nurse practitioner

substance abuse counselor

licensed practical nurse

counselor

medical director

BrightView Health

It is not explained very well the actual, excessive amount of work required or the lack of support given during the interview process. The training is paid and is extensive. However it's all on-demand videos. The staff under you get additional job shadowing (them of those in a mentoring type role, then you are expected to shadow them providing services). Also required (but not limited to): multiple "Success Plans" at due at multiple points during their probationary period, sign off on competencies, performance evaluations, leading staff weekly multidisciplinary staff meetings & documentation for it, maintaining weekly meetings with all staff (approx 6+ per site, usually over 2 sites) under you (less frequent with increased experience), weekly meetings with all your site directors, weekly success calls for each site you cover, 4 monthly group supervisions for understaff that you need to attend for documentation of the supervision as well as needing the information, daily site huddles (30 min), weekly BHS group supervisions, weekly meetings with Lead TCMs, monthly TCM chart audits for bonuses, supervision of all Risk Assessments for your site(s) and determination of what to do, cover Front Desk Staff when needed, oversee Pregnancy Program (monitoring, documentation, and reporting) for all pregnant patients at your site including the state spreadsheet for Identification, oversee Criminal Justice Reporting (frequency between biweekly to quarterly) and overseeing the spreadsheet identifying those patients, oversee and provide reporting for SB90 program participants to the group that hosts the program (includes referrals for assessments, assessments of patient needs/updates approximately every 2-4 weeks while they are involved with the program), oversee/monitor TCM prior authorizations through Availity, monitor all chart compliance, documentation, billing, and encounter issues for your site(s) daily with review and correction/signing of all behavioral health documentation for your site(s), roughly 2-4 Counselors and TCMs at each site. This list is by no means everything included. There's supposed to be weekly individual one on ones with the clinical manager over you, but they frequenly cancel or cut it short. The expectation is that because it's a salary position you will work on evenings and weeknds to complete all your tasks and still manage all the other requirements with no issue. If your site also goes without a center director (for operations) for an extended period of time you will be expected to balance both your stuff and a large amount of their duties as well (like extensively covering the front desk for patient check-ins and putting them on all services and monitoring who's seeing them and what they have left to do...). There are only 6 paid holidays, you are required to be there open to close all week days with no closures for bad weather year round. Management frequently overwhelms you and your staff with unrealistic expectations, then comes down on you doubly hard if your staff or you are struggling to catch up d/t trying to maintain some kind of work/life boundary. On top of that it's a medical heavy practice, meaning that they exalt medical and prescribing while dismissing and neglecting the behavioral health side of things (even going against their own policies about not giving phase ups or increasing take homes if they aren't compliant with all services, but going ahead and not just giving 1 or 2 weeks of take homes, but entire months of take homes while dismissing any concerns raised by behavioral health regarding the patient's attendance, compliance, and extensive continued use of illicit substances that increase CNS depressant concerns. There's also a lack of support when dealing with staff that is insubordinate, toxic, drama provoking, refusing to abide by company policies, and outright lying about things (with documented proof). Plus requiring staff be present on site to address an issue and forcing them to cancel planned PTO for a legal matter that they were required to attend rather than dealing with the issue themselves.

What is the best part of working at the company?
What I’ve appreciated most is the opportunity to work with patients in recovery and be part of meaningful change. I truly feel like I’m making a difference in patients’ lives, whether it’s supporting them through difficult moments or seeing their progress over time. Being able to build those relationships and watch patients grow in their recovery is the most rewarding part of the job and what makes the work meaningful to me.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part is being consistently understaffed while expectations and responsibilities continue to increase without proper compensation. It creates a high pressure environment where we are expected to do more with less on a daily basis. Open positions often go unfilled for extended periods of over 6+ months, which shifts additional workload onto existing staff without adjustment to expectations or support. This leads to long days, difficulty maintaining work-life balance, and increased burnout. Over time, it also impacts team morale onsite, as employees feeling stretched thin and unsupported while still trying to provide quality care to patients. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is fast-paced and high-pressure, with ongoing staffing shortages and increasing demands contributing to elevated stress levels. While staff genuinely support one another and care about patient outcomes, the overall culture has shifted over time. It has become more focused on productivity and meeting demands rather than employee support. There is also less engagement and communication from leadership, which has impacted morale. Many team members do their best to maintain a positive environment, but the workload and lack of consistent support make it increasingly challenging and downright impossible at times. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day is very busy and fast-paced, especially due to ongoing staffing shortages. There is often a need to cover multiple roles or step into areas outside of your primary responsibilities just to keep operations running. While this helps maintain basic workflow, it can make it difficult to keep up with individual responsibilities and complete required tasks within normal hours. As a result, staff are often balancing competing priorities throughout the day without adjustments to expectations or workload. This creates added pressure, especially when accountability for primary duties remains the same despite being pulled in multiple directions. There is also an ongoing expectation to stay late or be available as needed, which can further impact work-life balance and contribute to burnout.

As a Chemical Dependency Counselor at BrightView Health, a typical day is a balance of structure, connection, and purpose. Each morning often begins with chart reviews or team huddles, followed by individual counseling sessions, group therapy, and plenty of collaboration with case managers, nurses, and medical staff. Every day brings new challenges and new chances to witness growth—no two patients or sessions are ever quite the same.

Working at BrightView has taught me the art of meeting people exactly where they are. I’ve learned how to listen more deeply, communicate more effectively, and maintain compassion even on difficult days. Beyond counseling techniques, this role has taught me resilience and the true meaning of patient-centered care.

Management is supportive and accessible, always striving to create a space where both patients and staff feel valued. They encourage professional growth through supervision and ongoing training, and while communication can occasionally feel stretched—especially on busy days—it’s clear that leadership’s intentions are aligned with the mission of recovery and respect.

The workplace culture is one of teamwork, empathy, and genuine care. Counselors lean on each other for support, and the interdisciplinary approach makes it feel like you’re part of something larger than yourself. Everyone shares the same goal: helping patients rebuild their lives with dignity and hope. I would also like to add that the harm-reduction model of BrightView aligns with my education in Public Health grad school. It is so refreshing, after years spent in and around the recovery community, to work for a treatment center that provides patients with options as to how they want to recover.

The hardest part of the job is seeing patients struggle with relapse or external circumstances beyond your control. It can be emotionally heavy, especially when you’ve invested so much into their progress. But those moments also strengthen your empathy and remind you how important consistent care really is.

The most enjoyable part of being a counselor at BrightView is witnessing transformation—seeing patients gain confidence, reconnect with loved ones, and rediscover purpose. Those breakthroughs, big or small, make every challenge worth it. It’s incredibly rewarding to be part of a team that truly believes in second chances and brighter futures.

I had high hopes when joining Brightview, motivated by their mission to support the addiction community. However, I quickly realized that the company’s expectations of staff do not align with the way things are managed. Due to constant staffing shortages, we are frequently called on to cover other sites. Wanting to be a team player, I volunteered to help with the understanding that there would be incentive pay and perks as promised. Despite my efforts, I didn’t receive the extra pay on multiple paychecks, leaving me frustrated as I had to repeatedly follow up to try to get what was owed.

Within my own site, I was expected to help out wherever needed, and I gladly did, taking on extra responsibilities. Yet, it became clear that these expectations weren’t applied to all staff equally. While I worked hard to fill gaps, I noticed that some nurses only contributed when it suited them, which created a stressful and uneven workload.

I accepted the position believing I would have a blend of clinic duties and occasional help with dispensing, only to find out that my role would be solely focused on dispensing. The miscommunication about my responsibilities was disappointing. Additionally, despite their claims of growth opportunities, I found that these were not worth the company’s high expectations and demands.

Pay-wise, the compensation was noticeably lower than other offers I had, though I initially took it because I believed in helping those in recovery. However, Brightview’s focus seems to be more on revenue than on genuine community support, as they push for services that may not always be necessary.

If you’re considering a role here, be prepared to work hard without consistent appreciation or fair treatment. Brightview’s promises often don’t hold up, and its management is disorganized. Go in with eyes open and clear expectations.

Company started with noble ideas of helping addicts population. Even as a new employee I noticed many red flags- company presents the public with holistic eclectic treatment but staff are indoctrinates to label clients as PATIENTS. The company states 'client centered' view but let clients in withdrawals with layered medical issues wait long periods till exhaustion.  Brightview comp. speaks of non punitive approach to treatment but the rules have punitive measures built in- AKA if you are late to group you have to wait in the lobby for 30 min or more till next group. That will teach them a lesson to be on time. what is that about???? Every leader of his organization know that staff are the 'bread and butter' of his company. You treat staff right, they will be happy to serve.  Brightview treats staff poorly. Staff are being mistreated, yelled at, blamed  for systemic issues of the company. Our center worked like ICU unit. staff do straight 8 hours, no rest, no lunches, barely restroom breaks. Staff are urged to block times of lunch but by default the medical dept. keeps on feeding you assessments on top of ongoing sessions and groups. Counselors end up scratching their break time off to help patients but depriving themselves from self care. Perhaps from FEAR of being written up for allowing clients wait. But FEAR rather than LOVE runs this company engine. The only time is company time-billable time. Employees are objects to serve the MONARCHS of the company. Morals and ethics are pushed aside to help generate $$$$ for the  company to become an empire It is really sad. Seeing my colleagues shoving food in their mouth in between assessments, ongoing sessions and treatment planing or else they won't eat. Its heartbreaking really. Please look elsewhere for less toxic work environment

What is the best part of working at the company?
Supporting the patients in recovery.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
High expectation, Low appreciation. They say to take control of your day but have policies in place that doesn’t allow you to such as meeting everyone that comes through the doors scheduled or not, late early or not. Not sufficient time to complete the tasks in the 8 hour work day and if you’re salaried the expectation is that you use your time, very little work life balance exists as a result. If your work ever slips below expectations… expect very viciously written write-ups that are delivered with a smile and contempt. Do yourself  favor and start looking for a new job and DOCUMENT everything because they’ll pull the rug without warning. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very toxic and disappointing company. Patients are treated with more dignity than the people working hard to support the patients. Don’t let the gifts and perks fool you, you’re a pawn in their game and if you don’t assume your position… expect to have a bad rep before they maneuver pieces to not only remove you, but in a very tactless, distasteful and extremely cold and calculated fashion. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Be ready to have at most a 30 minute lunch if you decide to take it, most people didn’t just to avoid falling behind and 20 minutes total of a break taken 10 mins at a time only. Lots of patients and tasks and slow days if any were a godsend but few and often if your day appeared “too slow” you pay the consequences for it with questioning of your work ethic and viability in the company.

-Too much emphasis on academic achievement versus real world management experience.
-Very much a narcissistic environment within the upper echelons. Almost comical how they jockey for attention under the auspices of professional martyrdom.
-There are those in leadership positions in various departments that need educated on Crucial Conversations.
-Fresh ideas are met with skepticism or just downright rejection, and clearly dead end somewhere up the chain.
-The absence of formalized training programs does an injustice to prospective employees.
-There are managers that have been there 3, 4, or even 5 years in their roles and have yet to establish any formal training, which leads one to question what have they been doing this whole time?
-There are no succession plans to speak of, and if there are those in existence then they are covered up.
-Benefits are not employee friendly despite declarations by the company that the new avenue of "market shopping" enables the employee to seek out more specialized coverage, but also to "save them money".  Within 30 days of implementation it is clear that this was an obtuse statement of unknown origins, but presumably HR.
-Nursing turnover is a continual problem and is rooted in poor communications originating in Operations.  Here again, the absence of real-world management experience will not pay dividends in the field when dealing with employees.
-I would ask to be spared their stereotypical patronizing response that they seem to always impart after a review, but their compulsion is too great.

Atypical day at work:
When I worked at BrightView, a typical day involved managing a high caseload of 50 plus clients, balancing clinical responsibilities with extensive administrative tasks. The work environment was fast-paced, often leaving little room to provide the in-depth care that clients needed, as meeting quotas took priority.

What you believe you learned:
I learned how to thrive in a high-pressure environment and manage my time effectively under demanding conditions. 

Management:
During my time at BrightView, direct supervisors were somewhat supportive, but upper management seemed detached from the day-to-day struggles of frontline employees. The emphasis was largely on meeting numbers rather than employee well-being, leading to a challenging dynamic.

Workplace culture:
The workplace culture often felt impersonal, where employees were treated as replaceable. Communication was inconsistent, and there was a tendency for personal details to circulate, which affected trust among staff members.

The hardest part of the job:
The hardest part was managing the high caseload with minimal support and resources. Additionally, the lack of accommodations for health-related needs added to the stress and made it difficult to stay on top of responsibilities.

The most enjoyable part of the job:
The most enjoyable aspect was seeing clients make progress in their recovery journeys. Despite the challenges, helping patients improve their lives provided a sense of purpose that made the work fulfilling.

This was the first position I’ve left without hesitation, which says a lot about my overall experience.

The onboarding process was genuinely positive. The environment initially felt welcoming, organized, and supportive. Unfortunately, that experience did not reflect the long-term reality of the role.

Over time, I experienced ongoing issues with leadership consistency and communication. Expectations often felt unclear or shifted, and performance did not always feel fairly evaluated, even when meeting job responsibilities.

Workplace culture may be challenging for those who value transparency and open communication. In my experience, providing feedback or asking questions was not always well received, which at times created a sense of isolation rather than support.

Support for professional development appeared limited. I did not observe much structure around supervision, licensure support, or long-term growth, which can be important in this field.

The role itself can also be emotionally demanding, and I did not consistently feel there were adequate supports in place to help staff manage that level of stress over time.

Turnover seemed higher than expected during my time there, which may be something to consider when evaluating long-term fit.

This position may work for some, but it’s important to ask detailed questions during the interview process about expectations, supervision, and workplace culture to ensure it aligns with your needs.

During my time at BrightView, the company was expanding rapidly, which created a fast-paced and demanding work environment. While growth can be a positive sign, I found that this rapid expansion came with significant challenges, particularly around staff support. There was frequent turnover in key positions, which led to instability and disorganization within the clinic. 

This constant change made it harder to find consistency in daily operations, which affected both staff and client experiences.

Employees are expected to take on substantial responsibilities without structured training or consistent support from leadership. This can make it difficult to meet the high workload expectations, as there isn’t always clear guidance on how to manage these responsibilities effectively. The lack of stability and support can create a stressful environment, especially for those trying to maintain professional standards in client care.

BrightView’s focus on growth seems to prioritize opening new clinics, but I believe more attention needs to be given to stabilizing the existing ones. Without stronger leadership and better training, the demanding nature of the work can feel overwhelming.

For potential applicants, it’s important to consider whether you thrive in an environment that is constantly changing and where support may be limited. While there are opportunities here, the fast-paced nature and lack of structured support are worth weighing carefully.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Nurse practitioner 42 salaries reported	$123,869 per year
Substance abuse counselor 66 salaries reported	$49,903 per year
Licensed practical nurse 71 salaries reported	$24.40 per hour
Counselor 22 salaries reported	$51,114 per year
Medical director 4 salaries reported	$250,000 per year

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