut down with remarks about "maybe this is not the right field for you" and half hearted trainings on self care, rather than genuine attempts to change the workplace culture to support staff. Additionally, the culture seemed to promote and encourage a lack of responsibility by management, with clinicians taking the blame, receiving disciplinary action, and being asked to stay later and put in more work to correct issues even when they were the direct result of oversight by supervisors and lack of training. (Ex: supervisors approving progress notes, treatment plans, and assessments without reading them or providing corrective feedback and clinicians being blamed and disciplined when those documents later failed to meet audit standards)

PROS: The medical benefits and time off offered by AFS  as well as the flexible schedule are great, and group and individual supervision on site are incredibly helpful for clinicians still working on obtaining their licensure hours. In comparison to other agencies in the bay area, AFS also pays fairly well for MFT and social worker interns- 50,000 and upward annual, which is a rarity in a market all to keen to exploit mental health interns. AFS is also highly committed to demonstrable progress of their client and to that end their use of psychological assessment measures is noteworthy and provides good opportunity to learn  some very valuable and marketable  assessment skills. Later trainings on working with grief, play therapy, and even preparation for licensing exams were also highly valuable. While these qualities could make AFS a great site for new clinicians to learn and develop, these pros are unfortunately overshadowed by a culture that frequently overwhelms its clinicians with lack of training and support, and unmanageable expectations.

I joined this organization because I deeply believe in supporting foster youth and families. The direct work with clients is meaningful, and many frontline staff are dedicated and compassionate.
Unfortunately, my experience with management was disappointing. There were instances of mistreatment, inconsistent expectations, and what felt like retaliatory behavior after raising concerns about workload, documentation processes, and communication. Feedback from leadership was often delivered in a way that felt punitive rather than supportive. Instead of collaboration, there was a culture of defensiveness when staff expressed concerns.
Frequent changes to policies and documentation requirements occurred without adequate training or clarity, and accountability did not feel consistent across leadership. Professional growth and staff morale suffer in an environment where transparency and psychological safety are lacking.
The mission of the organization is important, but leadership practices need significant improvement to ensure employees are treated with fairness, respect, and professionalism.


The pros of working here were that the clinical supervisors, both in my office, and the other offices were very supportive, and willing to help, answer questions, discuss cases, and did very much promote, and encourage us to take good care of ourselves, and take time off when needed.
The cons were the amount of driving, since you have to drive to the foster youth to provide therapy, and this can be all over San Francisco county, as well as Napa County, San Mateo, County, Contra Costa, County, Alameda county, I was driving sometimes up to 20 hours a week. This is just something that cannot really be avoided in this position. Also, medical paperwork is just a lot and takes an enormous amount of time. I think some of that would’ve been manageable, had we not had productivity requirements, but that made it difficult to try to fit in everything and meet your productivity quota.

What is the best part of working at the company?
They have a Flexible schedule but it comes with conditions. The minute you don’t bend the knee they try to take privileges away.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Management. The job isn’t that hard. It’s demanding like most jobs but it’s a constant turn over rate due to management being shady, vindictive and two face.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Fake, cold and stand offish unless you’re in the inner circle. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Schedule appt to see clients, write paperwork/narrative, come into office.

The best thing about AFS is all the employees strive to improve the lives of foster youth and families, regardless of what their role is. The pay is comparable to other NPO jobs in the private sector. Flexibility, home/life balance, and managerial support are strong. So, if you want to make a difference in the lives of foster youth and impacted families, AFS is the place for you.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The people and level of support

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Not being able to resolve every issue youth face

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
No it's more family oriented. It's working as a team to support youth and families  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Phone calls, meetings, responding to emails and appointments with families.  if there is an issue with families it's problem solving to maintain families

This company is amazing & it's amazing what they do for the families that are serviced. I've learned a lot about social work since working here & the knowledge is endless & valuable. But because the work is based on caseload, it's difficult to get a full 80hr check without being a bit burnt out. If a visit gets cancelled ahead of time you lose out on those hours. Be mindful that it is a decent amount of paperwork, but the cool thing is that all paperwork can be done remotely, so you really only have to go into the office for your visit times. 

The work was good and the families I met and worked alongside weren’t ever a problem. It was only management. There was no support for family advocates/counselors. Felt like high school with the cliques and favoritism. I love the work and meaning behind this place but sadly the people running it don’t empathize or support their counselors. It’s a shame. Plus the pay was way too low to endure that much and not have your voice be heard in that work environment. The only supervisor that cared so much ended up quitting. From there it was way too hectic. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
The company is a non-profit that is designed to help children 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The company  culture is toxic. The backstabbing  rumor mill behavior in  the main office is ridiculous. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Toxic. Management do not lead by example. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Office work and unnecessary meetings

If you need flexibility in your schedule; maybe you had a baby, maybe your disabled or maybe you only want to work part time, this is a great job. The pay is ok. For the work that we do, it could definitely be bumped up $2 to $3 more dollars an hour. But the work is rewarding and you can really see yourself making a difference. I work alongside county social workers to help parents get their children back into their custody 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Case worker 16 salaries reported	$73,845 per year
Mental health technician 14 salaries reported	$75,567 per year
Counselor 17 salaries reported	$22.92 per hour
Case aide 18 salaries reported	$24.87 per hour
Program director 6 salaries reported	$80,536 per year

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