behavioral specialist

clinical supervisor

program manager

direct support professional

early childhood teacher

Easterseals Southern California

I want to start by saying this is an honest review of my personal experience with ESSC SoCal. I can only speak to the department I work in, as ESSC has many different departments and roles.

Many BCBAs enter the field with a genuine passion for helping others and making meaningful change. Unfortunately, too often we burn out due to the for-profit model, high billable requirements, and lack of support. 

ESSC has been different. This is the first company where I have felt valued as an employee for what I bring to the team. The expectations are reasonable, and the culture is nothing short of incredible. Everyone supports one another, and I have never felt “less than,” even while working alongside some of the most accomplished professionals I’ve ever met.

When I joined, I experienced imposter syndrome — and understandably so. Many of BCBAs within the organization are former clinical directors from large agencies, published BCBA-Ds, or active leaders in the field, including on the CalABA board. Yet instead of being intimidating, the culture here is about growth, mentorship, and maintaining excellence across the field. ESSC is truly the first company I’ve worked for that sets and maintains the highest standards of professionalism in ABA. The level of care, detail, and excellence they bring is unmatched, and I feel both proud and grateful to be a part of it. 

That isn’t to say ESSC doesn’t have its challenges. One common complaint is the use of MyEvolv and CarePOV systems which will be changing in the future. Personally, having been in the field for a long time and experiencing multiple system transitions, this hasn’t been a major issue for me. That said, those who are very comfortable with CR may find MyEvolv to have a learning curve.

Another important point is that ESSC can feel very department-specific. Each department has its own culture, leadership style, and team dynamics. In my department specifically, every BCBA has at least 5+ years of field experience and 3+ years as a licensed BCBA, with most colleagues having 8–10+ years in the field. That being said though, my the department brings together professionals from diverse backgrounds — school district BCBAs, clinical directors, consultants, and more. This diversity has been invaluable for my own learning and professional growth, and I feel fortunate to be surrounded by such expertise. It’s also clear that ESSC intentionally seeks out diverse BCBA backgrounds to strengthen the organization as a whole.

That being said, the bar for joining can be high, as the company does try to focus on clinical excellence. The hiring process looks for unique resumes and specific experiences, which may make it more challenging for some to secure a role.

One positive aspect of ESSC is the breadth of opportunities across departments. If you find one department isn’t the right fit, there are many others to explore. While some departments may experience higher turnover than others, I’ve seen BCBAs start in one area to “get their foot in the door” and later transition into a department more aligned with their passions.

Overall, this is a company that I can see myself long term in and the first one I can say for the first time in my career :)

The people who work at the center themselves are great but they are set up for failure in general. Management and leadership from the overall corporation are so disconnected and don’t care about the people themselves who work at the centers so they require much without giving adequate time to do anything very well and it ends up at the cost of the children. You’re just someone who works there who doesn’t really count for much other than getting paperwork done. You get tons and tons of training but are then not equipped or supported well to carry out the things learned in training. I would never recommend someone working there-what they pay is not worth the stress environment you are placed in and really makes the work culture feel negative as everyone is stressed and in complaint about the stress and trying to get it all done. All the stress was the hardest part to cope with.

The most enjoyable part of the job is working with kids and family. And working with the direct staff in your classroom was great a lot of times.

The main thing I learned is money is not always worth it when you’re in a toxic job. I am just so glad to be past this job and this company. I didn’t realize how awful it was until I was out of the constant stress of it and it was such a burden off of my shoulders. I stayed way too long but saw many people come and go-the general staff turnover rate was unbelievable. Teachers, general staff, managers…there was huge turnover in every category of role.


When I started I had no experience, I was excited to get started. It gave me a sense of purpose and I felt like I was making a genuine change in the world. Now 5 years later, as an RBT with more experience I do not feel valued. The pay is very bad for the amount of work you have to do. It can be very overwhelming when the clinical teams and even the scheduling department are not understanding, they attempt to make you feel as though you’re being heard but you’re really not. Example: many clients cancelations and you are “supposed” to get paid for last minute cancellations but at times they give you random reasons as to why they can’t pay you. If you miss for work due to sickness or for personal reasons, they will make you feel as though you did something very bad by the way scheduling responds. The workload is very heavy and it takes so long to become full time. They don’t understand that you have bills to pay and a personal life. They hire so many BI’s instead of giving the current BI’s or RBT’s hours which is extremely frustrating. They also send emails every other three months for you to refer people you may know in order for them to give you $100-200 per person that gets hired through you, they should be spending more time considering their current employees needs instead of trying to hire more people. It is not the best place to work at long-term. 

I worked in the Severe Behavior Services department, and unfortunately, my overall experience was negative. The job was extremely stressful, with direct work lasting anywhere from 3 to 5 hours a day with participants. If you’re providing in-home services, be prepared to spend a significant portion of your day driving between sessions.

The interventions used are compliance-based and often involve rote activities that are not developmentally appropriate for the participant’s age. As a result, progress is minimal, and it can feel like you’re just going through the motions rather than making meaningful change.

Another concern is management. Instead of focusing on improving clinical quality or providing adequate support to staff, management frequently steps in to cover sessions themselves, which feels like a band-aid solution rather than addressing the root issues.

The facility itself is also not well-equipped for the population being served. There are serious safety concerns — participants can run off into the parking lot or engage in problem behaviors in public areas with little to no safeguards in place.

Overall, I would not recommend this workplace to those seeking quality clinical experience or a supportive work environment.

The scheduling department was always where I had the most trouble. Other ABA companies I worked with would allow make-up sessions, or summer hours (having earlier sessions during the summer break). But none of that was allowed. I never had back-to-back sessions. I would only have 1 session a day. I would think if they are so short-staffed with BIs they would give me as many hours as possible. Program managers would supervise at least once every other week. And Clinical supervisors would show up whenever they needed. I was lucky to have a really supportive and organized PM and CS. But other than that they are constantly hiring BIs and PMs. You'll see 5 new people at the monthly meeting and by the next meeting you’ll only see 1. At least in my region, it was a constant revolving door of people leaving. It got so bad that at one point scheduling told us that RTOs (requested time off) are limited to only 4-5 BIs a month now. Also as a BI, we get zero benefits, so no paid time off. You'll only receive PTO if you work more than 20 hours a week. But how is that possible for people who are in school, or have a second job? The hours are always inconsistent and unreliable. 

A huge career change brought me to ESSC and they embraced me. The structure and predictability was a breath of fresh air over the previous agency i worked for as a BI/BT. My professional growth was always considered here. And most importantly, the clients I served, and their families, were always considered through every layer of the services i supported teaching ABA skills. A TEAM approach was fundamental to each case, focused on the individual receiving the direct services. As a tenured business professional from Corporate America, i can earnestly say this organization was an easy fit changing careers, but especially because Client Dignity was always always structured AND delivered into protocols at the highest standard of delivery. This will contrast agencies very very quickly in this industry.  

I applied to this job because I liked the idea of working with those with ASD and increase my experience. However, I was under the impression that I would be scheduled to work in homes close to mine, as I was going to school full-time. They are really strict with their availability hours, and stated that you must be available from 3 to 8 pm, which has hindered my schooling. It is really difficult to form relationships with staff as you're on your own and supervisors only come out once a month if that. The hardest part is the driving, as the company has a 25 mile limit, but that's still a lot of miles to put on a vehicle. Not much support is given if a child is exhibiting severe behaviors, and the training is not very helpful in terms of building connections with parents, as they instruct to make small take and nothing more, which has hindered my ability to do my job effectively. 

Pros- Company provides awesome benefits to their employees, Irvine office seems friendlier and nicer. 
Cons- the department I was in, is so quick to get everyone in trouble, doesn't even support when you apply to another department and quickly sabotage your reputation and career goals.  Supervisor treats her department like a robotic way of doing things, won't let you think for yourself, every punctuation , thinking , clothing has to be the same. Therapists are very friendly and hardworking individuals, this ABA dept runs favoritism, they don't provide flexibility unless they are part of it and they lack trust on their employees. some supervisors are not leaders material. I admire how the kind of services they provide to the clients, but if upper management and clients know how underpaid and unappreciated some of the employees are and as a result, high turnover for this company.  Employees are overworked and underpaid.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Supportive, encouraging work environment that values their associates. Usually a few bonuses per year & extra 401k contributions to name a few. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
For me, the travel back-and-forth to South Bay & BCBAs have a lot administrative responsibilities in addition to clinical. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Amazing, so invested in their participants, associates, & furthering the organization’s mission. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Busy!! Usually I drive to one of our Adult Day Service programs in South Bay to provide direct behavior support to participants & staff until early afternoon. Next I’ll either drive home to do Telehealth appointments and/or drive to an assessment appointment. Then once I get home, it’s usually completing session notes and/or working on assessment reports.

Working at Easterseals was one of the most unsettling job experiences I’ve ever had. The atmosphere felt tense and disorganized from day one. I often felt unsupported and unsafe — my personal items were stolen while I was being distracted by staff, and management brushed off my concerns instead of addressing the situation seriously. It was frustrating and disappointing to feel like my trust and effort didn’t matter. What should’ve been a meaningful job helping others turned into a constant source of stress. I truly hope the company reevaluates how it treats both employees and clients.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Behavioral specialist 194 salaries reported	$25.51 per hour
Clinical supervisor 132 salaries reported	$89,430 per year
Program manager 22 salaries reported	$69,452 per year
Direct support professional 11 salaries reported	$20.32 per hour
Early childhood teacher 10 salaries reported	$23.88 per hour

Working at Easterseals Southern California: Company Overview and Reviews

Easterseals Southern California

Easterseals Southern California Ratings

Popular jobs at Easterseals Southern California

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected