clinician

licensed practical nurse

outpatient therapist

behavior technician

mental health technician

David Lawrence Center

The time spent at the Center had its ups and downs. The center utilizes a fantastic training program, much more comprehensive than that to which I was accustomed. Further, the employee appreciation initiatives were both generous and appreciated.

The staff was reletivley easy to work with and most seemed genuinley dedicated to their jobs and to the center. This being said though, some clearly had anger issues that did not benefit the clients whatsoever. Other staff would talk about the clients negativley in their presence or blatantly ignore their needs while "on the floor". From time to time, they would be known to "brag" about their reaction to an unruly client, which to me, was nothing short of unprofessional.

They tend to offer jobs (perhaps rightfully so given the dynamics of the area) to those who are bilingual, though they are misleading about this quasi-"requirement" in their hiring process, especially when it involves a longer distance hire. I believe my current supervisor up north refers to their actions as a "bait and switch" tecnique whereby one is led to believe they are being offered one job and in reality, receive another that is several levels below their educational / experience-related qualifications. In this regard, the pay was quite sub-par and they were misleading about the first 6-month increase.

The insurance is decent for the area, though in wokring for a nonprofit in the north that uses the same insurance company (BCBS), it pales in comparison (at David Lawrence) for a higher cost for services and a reduced number / amount of services covered.

In summary, the Center is not a terrible place to work for the general lack of work within the greater region, though I personally am much happier to be up north again and no longer a part of this organization.

We inspire and create
an environment that empowers people
towards life-changing wellness
to achieve what is possible.
We pledge to provide
exceptional, compassionate
care utilizing innovative healthcare
practices.
We value our relationships
with people as our greatest asset.
We respect the dignity and
unique expression of each
individual and are dedicated to
making a powerful difference in their lives.
Through collaborative partnerships
we encourage people to
embrace and invest in our
efforts to ensure the health,
wellbeing, and safety of our community.
We recruit and develop
dynamic, skillful professionals
who are committed to the lives we
touch and the pursuit of excellence.
WE CULTIVATE Creativity,
resourcefulness, and a spirit of
teamwork where everyone matters.
Integrity is the foundation
on which our agency and services are built.
We honor our word, doing what we say we
will do and being true to who we say we are.
We are proud to be AN
undisputed leader in our
field where people will experience
life-changing wellness!

I thoroughly enjoyed working with this company. I was given autonomy in my programs and worked hard to make sure my clients had the best treatment available to them.

I facilitated numerous programs while working at the David Lawrence Center. My typical day consisted of running two to three groups, three individual sessions, full psycho-social assessments, and preparing all the necessary paperwork and records for clinical flow. I learned a lot about the field, health care management and found that the hardest business is the disconnect between probation officers and therapists. In mandated treatment, the therapist is required to wear many hats. The most enjoyable part of my job is the intrinsic reward when I'm told that I made a difference in someone's life.

My typical day was managing IT staff and making sure all systems were stable and available to staff.  I spent a lot of time supporting the electronic medical record system, creating reports, and updating dashboards.  The job wasn't too difficult because the IT staff were the best of the best.  Being successful at a job requires the support and encouragement from your supervisor.  I had that in mine.  She was always so supportive and had complete faith in letting me run the department as I knew how.  This company cares about their employees and patients.  Everyone here was great to work with and I will always speak highly of my experience at DLC.  This is a family-feel environment.

Good agency to work for if you are starting out. Gain experience and add to your resume. However, there is an overload of work. Leadership seems more concerned with "productivity" and quantity of clients seen, rather than quality of care. Clinicians are expected to see 26vclients over week, in addition to paperwork, case mgt, meetings, emails, etc. If you dint meet that level of care, its reflected in your evaluation. So if clients cancel, the clinician is dinged for it. Management is overloaded as well, leaving little time for them to support their clinical team. You will get about 100 emails per day, with changing rules and procedure. It's hard to keep up...high turnover rate, due to burn out.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The benefits are the best part of working for this company 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Literally management it’s terrible and they expect you to do everything alone when it’s so much work to compete for one person alone. Management is legit no help

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Depends where you are in the facility 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
From start to the end of the day it’s continuous work and sometimes you are there after hours

I’ve seen many reviews of this place that say clients are treated better than staff and I totally agree. Your safety comes second to clients, always. If you need time off, you only get it if you can find someone to cover your shift. They’re always understaffed so finding anyone is nearly impossible. The stress you get from this job is incredible and they only pay you the bare minimum. You get benefits but they’re minimal. The PTO has been reworked so that it’s extremely inconvenient to take any. The higher ups will tell you they care about you and then act in a manner that says the opposite. 

The basis and mission of what the organization is trying to do is great. Providing mental healthcare access to a variety of clients and opening access to those that might not be able to receive services elsewhere. However, therapists are expected to crank out therapy sessions with very little time given for mental breaks, completing necessary documentation, and follow ups. When there are cancellations it is often looked at as the therapist’s fault. They overwork the therapists which in turn aids in why they lose talented and skillful assists to the team unfortunately. 

I’m a current employee and, while I value my experience gained at DLC, I am very excited to leave in the near future. I’ve stayed so long because my coworkers make it bearable. My direct supervisor is also amazing. Upper management doesn’t care. They know the stress and struggle, but they do not care. Also, the pay is awful. We are out in dangerous and stressful situations and are paid the bare minimum, not even hazard pay. Other departments never learn each other’s jobs or needs so there is a perpetual cycle of us vs. them. And. No. One. Cares. 

Every position from clinical to clerical gives you more work than one can get done in 40hrs. If you are in a leadership position, bank on working 55hrs or more. Its a good place to get experience in mental health and substance abuse treatment. The mission is great and what keeps people there is their dedication to helping others. But I find that dedication of others can be exploited by some of the leadership. There is a higher turn over rate in most departments.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Clinician 8 salaries reported	$56,188 per year
Licensed practical nurse 3 salaries reported	$27.50 per hour
Outpatient therapist 1 salary reported	$62,000 per year
Behavior technician 5 salaries reported	$17.20 per hour
Mental health technician 1 salary reported	$17.50 per hour

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