behavior technician

therapist

cook

housekeeper

substance abuse counselor

BRADFORD HEALTH SERVICES

A typical day involves managing a high workload, balancing patient care, documentation, and additional responsibilities that continue to increase over time. I have learned a lot about working with individuals in recovery and how to handle challenging situations with professionalism and patience.

Management decisions can feel disconnected from day-to-day operations. Hours are often reduced to keep employees under full-time thresholds, while expectations and responsibilities continue to grow without adjustments in pay. Cost-cutting measures are frequently implemented in ways that impact both staff and patient care. This can create a difficult environment where employees are held accountable for outcomes that are not fully within their control, including patient discharges against medical advice.

There is also significant pressure surrounding documentation, and at times expectations do not align with what is realistically happening on the floor. Workplace culture varies depending on the team, but overall morale can be affected by staffing challenges and leadership decisions.

The most enjoyable part of the job is the opportunity to make a real difference in someone’s life and support individuals during recovery. The hardest part is feeling undervalued, underpaid, and unsupported by upper management despite the level of responsibility required in the role.

Our day started with an in-cottage staffing meeting.  Group started at 8:45 and lasted until 10:15 with usually 12-15 in a group.  It usually took until lunch time to get the individual group notes completed, assuming no crisis occurred during this time.  That left the afternoon to complete psychosocial assessments, develop treatment plans, and meet with pts individually.  Notes for these sessions also had to be completed before the "end" of the day.  With a caseload of 10 pts, this was impossible to accomplish within the 8-5 workday.  It was also complicated by the fact that the average pt stay was 10-14 days which meant we got at least one (often more) new patients each day with very strict time restraints for the completion of the psychosocial assessments and treatment planning.  It was particularly difficult if we got new patients over the weekend that we did not even have a chance to meet until Monday.
Management was constantly under pressure from Corporate to do more with less - hence our larger caseloads, longer hours, and weekend work.  The most difficult part of my job was getting all the paperwork in on time and still having enough time to spend face-to-face with my patients.  I worked at least 50-60 hours per week the entire time I was there.
The most enjoyable part of my job was receiving calls from my former patients weeks, months, and sometimes years, telling me they continued to be successful in their sobriety.

Typical day depends on the shift.
1st shift is laid back, the patients are usually in group/school.
2nd shift is stressful, as you have to guide the patients through groups and activities
3rd shift is laid back and easy, mostly just paperwork as the kids are asleep.
I gained a lot of experience in Addictions, how it affects adolescents, and how to interact with adolescents in general. Good place to get your feet wet in the field, but definitely is NOT a career by any means.
Management DOES NOT care about you or their patients. Bradford is completely for profit, they do not listen to empolyee suggestions, and they like to nit-pick about trivial things instead of addressing real issues. The program is outdated, the building is run-down, and the program does not meet the needs of the patients.
Co-workers come and go quickly. For an $8 an hour salary I can't blame them. They have few requirements to work with these kids, and that tends to lead to them hiring people who devastate the work environment and the program. Co-workers will try and counsel the kids, but have no qualifications to do so, and that leads to all kinds of trouble.
The hardest part is dealing with out-of-control patients, because Bradford does not seem to believe in discipline. oh and employee drama. That's always fun.
The most enjoyable part is when you get to bond with your patients, and you have endless opportunities to change a life. That alone, made the whole experience worth it.

I am currently employed at the Corporate Call Center in Birmingham, AL and my last day is on tomorrow 06/07/24. I have been working for this company for quite some time now and I have felt nothing but love and support from management during my day to day work activities and even during this transitional period to leave the company. The work environment is unbeatable! Management changed this year (2024) and since more people have began to stay longer, people are laughing and talking at work more, and no one feels like they have to walk on eggshells in order to get the job done. Management offers snacks and feeds us often (HUGE plus for me) and allow a safe space to communicate with them about anything that might be impacting our work and/or personal lives. Everyone here feels like family and I truly hate that Im leaving such a great work environment, it’s been the healthiest I have ever experienced and I’ve been employed for over 16 years now. Also, we recently got a raise and a bonus (quarterly) and that has been a great help in this economy! This is an incredible company to work for with locations all across the southeast border (and they’re expanding!) so there’s room to relocate and grow in many different areas of the organization. I can’t speak for the facilities, but I know working at the Corporate Call Center in Birmingham, AL is where it’s at!

I currently work at the Warrior location, and in just one year, I have seen a significant decline in overall conditions. There have been no raises offered, and incentive shifts that were previously available have been completely eliminated. Recently, an entire day was removed from our schedule as a cost-cutting measure, which has directly impacted staff hours and morale.

There have been ongoing cuts and operational changes that appear to prioritize company savings over both employees and patient care. Due to reduced staffing, there are times when patients are left without adequate supervision or support, which raises serious concerns about the quality of treatment being provided.

The benefits package is also not competitive. Health insurance costs are extremely high, making it difficult for employees to reasonably afford coverage.

Overall, I would not recommend this workplace. The direction the company is heading makes it hard to see conditions improving for either staff or patients.

On a daily basis at Bradford, you will see a beautiful, wooded scenery. from the moment you enter the gate. you then see beautiful clean trails and amazing cottages. Working at Bradford I have learned that no matter what job you have or what area of the facility you are in everyone is so ready to help you with anything.  We have some of the most wonderful management you will ever meet and staff for that matter from the HR department to Transportation to Detox or ECP really all of our areas here on the property. Everyone is quickly taken in mad made part of a family that watches out for each other and happily helps others when they need help with work issues. The hardest part of working here is the fact that you watch people from all walks of life come in for treatment so sick, and so down on luck and you want to just instantly do something to make them better. But by the end of the stay the best part is you watched this person come in low, down & out sick and leave with a smile, new outlook on life and a drive to continue their sobriety.  This place is where I chose to spend the rest of my career till I retire. 

The most enjoyable part of the job is to be in a place to help the community population that is suffering the most and role model a solution. The hardest part of the job is to lose patients to the disease. Workplace culture for the most part is like a family, albeit a diseased family--unless there is a framework for recovery as the top priority. The management spends too much time at the pool, away from the job, playing games on cell phone or computer instead of working like most of the other employees. What I learned was if you were in the right cliche, then it was a safe work environment.  A typical day at work included beginning tasks such as networking with referrals or utilization reviews required for the current patients, documentation in the medical record, filing, and planning for the group session. The group session lasts three hours with community education and debriefing, then group therapy with closure. Give patient assignments, discuss family meeting, set up individual appointments, completed urinalysis and alcohol breathalyzers. Finally, complete all progress notes before leaving work site.

I had a great time and learned many new things in my time at Bradford. It was a beutifuk place and absolutely beautiful to see people come in depressed and down about life and leave an entirely new person with a positive outlook on life no longer addicted to the things that brought them there. My coworkers were lovely, but the higher ups definitely seemed to be more worried about money than the patients. I'm the end that was what caused issues and resulted in me leaving because I loved every last one of those patients and I couldn't stand to see the the slight mistreatment but I would definitely recommend Bradoford health services as a place to work if you can handle high pressure situations and tending to 19 other people and willing to talk them through their hard times and try to keep them positive and focused on their recovery.

The only reason this is not a one star review is there are few people here who really do care about the patients and are wonderful to work with. However, for the most part everything depends on making the most money for whatever investment firm currently owns Bradford, and that can be felt more and more the lower your position. Expectations and responsibilities are constantly increased despite the workload already being ridiculously unrealistic - especially for salaried workers. Management loves to pass the buck - everything is up to someone else so no decisions ever get made, even in moments of crisis when a decision is desperately needed. The people that actually know the patients best (counselors, behavioral techs) have no decision making power in their care. And there is a culture of gossip and backstab in that means you can’t even rely on your direct team members for support. It’s wonderful to try and make a difference in someone’s life, and that is the only thing that has kept me going. But I’m seeking to leave as soon as possible because that pro is quickly being outweighed by the ever growing cons. 

Initially, the position seemed great and everyone was incredibly supportive. Over time, the expectations become unmanageable and so stressful that for myself, I became physically sick at times in terms of getting colds constantly. There are growing pains which never get better because no one communicates and if you aren’t close with upper management or worked with others previously, it’s impossible to feel heard. Client welfare suffers due to lack of communication which makes it difficult to maintain rapport with clients and the job effectively. Clients are the priority and it’s almost like they’re on the back burner. Also, there’s an issue with being understaffed which also causes a higher workload and causes more stress upon hard workers. The only pluses are that the days can be short and you can work from home sometimes but that’s usually after you’ve worked all day so you’re really just bringing work home. There’s no formal training nor set in stone policies…it appears as well that many facilities associated are also being closed down.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Behavior technician 54 salaries reported	$16.77 per hour
Therapist 26 salaries reported	$62,990 per year
Cook 5 salaries reported	$20.30 per hour
Housekeeper 6 salaries reported	$15.58 per hour
Substance abuse counselor 15 salaries reported	$48,333 per year

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