mental health technician

registered nurse

behavior technician

recreation therapist

youth counselor

Benchmark Behavioral Health Systems

Working at this residential facility was one of the most disheartening experiences of my career. The administration is disorganized, unresponsive, and shows little to no concern for the well-being of staff. There is absolutely no sense of job security, employees are let go without warning or valid explanation, creating a constant atmosphere of fear and instability.

The work environment is unsafe, with frequent incidents of verbal and physical abuse by residents. While behavioral challenges are expected in this field, what’s unacceptable is the complete lack of support from supervisors and administration when these issues occur. Staff are left to manage dangerous situations alone, often without proper training or protective measures.

Supervision is inconsistent and punitive rather than supportive. Policies are unclear, change without notice, and are often enforced unfairly. Concerns brought to supervisors are dismissed or ignored entirely, and feedback is not only unwelcome but often times retaliated against.

Overall, this facility is a toxic work environment that prioritizes covering liability over caring for its staff or even its residents. High turnover is the norm, and morale is constantly low. I would strongly advise anyone considering employment here to look elsewhere, your safety, mental health, and professional development are at serious risk.

Around the time I applied at Benchamark, I applied at another job as well. The other job I applied to was a well paying job in finance, I was offered a reasonable amount to sustain myself. I also applied to benchmark because of the starting wage, in my field, and I felt my experience would be a good fit. Money isn’t everything to me but as a student I know what I could afford to get paid to be able to survive. That’s Frugally too. Benchmark offered me a wage, even tho I was taking a small paycut from the other job offer, I accepted. They said it would take 30 days to have the wage go into affect. But I would be paid a 3 dollar difference for those 30 days. This seemed reasonable for 30 days. I waited my 30 days and I was consistent checking in that I would still be eligible for this raise. Always getting a “yes you definitely will.” Also I was driving from Draper to woods cross everyday, which is a pretty long drive. 30 days hit . . . I asked them first thing that day. Well things didn’t go well and I was told I would have to wait 60 more days. Well at that point I had a choice wait for 60 days and get behind on my obligations or leave and find a different job. Yeah I definitely left. I was getting paid more at my PT job down the street than here. I had to quit because of the lying and definitely because I also missed an opportunity to have a job that would sustain me. 

I did like this job for the aspect of helping these individuals. I felt like I was making a difference and that my experiences were really helping me. I also enjoyed working in my field. I feel like the supervisors and individuals on the unit were helpful. They definitely knew how to train people and be empathetic of the kids on the unit. For the time I was there because of this aspect I enjoyed it, I really wished I could have stayed.

Foremost, the clinical work at Benchmark offered me a rich experience to grow as a therapist.  The patient population presents complex psychiatric concerns shaping a deep knowledge base for me over time as a clinician.   My professional development was strongly supported by a multi-disciplinary treatment team that engaged in collaborative discussions with an ultimate goal of fostering the best treatment and care of the youth.  Certainly stress was a part of the job working with complex psychiatric concerns however management was aware and attentive to key issues in managing that stress such as ongoing professional development and advancement, burnout prevention, team support and providing flexibility in work/life balance.   I would easily say a newer therapist wanting to gain rich experience in a collaborative and supportive environment would thrive here as well as the more seasoned therapist would continue to be challenged and have a rewarding opportunity to lead a team in crucial clinical work meaningfully shaping youth.  Finally, my investment in clinical roles with the youth and our team caring for them gave way to management responsibilities that offered advancements in training, pay and impact within the organization that kept me satisfied for many years that followed.  I would highly recommend spending time in one's career with the team and youth in their care at Benchmark! 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Having been employed at BBH for only a short period of time (less than 6 months) but having worked with a similar population in the past, I have found the culture at BBH to be the greatest quality – from maintenance to dietary staff to nursing to the administrative body, and everywhere in between, BBH staff are committed to safety and teamwork.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Working with a troubled adolescent population in a 24/7 environment asserts challenges.  However, there's always an "I've got your back" approach from your colleagues.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
I feel empowered to autonomously do my work and make decisions.  I have already appreciated immensely the support I have received from the entire administrative team and equally I appreciate that everyone from top to bottom (and vice versa) has a voice.  Moreover, there are opportunities for training, career development an advancement at every corner.  By the way, the food is AWESOME and FREE while you’re working.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Interacting and supporting troubled youth has its challenges; but in every challenge we face, there's an opportunity to show a child they are cared about, valued, and respected.  Indeed, EVERY member of the team has the autonomy and opportunity to create a genuine relationship and assert a positive, long-term impact with respect to the development and maturation of the youth; and there's no greater happiness than seeing a kid blossom.  EVERY staff member at BBH has the opportunity to make a difference.

My responsibilities at benchmark included census completion daily, completing admissions and discharges, managing patient person fund accounts, manage billing and collections for all services provided including education. Manage billing and collections which included achieving corporate goals of 100% collections per month with A/R days less than 50. Our business office consisted of 4 people: myself as the business office manager, my billing and collection specialist, our payroll/accounts payable specialist and our CFO. I learned a great deal about mental health billing and collections along with many aspects of the accounting process for a company. I assist my CFO monthly with journal entries into our general ledger accounting system, reconciling accounts in the general ledger. I am also responsible for keeping our A/R clean and manage our denials and over 180 day accounts. I am responsible for any cash or checks that come into our facility, collecting them, cashing them, determining what is collections and what needs to be placed in other account ledgers.
I enjoy working on the account part and making sure that everything is clear and in order. The hardest part of my job is working the census daily due the misinformation from the line staff it is difficult to make sure that our census is always complete and correct. I frequently must track down employees to obtain information I need.

I worked here for nearly a decade in multiple roles. At it's best, Benchmark can provide true fulfillment in regard to the direct care staff and their ability to make you feel like a valued member of an efficient and competent team. Many say management is terrible and this is only partially true. The problem is that the management which have a good sense of the problems that need to be addressed are not the ones being allowed to make decisions. HR is particularly bad, as is the CEO and Clinical Director. This unholy trinity are naive and clueless about the real problems and issues that take place everyday and usually implement policies that actively make the job more difficult for employees working with residents. They make policy decisions and promote workers based on rumors and cliques. It is a popularity contest. They particularly undervalue the nursing department. The facility is chronically understaffed, with some shifts having only 8-10 direct care staff to over 80 patients. This should be criminal, especially given the particularly violent patients that often reside there. I valued my time at this facility, made some life long friends and learned a lot about this industry. However it has gone downhill tremendously and there is a mass exodus of veteran staff, mostly as a result of managerial/administrative decision and lack of support. The benefits are fantastic, the pay is good, but with a low ceiling for future growth.

The Good: Lots of available OT if that’s something you want. Decent food. PTO which is usually approved . Gifts (water bottle, company shirt, luxury blanket) on holidays. Some really genuine people who want to help kids work here.

The Bad: Low morale that is completely due to how admin treat staff. Management gaslight to the extreme, and push employees against eachother. Rules and expectations change without it being communicated, leaving staff in jeopardy for write ups. Safety manager is  not concerned about the safety of staff or residents, rather only concerned about the company staying open for business. Management demands constant availability for mandatory meetings and training, which was o frequently communicated to staff only days before. So many employees get hurt here- often due to being pushed into unsafe conditions ( forced to come in sick, not given breaks and low staffing). HR is not trustworthy and confidentiality is non existent. Staff are consistently being threatened with write ups and rarely recognized for good work. Admin force you to sign paperwork that states you won’t talk to press because things are happening that would outrage the general public. There is a high turnover for a reason. The last two yearly raises didn’t even equal $1.00 when added together. This company does not care about their staff. It’s all about money.  



Benchmark is a great place to learn in the field of mental health and more specifically in the field of residential care, if you are looking for entry level work as a mental health worker there is no reason not to come here and learn the vocation. The hospital works with its associates in many ways in order to support the residents that are being housed there. A typical day at work will consist of working with residents and staff to ensure that the residents get what they need during the shift, this includes ensuring that the schedule is managed milieu safety is appropriate. Management can be very fun to work with, but at times they are exasperating as they sometimes do not listen to their staff. The workplace culture is in a state of flux and I am not sure where it will end up, they try to treat their employeesmplyees well, but sometimes forget. The key is that even though this is social work it is being managed as a private business and money seems to rule the environment and this causes turnover to be incredibly high. The most difficult thing about his environment is that it can be an emotional roller coaster for both the employees and for the residents. The most enjoyable part of the job is working with the residents whom you are able to watch and help, as they progress in their lives.

I wanted to love working here but the communication across the entire building is horrible. The management upfront does not clearly their expectations for the floor staff. No one ever seems to be on the same page. I have experienced favoritism and retaliation at my time working there. No job advancement is achievable unless you are a favorite. They have people in management positions who are constantly late and or calling out but they don’t receive a warning or consequences but if floor staff do this, they receive a warning and often times are let go because of it. This building could be really great if their management would get on the same page and if they were willing to listen to their floor staff more. Concerns are constantly brought up and the only person that seems to listen is the person in charge of the floor staff. He listens/brings concerns to management but they don’t really want to hear what he has to say. If you’re the type to talk about your concerns and changes you think need to be made, don’t work here. They will ignore you and then treat you differently. They want robots who do what they’re told. If I was a parent, I would not send my child here. 

I worked at benchmark for multiple years and never felt rewarded for my loyalty. Benchmark is a revolving door for employees, the turnover rate is the highest I’ve ever seen and I’ve worked in multiple facilities. Staff that had just started were nearly compensated the same hourly amount as some of us who had been there multiple years. When I say nearly, I mean they were only like 20 cents short of us and had only been there 90 days ( no wonder they lose a lot of great people). There are times where the turnover is so high that units are left to run short (very dangerous) we’re talking violent kids and not enough staff to respond at times. 
Management is very greedy and will make decisions based on money. They are out of touch with what is exactly going on with staff and the kids. The kids here are just a number for their gain and could find better treatment elsewhere. The staff really make up for terrible management and if management would invest in them then this place would turnaround. If your looking to work in this field, look elsewhere, benchmark will only turn you off from and otherwise meaningful field. There are plenty of facilities that do it better and will value you as an employee.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Mental health technician 11 salaries reported	$21.39 per hour
Registered nurse 14 salaries reported	$39.64 per hour
Behavior technician 5 salaries reported	$19.60 per hour
Recreation therapist 2 salaries reported	$26.00 per hour
Youth counselor 3 salaries reported	$21.33 per hour

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