community support specialist

behavior technician

customer specialist

clinician

dental assistant

Compass Health Network

In the interview, they promise you that Compass provides work-life balance but by the first month, you know that’s  far from the truth .  They tell you all you have to see is 20 clients a week but they don’t tell you in the interview is that your week will ALSO include 6 hours of weekly meetings,  tons of trainings in the office, you are expected to be in the school  meeting with kids but also in the community sometimes until 7  at night seeing kids and parents.

 Not to mention the driving ,  the  assessments, the seven consecutive days of follow ups from kids discharged from the hospital, tons of notes you have write, the wellness plans… and then they yell at you for working over 40 hours or not seeing 20 kids under 40 hours or not  documenting the same stuff on the millions of spreadsheets they have. 

The only mental health support they have for employees is headspace app but other than that there’s no indication employee mental health matters to them. They push, push, push until you quit or submit.  Or you have a nervous breakdown. Your family never sees you and you’re too crabby and overtired to have happy interactions with your family when you actually are at home.  

In the first 6 months of working there we must have lost several dozen employees because they quit or just plane left there stuff and walked out.  The employee retention is terrible and they lose a lot more people than they keep. Then the employees who stay have to pick up the slack….while expected to stay under 40 hours, take care of their own caseload, 6 hours of meeting, driving, spreadsheets,  note after note after note, 7 day safety check ins , getting chewed out by your boss, phone calls and being expected too work morning to night. 

And, btw, only seeing clients or guardians or meetings with school about individual clients in person count as CCR. Nothing else counts. So if you talk to a guardian over the phone for an hour bc  they want input on client behaviors or there scared, it doesn’t count as a contact.  And if you have a meeting with the client’s psychiatrist, that doesn’t count either . Or if one of the kids is sick or  on vacation, you’ll get penalized for not making CCR. It’s like a race you’ll never win

The people working in the operations side with clients have the best intentions however a strong disconnect exists between people on the ground and "Leadership". As a community support specialist with a social work background, I greatly enjoyed the clients I met, and the work we attempted to accomplish. I started working here feeling like I could make a difference and change the toxic culture co-workers told me about however after four years found it to become more toxic and people fleeing from their positions. The company began having us carry GPS trackers for "safety" that also has a recording feature management can listen in on. This feature became a "spy" device that allows management to ensure correct treatment is being given and to subtract from our productivity "units" if it was not deemed appropriate under whatever guise they came up with to save their own appearance. Training is little to none, support from leadership even less, and work/life balance and support non existent. There is talk about taking care of yourself as a good social worker should however the profit driven/abusive work culture destroys any notion of this being a priority as you have been taught in your schooling. 
You may think you might be the different type of person that will change the culture or it will not affect you however I have seen much better people than myself come with that idea and leave greatly disheartened. Actually everyone over four years. 
This company and leadership is very much like many stock market driven companies where they rely on the healthy intentions and sacrifice of the workers who do their best but have little to no support from leadership and are easily replaceable, leaving feeling used. The company is too big to fail and receives most of its money from the state. The state is left trying to provide a service with a provider they have supported over the years who has become profit driven and patient using. The clients need and deserve a much better service and if you decide to work here, the long term affect will be for the state of Missouri to continue to fund a company because of your sacrifice and not let it fail.

I started working at Compass Health Network during my undergrad study. I took a part-time, 12 hour shift weekend position. One thing I can say is the work is very rewarding. I come home from work feeling like I have made a difference. Interacting with clients gives me hope, personal fulfillment and purpose, and has genuinely changed my life. I love this job because of this but in many other areas it has its drawbacks. 

Part-time employees don't make enough PTO to sustain a work/life balance. We don't get sick leave, vacation time, or paid holidays. We have to use our PTO if we're sick, there's bad weather, it's a holiday, we have family conflicts, etc. No sympathy for normal life stuff coming up. Upper management is strict and cruel, we are only allowed to have two unpaid days off per year for emergencies and if there's more than that, too bad you're out of a job. If we don't have enough PTO to cover an absence, you don't get to have the day off. For full-timers the issue isn't quite as bad, though still prevalent, but if you're working part-time, expect zero ability to maintain a halfway decent work-life balance. 

Training is extensive but sometimes too much. The company offers paid training, which is great, but during training we have to complete 101 online trainings most of which are pointless. 

During 12 hour shifts we also get no lunch or dinner break. If we want to get lunch or dinner we have to order delivery, bring our own, or clock out to get something. 

Worth mentioning also that rules about forms and documentation seem to change daily, based on the person in management you speak to. My coworkers also aren't the best, judgemental and full of prejudice that really doesn't need to be in this field. Supervisors feel the same way. 

I often feel like I am the only employee who cares about my clients and treats this job like a real opportunity to help them succeed. 

The location of my position was changed multiple times. Multiple negative onboarding experiences. Management will cite their DEI efforts however this is a new committee and there are explicit rules for who can and cannot participate. The agency has roots in rural Missouri however after changing the name and scaling and expanding the agency is now spatially present across mid-central Missouri from Kansas City area to the City of St. Louis. Workforce composition and leadership are homogenous despite the presence in diverse communities such as the City of St. Louis. For frontline clinicians the expansion business strategy entails high caseloads for Medicaid and Medicare billing since a low percentage of clients served have commercial insurance. The expectation for an outpatient therapist is 25 weekly client encounters minimum however you are only allowed five hours weekly for non-billable activities, which could include CEU training, care coordination and case management, follow-up phone calls, etc. In practice you'll see 35 clients weekly, especially with growing community need and open access scheduling, and the overall caseload composition consists of high psychiatric acuity and medical comorbidities, which means these clients are time intensive despite how you will not be allocated such time. Also, there is differential treatment of clinicians as almost all psychiatrists have outside employment and therapists cannot be employed outside of the agency (we can't work to the top of our degree?). The ethics committee, which determines if someone can retain outside employment, is likely to approve outside employment for much needed medical clinicians over therapists. There's no tuition support unless you're pursuing a master's degree as a qualified mental health professional to fill the ongoing clinical staff attrition. This isn't a big hospital system and benefits are limited. Most major changes will be communicated through email. 

If you prefer to work for a company that prioritizes numbers over quality of care then Compass Health is the place for you. The pay is very reasonable and the benefits on paper look really nice (despite health insurance not including mental health services), especially the training opportunities that you won't have time for. Caseloads become unmanageable very quickly and the responsibility falls on you to clean the mess you didn't make. Expect to have about 7 clients scheduled per day and use that precious admin hour wisely. You will be tempted to work through your lunch but don't tell your supervisor because it's not their job to advocate for your needs. Your boss's boss will spend a few days out of the year rollin into the office and light a flicker of hope that things are going to get better but they don't. 
If decide to work here, this is my greatest recommendation: Declare an area of expertise (or at least an area of interest), even if you are a general therapist with minimal experience. When admin,  therapists, and supervisors try to send clients over that don't align with your specialty, DONT CAVE IN.  You will end up working with client's that you have no idea how to treat and will burn you out so quick and it's VERY difficult to transfer client's once they are on your caseload. You will be made to feel you don't have a choice. That is the culture. Trust me on this, Compass Health is great at masking it's flaws to a fault, systematically snuffing out any kind of organizing  and employee advocacy efforts. Supervisors DO have personal relationships with people on your team and your teammates will whistleblow any coordinated efforts to mobilize. You are your only advocate so make it count. Max your 401k for a few years then get outta there. Best of luck.

My experience with Compass Health Network was disappointing and ultimately led me to leave. The workload expectations were extremely high for the pay, and the focus seemed centered on meeting numbers rather than supporting clients in a meaningful way. That doesn’t align with the values I hold as someone entering the social work field.

Management was very new, which made it difficult to get consistent answers or guidance. There was a lot of uncertainty and confusion, and it left employees trying to figure things out on their own without a clear structure in place.

Another major issue was the unrealistic quotas. The only CSS worker consistently able to meet quota was school-based. Most of the others were overwhelmed and stressed to the point of tears, trying to meet expectations that didn’t match the reality of the workload.

If you expect a traditional 9–5 schedule, you will be disappointed. Families often can’t meet during the day due to their own work schedules, which forces employees into inconsistent and unpredictable hours. On top of that, you are expected to reach 40 hours and meet your quota, even if that means being sent corrections or notes on a Saturday. Many employees end up working off the clock just to keep up, which is neither sustainable nor fair.

Overall, Compass Health Network was not the right fit for me, and I hope they make the necessary changes to better support their staff and the clients they serve

If you make under 25 an hour, you won’t be able to afford insurance for your family. The employee free insurance has a 4000 dollar deductible, that won’t pay out till it’s met, Not even meds, Only covers preventative care. 

This is by far the worst company I have ever worked for and a poor excuse for a non-profit. The expectations and work load are so enormous that even the seasoned employees can’t achieve it. You work 10+ hour days and are still told you are not doing enough. You are constantly told told what you are doing wrong without receiving any kind of praise or advice. There is a huge inconsistency between teams and supervisors, and other teams are favored and allowed to do things that should not be allowed. You are told to adjust your meeting times with clients so you can reach your goals, but are left to your own device if you were to get in trouble for it. The company is really all about the numbers/money and does not care about client or employee needs. My personal holiday was withheld from me because I couldn’t achieve the tremendous expectations, telling me that they do not care about employee mental health. You are not given sick days unless you use 4 PTO days first. The management acts as if they know what they are doing but half the time ask their supervisees what to do. The client load is way too much to handle for the type of work we do. If you can’t meet with families during the day and in the home then you are punished. There is no room to advance in this company and raises are only given if you can exceed the already too high expectations. There is a revolving door of employees and kids are constantly losing people close to them. Clients are working with multiple staff at the same time which makes coordination and treatment difficult. I feel like I genuinely helped the clients that I work with, but the company is going to ruin a great program.

I have worked here for 10 years and am so grateful for this company.  
When my father fell and was hospitalized for 5 straight months, the agency allowed me lots of flexibility in my work schedule.  That way I could spend the time with my mom and dad that they needed, but still keep my full time salary.  I could not have imagined a company being more supportive or flexible with my needs.  
They work hard to keep every employee paid, with raises and incentives, even during COVID.  They are constantly looking for grant funding sources to help provide technology options for even the clients.  They provide technology, GPS safety equipment, PPE and a workplace culture designed to keep staff safe while still providing clients the supports they need.  
The hardest part right now is working mostly from home.  We have daily meetings by TEAMS and schedule in person luncheons periodically to stay connected.  The team I work with is great, and we truly enjoy each others company!  I miss the pot lucks and gatherings in office where we can all laugh and share together.  Hopefully those will resume soon.
The agency embraces the perspective that recovery is possible and understands people who come to us for services are generally at their lowest.  Our goal is to inspire hope. That culture is present in nearly every discussion.

My typical work day starts at 8:00 a.m. and runs until 5:00 pm. My my peer level co-workers are carrying compassionate, energetic, generally pleasant individuals, the management and the administrators are wholly, incompetent and uncaring. Policy within compass Health is ill-defined at best and you will be reprimanded for asking for clarification on it.
You will not receive benefits until 2 months in and management will try to gaslight you into believing they value employees mental well-being as well as maintaining a work-life balance, they do not. And they, like most healthcare companies, demand constant productivity and ever-growing goals in a turbulent and unstable time for the worker.  The expectation and demands of this position is to connect individuals with social services that may or may not be available given recent political climate change and if you voice these concerns or this frustration, you will be reprimanded. 

Again, if you're an individual looking to do good, you can do better than here.

A typical day you are supposed to see as many clients as possible, you get burnt out very quickly due to huge caseloads. You go out in the community to see clients, most of the time being in the client's home, in a 1;1 setting with you and the client. Each day you are supposed to see a certain number of clients, for every two weeks (per pay period) you have customer care requirements that you must meet. You help the client with an array of different situations, ranging from crisis intervention, community resources to help with client goal setting. Driving (your own vehicle most of the time, they do have a couple vehicles to borrow for the day IF they are not already signed out by someone else) is also a huge part of the position. Management can be flakey; management likes to contradict themselves and they run on the good ole boys' system. Co-workers are all pretty nice as for everyone is pretty much in the same boat as for they understand the difficulties of the work environment. It's nice being able to be out and about throughout the day, that's a positive but ninety nine percent of the time you are constantly in a state of rush, rush, rush which gets very stressful and old very quickly.  

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Community support specialist 85 salaries reported	$26.09 per hour
Behavior technician 70 salaries reported	$19.15 per hour
Customer specialist 25 salaries reported	$18.09 per hour
Clinician 19 salaries reported	$33.51 per hour
Dental assistant 13 salaries reported	$25.00 per hour

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