clinical psychologist

mental health technician

family therapist

licensed clinical social worker

licensed professional counselor

CHE Behavioral Health Services

When onboarding this job, a description of flexibility and competitive pay is promoted. In my experience, the reality of this job did not match the description. For starters, I felt there was absolutely no work-life balance. Documentation alone takes hours to complete, only to never be caught up. This is complicated by nursing home staff reaching out requesting completed notes right away, rightfully so. However, it’s impossible to have all of the notes completed  in a reasonable timeframe with the company’s tedious and clicky documentation platform. To make matters worse, I felt the pay was not good—I made more at my prior job, yet I worked more hours to even remotely keep up. 

I was sold on the idea of flexibility and unlimited earning potential. However, in practice, I was required to be present on a set schedule rather than choosing the days and times I wanted to go in. Working outside of said schedule will lead to complaints. To me, this is not “flexible.”  “Unlimited earning” potential is offered, but in my experience, it’s difficult to make anything more than average pay when trying to keep up with everything.

On top of the overwhelming documentation burden, I was also responsible for clerical work, including locating and downloading MD orders or patient consents. This was done by extracting orders and consents from the nursing home EMR  to my personal computer and then uploading them to the patient chart in the company’s EMR—adding even more to my workload and time spent that I didn’t have. I should not be worried about clerical work  in this demanding  role with the amount that is already expected of the employee.  

Communication is absolutely atrocious from the start. Why did nobody mention that the company doesn't provide an iPad or computer for the employee to work on? I found out the week that I started that I have to use my own personal computer. I’ve never had to do that before. Becoming aware of this was not because somebody told me that I had to use my own personal computer, I had to find that out the hard way. To compound that, the very first day that I started on the job I was required to be at my facility seeing patients and didn’t even have access to the EMR! I cannot believe I was expected to show up to the nursing home without access to the EMR! I guess we’re just winging it?? Nursing home staff didn’t even know that I wasn’t trained in any capacity, it was embarrassing and so unprofessional on every level. Don't even get me started on the fact that they never got me into the E-prescribing on the EMR prior to my start date or at all thereafter. When I visited an ALF I had to CALL in every RX! What????? I am not surprised I was met with no response regarding this matter, and when j finally did get a response nobody followed through to help me get the process going. 

More on the (lack of) communication: I was lucky to even get a response to my requests and emails. Emails to supervisors, IT, nursing home staff, and other essential departments were routinely ignored, making it nearly impossible to get the support needed. When nursing home staff didn’t respond to my emails regarding requests for MD orders or consents to be placed, it delayed my pay and ultimately patient care. 

The biggest issue I had right from the beginning was the complete lack of support and training. I reasonably expected at least some level of onboarding, but instead, I was thrown in with no collaboration or guidance outside of a couple 1980s YouTube videos. I allegedly had a supervising physician, but they were located hours away from me. Outside of their name, I have no idea who my supervising physician (SP) even was. You’re alone in this role. There’s no coworkers or SP nearby to collaborate or discuss complex cases with. 

Nursing home staff were also extremely vocal about their needs, often pulling me in multiple directions. Managing 7+ nursing homes alone without any support or training in a complex and demanding specialty is extraordinarily stressful. Compound that with being pulled in seven different directions, drowning in documentation, and self-directed learning. 

There’s more I could say, but this review highlights some of my greatest concerns that I personally experienced and wish I had known prior to starting. I lasted 3 months. 

There are many misconceptions about the residents who live in "Skilled Nursing Facilities aka SNF) such as the residents are old, have dementia, and are unable to be productive in psychotherapy.  Not true. Yes, there are those individuals however, there are residents who are capable individuals who have experienced catastrophic medical incidents who are very able of benefitting from psychotherapy. 
 Some of those residents I see are bedbound and I see them bedside; others use wheelchairs or walkers and visit me in my "office," which is the beauty shop on days I am not there. It allows for privacy when speaking with both staff and patients.
I work part-time so as the only clinical psychologist my day is busy. I arrive by 8:00 and leave at 5:00 or later however, I manage my own time and have rarely been asked to come at a different time unless its patient related. I also decide who I see based on my clinical expertise. CHE trusts that we are professional clinicians who work well with staff and management. Your staff is your connection to the facility and what is happening with your patients.  They are also there if an issue between you and the facility arises, which happens rarely, but different perspectives can interfere with your work and the patient's well-being.  
Coming from a career that focused on mentally ill individuals who have been adjudicated to state facilities, I was concerned I did not have the skills to work in a SNF. I was wrong.  The clinical issues that are frequent in state hospitals/prisons are the same:  depression, anxiety, trauma, abandonment, hopelessness yet the process of working with residents in a SNF may be very different.  I have learned how to be effective when working with someone who has cognitive challenges because of a stroke or some other medical event, someone who believes they have lost their identity because they no longer can move their body, or an individual who cannot speak because they are connected to a tube allowing them to breath. Creativity allows us to expand our scope and effectiveness. The most difficult part of this job is to learn another level of patience with ourselves and to be able to open to new ideas and ways of communicating with our patients and to work collaboratively with the staff. If one comes from a practice that is team based, the challenge takes on a different form. We are usually outside the center and must work to be part of the team.  It is worth it. 


I have worked for CHE Behavioral Health Services both as a FT psychologist in skilled nursing facilities as well as in my current clinical director role. I can honestly say I have no intention of ever leaving this company and would be happy to work for CHE until I retire. It is a company that is committed to best practices in long-term care settings and works to best support the patients we serve, our clinical and support staff, and our facility partners. Supporting older adults, who are an undeserved population, is near and dear to my heart. CHE's values and goals are consistent with my own and I find meaning and pride in my job each and every day working for this company. Working in nursing homes comes with many challenges (as does any clinical setting). It is a residential setting, with diverse patient referrals, and an interdisciplinary team. It takes a clinician who is flexible, creative, adaptable and who has strong interpersonal and team skills to be successful. But for those clinicians with strengths in these areas, there is no better place to work. The patients are diverse, interesting, so very appreciative of the support, and are a privilege to work with. Job satisfaction is further enhanced by the interdisciplinary setting. If a clinician is strong at building rapport and is supportive of the facility staff, the staff partners can become a huge resource to the clinician in providing patient care and making the job fun and engaging. CHE clinicians are autonomous, able to determine their own schedules, and have the opportunity to build a behavioral health program that is most satisfying to them. One great psychologist at a nursing home has the potential to change the whole facility culture for the better by sharing his or her behavioral health expertise at the systems level. Although clinicians are providing services in the field, their CHE support staff is just a phone call, text, or email away. CHE takes clinician support very seriously and does everything it can to provide resources, improve clinical skills, confidence, expertise, and efficiency of our clinicians in the field. One of favorite responsibilities in my role (I have many favorites) is supporting and consulting with our diverse team of clinical providers. Our clinicians are a joy to work with and are the very heart of the company. In my role, I also have the opportunity to work directly with the office operations and support staff. CHE could not provide the services we do without the great efforts of our operations team and back office staff. They are a group of kind, motivated, and hardworking individuals who are a joy to work with. For clinicians who are looking for a rewarding, challenging, and interdisciplinary setting, I highly recommend consideration of CHE Behavioral Health Services.

I worked for CHE Behavioral Health Services as a psychiatric nurse practitioner covering a long-term care facility, and unfortunately my overall experience was very disappointing.

One of the reasons I accepted the position was because I was told I would be able to meet my required CEU hours at one facility. That did not happen because the patient volume was much lower than I had been led to expect. I was encouraged to travel to additional nursing homes, but that was not the arrangement I had originally agreed to.

The biggest issue for me was the lack of support. Working in a nursing home as a provider employed by CHE can be challenging, especially when conflicts or workflow issues arise with facility staff. In my experience, when I needed management support, I did not receive meaningful assistance. I often felt that the nursing home's concerns took priority while providers were expected to manage difficult situations on their own.

Compensation and benefits were also disappointing. PTO policies changed during my employment, reducing the amount of paid time off available despite an increase in the daily PTO payout. The benefits package was not competitive, and I found the overall compensation to be low unless you were willing to travel to multiple facilities, maintain a very high patient volume, and complete extensive documentation.

The documentation requirements were extremely time-consuming. Notes are lengthy and repetitive, requiring a significant amount of copying and pasting. The electronic health record was also frustrating to use because it frequently froze, malfunctioned, and slowed productivity.

Based on my personal experience, I would not recommend CHE Behavioral Health Services to psychiatric nurse practitioners, whether they are new graduates or experienced providers. New providers, in particular, need mentorship and responsive leadership, and I did not feel that level of support was available. Even as a part-time opportunity, I believe there are better options available, including independent 1099 positions that offer greater flexibility and compensation.

Every workplace is different, and others may have a different experience, but this was mine. I ultimately decided to move on because I found opportunities that offered better support, compensation, and work-life balance.

CHE advertises a great work/life balance, which is accurate. However, the other aspects of working with this population aren't  advertised nor touched upon during interview or onboarding.  The best part of the job is working with the patients. Being in a SNF isn't easy, and for some the session is a welcome part of their day when some don't have family or friends to visit them. Another plus at CHE is staff are extremely supportive and proactive. When you are running into an issue you can rely on them to respond. The challenging parts of the job are:  1. Although they advertise a constant flow of referrals, sometimes those referrals are not appropriate and aren't a constant flow. 2. Patient engagement for longer periods of time. This is a major challenge and given the requirements the agency requires in order to get health care as a provider is insufficient. This is something that should be part of the onboarding and training at the beginning. Not something to discover as you go along. 3. The benefits are very lackluster. In order to get health benefits as a full time provider, you have to meet a certain amount of "RVU's" and given what was explained prior is difficult. Medical coverage shouldn't be tied into these RVU's. For Medicaid patients you don't get any RVU's-seems like an unnecessary punishment for the provider and is unfair to the patient as a provider wouldn't be inclined to provide services. This is also creates a feeling of being a hamster on a wheel chasing for it's reward.  3. The onboarding and training process should be longer than two days. It is way too much information given in a short period of time and the elements that I mentioned before are not part of that training. My gathering is that much of the applicants don't have experience working in SNF's and that should be provided to give them a solid starting ground instead of just a huge focus on meeting documentation standards.    5.  PTO is not sufficient at all. This is a stressful job and the amount of time given doesn't reflect that. As mental health providers it should be a given to allocate real time off to prevent burnout and not have to work harder in order to compensate for it.  6. You don't get paid for the time you take to complete documentation.  The documentation is an important part of the job and should be compensated for it. Working for CHE can have it's upsides, but the downsides so far are making it difficult to want to stay around. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
They are very flexible and allow you to set your days/hours at the nursing home which is great for parents or a private practice on the side. They allow a lot of independence in how therapy is conducted and make themselves available for supervision/support when requested. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
If you do not have experience in a nursing home it can feel overwhelming since clinicians work independently in the homes and navigating each home can be difficult dependent upon the culture of the facility. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Each clinician functions fairly independently if you work in the nursing home so there is not a significant amount of interaction with the company other than your regional director and annual trainings. That being said, they are very supportive of their clinicians and work with your schedule, geographic location preferences, and will provide direction, supervision, and training as needed/requested.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
You arrive at the nursing home, check in with other clinicians if they have other therapist at the facility, check in with the staff of the floor you plan on starting on, then go find your clients and meet with them. You inform staff of any issues of concern, and make recommendations when needed. Before the pandemic I usually tried to eat with my clients at lunch or dinner time to help foster social interactions with them and to interact with other clients who may benefit from services. If individuals want to work with you, you let the staff know and they reach out or their doctor for a referral and then you as the clinician submit their insurance information to see if they are covered.

The monotony of tasks with slight variation or improvement was demotivating at work. While I did gain some field experience, professional opportunities were scarce due to the rigidity of rigid roles. Management was disorganized, with poor communication, limited transparency, and a seeming indifference toward team development. The workplace culture was stagnant, lacking teamwork and prevalent micromanagement. The most challenging aspect was the absence of clear guidance, making tasks unnecessarily complicated due to confusion and inefficiency. However, the few moments of team collaboration were enjoyable and showed potential positivity in the workplace. Despite the challenges, there was some satisfaction in executing my tasks under these circumstances.

Best part of the job is the clients. 

There is flexibility to go in and leave when you want to (but you are governed by the facilities hours/meals/requirements) and need to see required number of clients.

You have no one from your company at your facilities, so you work independently, which in some ways is nice, but also is isolating and there is no one there for support or to answer questions.

Clients have PT, OT, Doc apps, facility activities, and illnesses that often interfere with scheduling making it challenging at times to hit numbers

Most facilities don't have an office for you, so you do notes in the dining hall, on the edge of people's beds, or sitting in lobby area.

CHE has improved it's training and support. They appear to be making efforts to improve camaraderie and support (which is difficult to do with. how spread out things are).  However, they have reduced pay significantly for all clinicians providing direct care and have increased requirements.

I’ll get straight to the point.... Looking at the big picture and knowing what I do about this company,  There are better companies out there that would appreciate you and your hard work. CHE is a company that is out for themselves. They suck the life out of you. Its becoming obvious since a lot of the higher ups have left or are leaving the company. Only speaking on my experience at the SOUTHAMPTON office in PA. The upper management is a joke. Don’t ever have an opinion. They will think your to aggressive and you will have a target on your back. They could never keep a AR team Manager, there has been 2 since I’ve started. (Almost 2 years) VP was always talking about us being a “TEAM”.. Last time I checked there was no “I” in team. He was hardly ever in the office and when he was, he would walk right by us without saying a word. He never really knew what we were doing or if we needed anything. “Never even Asked “ Maybe that’s why after the furlough was over he  brought back someone that still after 3+ years of being there still say  “I’M NEW “ and still learning, but laid off the girls that actually knew what they were doing and could help in my department. So all this continues to be put on two AR employees. Really!!! They really don’t have a clue on who is/ was a true asset to them. Those who got things done and actually got results, and those who are just there to get a paycheck. Due to that ... I  Hope they don’t get  audited again. Flexibly is a plus.. PTO is 5 days a year. (Don’t get sick ) 

Where can I start...work-life balance is great! Good company for working mothers who need the flexibility.

Downside is that the company offers few PTO days even for employees that have been there years before they became “corporate”. The cost of health insurance is only affordable for the clinicians. The staff at the office always speaks on how expensive the cost is. Health plan isn’t even that great.

Leadership is a joke as well. They all seem to just think about them selves. During the covid outbreak in NY they furloughed so many people. Kept their hopes up by saying we will let you know when you can return. And then tell them they are fired and most of them can’t pick up their belongings. This seems like it was the only way the “corporate” people was going to get rid of the staff who was here for so many years.

I only see the is a a good company to work for if it’s your first job. I recommend learn and take your knowledge elsewhere where you’ll be appreciated.

Oh I forgot, they used to have a monthly luncheon for the staff at the BK office. But like all things this was a joke too. Who would want cold bagels for lunch or disgusting cold food from the supermarket. Yet their president owns a restaurant. They are so cheap to the employees who keep the business running for them. 

Complete joke

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Clinical psychologist 425 salaries reported	$128,447 per year
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Licensed professional counselor 264 salaries reported	$97,000 per year

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