mental health technician

mental health therapist

assertive community treatment team leader

public health nurse

public health engineer

Coos Health & Wellness

I worked for Coos Health and Wellness as a Mental Health Specialist - II in the Access department (formerly BTC). I left the job for personal reasons. If some major things hadn't happened in my life, I would probably have kept the job, because I really enjoyed working there. 

Positives:
Great team environment. I really enjoyed working alongside the Access team as  well as interacting with case management, the adult team, and forensics. Colleagues were never rude or short with me, even if we had clinical disagreements. 
The clients/community!
The front desk staff is terrific. 
Terrific, definitely qualified, supportive, knowledgeable managers. I was never once "micromanaged". When I needed support or had a question a manager was pretty much always available. There were figures we needed to meet, but not a caseload. I cant guarantee that will always be the case, but in past jobs, I had to meet minimum client numbers per week which was stressful. No need to advertise yourself on psychologytoday, etc. Part of my job was the walk in/call in crisis work, and if we became overrun, there was pretty much always another team member available to help out. 
Trust to run clinical practice.
Plenty of education/continuing education opportunities. During my time there I attended many, including a motivational interviewing training. I was told there is an upcoming EMDR training, which I am bit sad to missing out on. 
No shared office space. At least in my position, I had my own office. 
Events, free lunches, coffee in the breakroom. Generally good spirits. 
FQHC status - for those that are worried about student loans. 
In my experience, clients were not pathologized by their diagnosis. 

Cons:
Hard to come up with many. 
Any con that comes alongside working in community mental health. Mental health/social work is inherently a stress inducing career path, but CHW is doing it right in my opinion. 
Perhaps something to look into at the managerial level is the model of treatment, for lack of a better term. Most of my clients were not short term, even though I was in the brief therapy department. Felt like a bit of a misnomer for clients that might have high expectations. They are moving to update the name I believe, not sure about the model.  Cannot guarantee results in this field regardless. 


Duties for my position vary from day to day based on a rotation of tasks such as screening and assessment or provision of crisis services as well as Individual therapy with clients on my regular caseload. Caseload is manageable with adequate time provided to complete therapeutic interventions and the requisite paperwork associated with managing client files. Management is accessible and supportive. Coworkers within my department work in a shared office space with 5 clinicians allowing for easy sharing of information. This is especially helpful for new employees who may have less insight into available county/community resources or standard operating procedures. More plainly I can spin around in my chair and ask the room, "hey, I've got somebody on the phone looking for this where can I direct them?" or " Hey where do I find the form for this or that?" It makes for a collaborative and communal environment I enjoy but acknowledge may not be to everyone's liking. If you require a quiet and solitary space to complete tasks or are easily distracted this would not be for you.

Coos Health and Wellness offers a friendly supportive environment that is a catalyst for growth and development, provides several trainings, is culturally inclusive and emphasizes work family life. 

Coos Health and Wellness has taught me the importance of ongoing training and how to apply different techniques with our clients providing our clients with the best care. Coos Health and Wellness also led me to  program development and in managerial positions, which I worked for a few years. The choice to leave was a very difficult one and had to do with family matters versus controversial ones.

The workplace culture starts from the top. The managers are supportive and have an excellent eye for talent including cultivating and promoting talent within when possible. Coos Health and Wellness seeks and hires from a diverse population, which contributes to the well rounded options of care provided. The most challenging part of the job is that's there not enough hours in every day to provide the continuity of care needed in the community.  The most enjoyable part of the job is who we get to work with, from co-workers to management to members of the community and the best part, the clients. It is a gift to work with everyone affiliated with Coos Health and Wellness. 

This state initiative understood the importance of allowing flexibility for this endeavor. For that reason I was allowed to network and define the nature of the work I was engaging in. I generated a great deal of data to prove my findings. I became well aware of the gaps in service complicated by the large geographic area present in Oregon. There are important infrastructure issues in need of resolution if these initiatives are to have a chance. Alas, for many rural communities, these issues are not a priority and funding for state initiative implementation many times is woefully inadequate. This can pit states against the counties who try to meet expectations without the resources to do so. Managers of service are then in the position of meeting state expectations knowing that they are set up for failure. The frustrations I experienced at Coos is much greater than the county services that my program represented.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I loved working with the team and my supervisors and other teammates were always available  when ever I neede anything, it was like a family!! Not just another job!

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Some of the calls where stressful, but that was the job! I learned to just go with it!! Just take a deep breath and go on to the next one!

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is professional but not to the point of being stressful

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Well it was low key, since at the time I was working from home! My days started at 6:30, and I would login to my computer, see how many calls I would have for the day, and typically it wouldn't go past 4:30, since it would be a 10 hr day

I was brought on board as a temporary COVID-19 Contact Tracer/Symptom Monitor in December of 2020. Even though my position was temporary, it gave me great experience in a healthcare support role, with good, caring people supporting me throughout. Training was provided that prepared me for what I had to do and how to handle confidential information, and the accommodations for working from home were adequate. Some days were challenging (mainly regarding the people whom you're reaching out to try to help), but that's to be expected in a job like this. What I enjoyed the most was the opportunity to help people through this challenging time.

Overall love working here. I have a supportive supervisor who understands the need for time off for illness, family issues, or just self-care. The workplace recently shifted to requiring productivity standards so the job has gotten more overwhelming as of late with time constraints that make meeting clients, completing timely paperwork, and staying sane a little more difficult. However this place has good people who will help out when needed.

I am able to use my skills to enhance people's lives daily.  The management team does an excellent job in encouraging and supporting employees to use their skills and passion to improve people's lives.  The culture is balance and diverse.  I really enjoy the diverse of the job assignments.  The management team is welcoming with ideas and support.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Join the union and they can't just fire you.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
No leadership, no accountability, managers are NEVER there, moral is very low.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Every man for himself!

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Stress, negative coworkers, too much hostility.

Bad place to work. The culture consists of who is the manager’s favorites and they let the people bully and intimidate others. 
The management felt above the employees and did not care to hear what was said, instead they did what they wanted even though it was not in the best interest of the clients. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Mental health technician 11 salaries reported	$6,581 per month
Mental health therapist 2 salaries reported	$68,238 per year
Assertive community treatment team leader 3 salaries reported	$6,641 per month
Public health nurse 1 salary reported	$80,070 per year
Public health engineer 2 salaries reported	$3,846 per month

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