residential counselor

assistant

support associate

trainer

qualified intellectual disabilities professional

Clearbrook

I cannot speak for the agency as a whole, but I can speak for the Getz building and the CAP program. 

Location:  The Getz Building is a warehouse and does not fit client needs.  I know there are plans for a new building, but this is long overdue and quite sad it took this long to realize.  Clients are squeezed into small spaces that are far too small for client/staff ratio.   There is no gym or sensory area or outdoor space besides for a couple picnic tables that would be very helpful to many clients there.  The building itself is disgusting as it is very old and not well maintained and lacks cleanliness from janitorial staff.  For any potential parents, guardians, potential hires who come in this is not a good first impression.

Workplace Culture:  Clearbrook offers very little days of staff development and days and time  to organize the building and or your program area.   It has been a revolving door of DSP'S that very little bonding or staff chemistry can develop, a vital component to a day program's success. Old activites and supplies were given to the area I worked in as there was no money for most of the time of the year to support buying new materials that the group I worked with could enjoy and be useful. I could count on one hand  the number of times i was able to get what I wanted for the program over the course of a year - 2 times.  

Management:  To be fair, the Getz building was understaffed on almost all levels of workers.  This can be very stressful for all and can be hard for anyone and I realize a lot is out of control and may fall back on Clearbrook's upper management team. As a result, my relationship with management proved to be challenging. There was little to no time for meetings to discuss program needs, wants, and expectations. Only certain programs in the building had budgets for educational or recreational activities and outings.   Management was so stressed and occupied with other things it seemed there was little time to get to know their staff, support new hires, and much more. Management also seems to have unfair and different expectations for different types of staff rather it be agency staff or Clearbrook Staff.  
The hardest part of the job was the staff to client ratio.  While it did improve over my time, for a very long time it was not  just days of understaffing ( which is happening everywhere so I get that it comes with the territory ) but weeks and months of understaffing.  This did not allow the program to function at its highest level and created an unsafe environment for all parties involved, staff and clients. 

I enjoyed the work for the clients.  Coming in everyday and seeing progress with their behaviors, goals, and. developing skills.   That's what its all about .  Enriching the lives of these individuals . 

The Getz Building and the CAP program itself was quite the learning experience,  As currently constructed, I would NOT reccommend this specific program or location to anyone for the reasons listed above. Improvements have been made but it is such a low standard and could have so much more potential if things were different  I hope the future is better for the clients.   

Typical day at work- Interacting with the clients, Feeding them, doing activities with them, and changing them. 

Learned- I learned very quickly about the clients and their behaviors. I learned how to change and clean them properly also I learned that you must have patience, love, and compassion. 

Management- Management needs to improve. I observe them sitting in the office most of the day and they come out and help just a little bit.  

Co-Workers- Some of them was nice and some was very rude and unprofessional.

Hardest Part- Hardest part was being short staffed and trying to assist, feed, and change over 10 people with only 2 staff and little to no help from management, trying to deal with my co-workers being unprofessional, trying to feel comfortable in a place where I don't feel comfortable because in training I was taught one thing, but when I was working it was like the staff did things their way and it confused me. It was like they didn't care. I was told the clients are not supposed to be left alone but I observe them being left alone and unsupervised. 

Enjoyable Part- The most enjoyable part about this job was the clients. Just to see them smile melted my heart, watching them dance, sing, laugh, improve on activities, eating, watching movies, etc it was nice to hear them talk and for them to express themselves the way they wanted too.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Only working with the people with disabilities.  The management is horrible, especially the president of the company.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The pay and the unsupportive management.  Their expectation of staff is insane.  They want 140% work ethic and they give 65% return.  The pay is sub-par especially considering the expectation.  The management will sell you out in a heartbeat; throwing you under the bus to their hire-ups.  No matter how well you do, 1 mistake is absolutely unforgivable.    I've seen them fire good workers for the smallest reason.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Definitely not commensurate.  The culture is harsh and back stabbing.  The upper management will use staff until things are on a form of autopilot then let you go.  No matter how much you do for the company, it's not appreciated.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
It's non-stop planning, training clients, creating reports, following procedures and making sure you're under the radar of management.  There are a lot of petty people in management who hold grudges.  Especially if you figure out a way to create process improvements that's more efficient and effective.  You'll never get credit for coming up w/ the idea.

When I first started at Clearbrook, the hands on training was very poor. I had to learn things about the clients,staff,other responsibilities pretty much on my own. The facility is not very clean. I always feel itchy when in the building. The staff is not informed when a client has a contagious disease. You either have to ask or read their chart! No report of changes when new shift starts. Night shift required to work 11pm till 9am but in reality your there till about 10 or sometimes even 11am due to staffing issues!! 3 staff required to each wing,5 clients each, but sometimes you work alone!! 15 to yourself all total assist!! Male staff has lighter load since they CAN NOT work with female clients.(ratio 2 male:5female) Sometimes at work I would be running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, while male staff sit around with their feet kicked up hanging out...and still on the clock!!! Have to lock up your belongings in a locker due to employee theft!! Refrigerator in staff lounge dirty..and don't trust your stuff in there..it will come up missing!! I wouldn't recommend this facility to any friends or family!

The one and only thing I loved about my job were the clients I got to meet. They were the most amazing group. I learned more about adults with disabilities than i ever believed I could. A typical day at work often involved doing 3 peoples jobs instead of just your own. My job was supposed to be doing changes, showers, brushing teeth and hair, and assisting in feeding. On top of that we had to act as cook. we had to prepare all meals even though someone was hired to do so. Then when the Maintenance man went on vacation which was typically for a month at a time a few times a year, we were expected to also do his job. We were so short staffed we usually had more clients than we were typically supposed to have. The girls typically got the worst of it too since the male staff could not work with female clients. You would end up working so much over time (70+ hours every week) that you would get sick. Then you get in trouble for having to call of for being sick. They want to treat workers like slaves instead of actual people. On top of it all, we were incredibly underpaid. Making $9.75 an hour when other people in the industry at different companies are making at the minimum $12/hr.

I've been working with Clearbrook for two years now, and love it. From what I've heard there is a huge turnover rate in the positions higher than mines, but I'm guessing that stems from personal life experiences outside of the job itself. I will never know, but me, myself loves working with Clearbrook, because it's very flexible as a full-time student + it is very rewarding working with adults with disabilities. Rewarding as in learning more about them, and what makes them unique! My client in particular has autism, and I work with him inside of his own home as an SLA (Supported Living Assistant). Working as an SLA, you get a chance to become part of their normal lives, and fully understand about that client in particular, as far as learning fully about them good and bad. 

Working in this field you have to have patience, and understanding. If you do not then I would advise you to work elsewhere. I enjoy it, and I'm very open to working as a full-time employee with this company once I graduate; even though my degree is something totally different from what opportunities this company offers.

●	At this facility for the intellectually and developmentally disabled population, I counseled 
	sixteen clients for an entire year, in two sessions per week for one hour.  Traveled
between four different facilities making client visits.
●	Once per month, we met with the client and their legal guardian, and their entire team, 
	consisting of such ancillary healthcare providers as a psychiatrist, general practitioner,
social worker, behaviorist, Job Coach, and the Community Integrated Living 
Arrangement (CILA) Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional (QIDP) to update the
guardian’s on the client’s progress.
I also served as Leader of four different types of client group sessions which consisted of techniques for relaxation, behavior modification, grief counseling, and vocational preparation.
●	Progress notes were prepared on an HSMS application, daily and then once each month 
   	prepared attainable goals in collaboration with the client. 
●	Performed suicide prevention assessment intake and performed group counseling with behavioral modification in CILA homes as required.

The management team for the day programs are completely poor. No hands on training. They throw you in the position and expect you to thrive with little to  no support. Management are afraid of the staff, do much so that they would rather develop friendly/buddy type relationships to keep from taking disciplinary action when necessary. For lack of better wording, the staff are just outright....ghetto, and they literally run/manage the place since management won't.  There's a ton of insubordination going on, and unfortunately, the clients have to be cared for by these people. Seems the only people who apply are folks who need Jobs badly, not the ones who have a genuine heart and want to see the clients healthy and develop. The pay is awful. DSP starting at 10 dollars... 10.50 if you have a CNA license. I have a degree and experience and was still terribly low balled. They promise you things that never happen.  The turnover is almost unbelievable! Almost always short staffed. Management is very poor.Get your feet wet but don't expect much.

The pay is terrible.  I am currently working as a Supportive Living Assistant and the family that I work for is wonderful.  I get to work at their house with the client.  I had no prior training working with an individual with autism, but was able to figure things out quickly as I worked in tandem with the behavioral tech most days.  My manager never responded to any of my requests for visual aides to use while I was working with my client.  She kept telling me that she would get to it.  I've been with this company now for 10 months and she never "got to it."  Even after I had asked over a dozen times.  I gave up.  She only observed me working with the client ONE time and this was after I had been there for 9 months!  Seriously?  Wow, just throw people in the job and hope they work out I guess.  They don't bother telling you that you will only have one client, because all of the other clients are either: too far away, the pay is worse, or the hours usually conflict with the hours you have already.

Clearbrook is a massive agency doing wonderful work. The following applies to the Child and Family Connections department within Clearbrook: 
You have the freedom to manage cases and work with wonderful people outside of the office. The management team is inexperienced and overworked and unable to support the service coordinators the way they need to be supported. The management team is unwilling or unable to change and do not support new ideas and streamlining processes. The most enjoyable part of the job is working with the families, children and therapists. The paperwork in the office is redundant and the cliques within the tiny, windowless office make the culture unbearable for anyone looking for a serious career.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Residential counselor 119 salaries reported	$21.04 per hour
Assistant 28 salaries reported	$21.29 per hour
Support associate 96 salaries reported	$22.86 per hour
Trainer 32 salaries reported	$20.96 per hour
Qualified intellectual disabilities professional 13 salaries reported	$56,786 per year

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