mental health therapist

therapist

outpatient therapist

mental health technician

licensed clinical social worker

Discovery Behavioral Health

While my peers were fantastic and I learned a lot from my colleagues, my overall experience at this organization was deeply disappointing due to the poor leadership and decision-making at the executive level. The executives consistently demonstrated ill-informed judgment and a lack of experience, which has had a devastating impact on the company’s direction and morale. The turnover at the executive and managerial level was so high that it constantly trickled down, creating an environment of uncertainty and distrust.

Some of the most egregious examples include laying off entire departments only to rehire them months later, promoting individuals just to fire them and eliminate their positions before their first annual review, and failing to establish a clear vision for the company’s future. These erratic decisions have created an environment of instability and uncertainty, leaving employees feeling undervalued and demoralized.

To make matters worse, the company has lost tens of millions of dollars due to its inability to bill insurance properly. Instead of addressing these critical issues, the executives’ solution is to cut expenses and benefits for employees. 401k matching? Gone. A variety of health insurance options? Forget about it. Holiday parties? A thing of the past. It’s clear that the executives are out of touch with the needs of their workforce and are more focused on short-term cost-cutting than long-term sustainability.

What’s particularly frustrating is the company’s insistence on conveying how valuable they are to their patients while simultaneously failing to value their own employees. The hypocrisy is staggering—how can an organization claim to prioritize patient care when it doesn’t even prioritize the well-being of the people providing that care?

What was once a thriving behavioral healthcare provider has devolved into a desolate wasteland of subpar industry professionals scraping by. The company’s decline is a direct result of poor leadership, and I’ll be surprised if they’re still around in five years.

If you’re considering working here, I’d advise you to think twice. While the people you work alongside may be great, the toxic leadership and lack of direction make it a challenging and ultimately unrewarding place to build a career.

I was let go after a large incident between management and a man who had poor intentions adter getting hired. The location I was working at pushed out all staff not Alumni or related to Alumni. It was very unfortunate that after the transition started, PWC management and floor staff cliqued up. I loved the treatment model, felt included, and created a strong love for my work. That quickly declined when the DBH transition took fast hold on the company's structure and policy. The staff working at PWC were not able to handle the transition; the stress and confusion of the cooperate policy and procedures made too many people on edge, this stress got taken out on those who were independent in their work; those who worked without the need to have peer validation. This is a great job for a starting point to get a foot in the door for SUD/mental health treatment. 

I would recommend working at DBH/PWC despite the issues I faced and I believe they will level out after some time. I have no hard feelings, I still refer my current caseload to their facility because of the therapuyic model, staff to patient support, and the advocatcy that staff utilizes to see their census succeed. 

It was a great experience, minus about 1 month by the end of my employment. I have worked during several company buy outs, transitions, and program developments. The disruption in the company dynamic was not uncommon and it can happen anywhere. 

Discovery lost sight of its original purpose of helping others with their mental health struggles. Two years ago I could not say enough good things about the company. I completely believed in the companies mission and values. Today, it’s clear the money hungry executive team does not care about the quality of mental health being offered, each patient is just a dollar sign. They treat their employees just as poorly as well. They are no longer matching 401k’s. The admissions department incentive  structure was revised in a way that makes any meaningful bonus almost unattainable. On top of not being paid a livable wage you have to constantly be double checking you’re not making ANY mistakes or you will scrutinized and written up. There’s no work life balance because weekend shifts are now mandatory, even if you were hired to only work weekdays. You’re not valued as an individual and are expected to behave like a robot. There’s no autonomy in your work structure at all. Communication between departments is non existent and is cut off. There is no unity as a company. It’s very much “us” vs “them” when really we are all there for the same purpose. The only positive I can say about Discovery at this time is that your colleagues are incredible. Each and every person on the admissions team is dedicated, committed and willing to go that extra mile. DBH is going to lose a lot of really talented individuals if they don’t turn things around. 

The previous reviews are accurate. The low pay and heavy workload contribute to high turnover rates and employee burnout. In my experience, several staff members left the company in a short period due to the overwhelming responsibilities assigned to individuals without adequate support. Management provides little to no support, and communication is limited, which negatively impacts morale. Last-minute changes to the group schedule would occur without prior notice, causing confusion. The workload often led to employees falling behind on documentation and skipping lunch breaks due to the demands of the job and the need for coverage. Additionally, there were discrepancies with the benefits package—holidays that were listed as paid time off were often not honored, and employees were expected to work instead. Seniority was prioritized above all else, meaning those with more tenure received preferential treatment: they were assigned their preferred groups, avoided covering other groups, had more control over their schedules, and could even choose patients based on preference. It is my personal opinion that if the Joint Commission came for a visit, the program would be shut down due to the working conditions and not being in compliance. 

Having been at the company for 2+ years, you would think that they would value your handwork and loyalty but that is not the case with Discovery Behavioral Health. They focus so much on expanding the facility and getting admission because they only care about the numbers and how much money the company is bringing in. If they tell you they value their employees, work/life balance, or that there is opportunity for growth, that is a LIE. 

The admission directors treat their coordinator with the least respect yet set the expectations so high making the job and tasks given to you extremely stressful. Admission directors are in need of better training and better communication. There is a huge division between leadership and people below and they make sure you feel that you don't have a voice. A lot of times, things will change and you're expected to follow the rules, no heads up, no training, no communication of any means. The admission directors have favorites and will treat some better than others. You are pretty replaceable at any given point even if you are doing your job well. Unfortunately, you might have to kiss up to people to move up in the company. I wish this company treat their employees better.


This company's idea of training is having new hires shadow current technicians to learn policies and procedure for one week, then throwing that hire into the fray to see if they'll sink or swim. Most of my peers on the job agreed that the training was minimal and unhelpful for the amount of work this position does. 

This position is grossly underpaid for the work that goes into it, as you are basically babysitting 6 young adult patients, some of which are actively suicidal. I had multiple experiences where I was completely alone in supervising said patients, even though it's considered against policy to have at least a 1 to 3 technician to patient ratio. 

Speaking of policy, it's constantly changing. We had almost daily policy changes, some of which felt like punishments for specific patients. The environment did not feel conducive towards patient growth and recovery, and numerous patients checked out against medical advice due to supervisory and staff treatment of them.

Some patients really benefitted from the program, but overall it felt like they were treating patients as problems instead of people.


Working here has been one of the most impactful growth experiences of my career. From early on, the organization took a chance on me, even when I didn’t check every traditional box on paper. That decision created an opportunity for me to stretch, learn, and ultimately grow into a stronger professional.

One of the things that stands out most is the level of trust and autonomy you’re given. You’re encouraged to bring your ideas forward, test them, and refine them—not everything works perfectly the first time, but the environment supports learning rather than punishing missteps. That kind of culture is rare and has made a huge difference in my development.

The support systems behind the scenes are also a major strength. HR, IT, and operational teams genuinely partner with you and want you to succeed. When challenges come up (and they do, because the work is not easy), you’re not navigating them alone.

This is a fast-paced, sometimes demanding environment, but if you’re someone who wants to grow, take initiative, and be part of something meaningful, it’s a place where you can really build your career.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The patients are wonderful people that are courageous to seek recovery from eating disorders. There was moderate independence as a therapist. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Environment of power, fear and control of employees. With threats of lay offs followed by increased work loads, gasligting, manipulation and changes in metrics compared to in person facilities and virtual care used as leverage to lay off half of staff and maximize profits. Health care should NOT be run this way. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Constant turn over, lay offs, changes in metrics, role expectations, case loads, poor management, callous attitude of upper management toward clinical staff and patient care. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Unpredictable. You never know what you will be walking into. Chaotic management. Clinical staff does all the work and hold it together so patient care is not  impacted.

Worst part of the job was the passive-aggressive communication via Teams chat. Lots of commitment to misunderstanding there and weird behavior (i.e. sending mean message instead of communicating in person and then avoiding eye contact while on the floor). Improvements would have looked like scheduled inter-shifts and in-person communication between floor staff and therapists. Further, excessive cuts to staffing were stressful and dangerous. No management since they were busy filling in shifts. Hiring an academic coordinator (not tech who also did that), chef, housecleaner, and nurse would have helped techs not take on inappropriate roles. Competing demands which made it impossible to be at 2 places at once and then gaslighting about not being able to achieve the impossible were also frequently a thing. It was clear that C-suite people in the company wanted a yacht and were willing to compromise patient care and steal staff wages in order to achieve this.

What is the best part of working at the company?
We have new leadership at the DBH support center and the entire company culture has shifted in a very positive way. I have been with the company for several years and this is the happiest that I have been. The collaboration and comradery is uplifting! Our Chief Operating Officer is a phenomenal person and leader and it is an honor to work under her leadership. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The work we get to do is a privilege and at times, very stressful. However, I love the work I do and who I get to do it with. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The best it has ever been. Supportive, collaborative, and the expectation from our COO is that we treat each other with respect always. I love my team and feel safe to express myself at any time. I feel heard and trusted as a leader. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I have a full schedule and time built in for self-care. Our COO is very respectful of our work-life balance and we do our best to accommodate the different time zones.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Mental health therapist 7 salaries reported	$74,214 per year
Therapist 2 salaries reported	$66,250 per year
Outpatient therapist 7 salaries reported	$66,786 per year
Mental health technician 1 salary reported	$20.00 per hour
Licensed clinical social worker 114 salaries reported	$78,149 per year

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