mental health technician

therapist

health coach

clinical program manager

clinician

Effective School Solutions

There are some lovely clinicians and some programs run better than others, so experiences can vary greatly. Overall, it didn't suite my goals of doing anti-oppressive, clinical psychotherapy. If you prefer a behavioral approach and can tolerate being overly flexible to accommodate managers desire to please the district, then you might enjoy it. The school hours are nice.

First, psychotherapy hours have been denied by the social work examiners board. ESS states there is no issue but after working here I completely agree with the board. We do not do clinical psychotherapy here, especially as a float. The program is mostly behavioral and I have been specifically told not to address trauma. This does not give clinicians the psychotherapy experience needed and I feel that it misleads schools and families about the services provided. The auto-populated treatment plans are not individualized yet there is not option to put in your own treatment goals. The assessment is both repetitive and invasive, causing discomfort for clients and families at the first introduction. As an associate license clinician I do not feel prepared for my clinical license here. Clinical supervision is also often not offered despite promises made during the interview process. The stipend is not guaranteed and there are very few supervisors available with the company. If you are looking for experience towards LCSW licensure, this will be a waste of time.

Second, in every placement I lacked the resources needed to complete my job. No internet or computer access at times. No physical space at other times. Sessions are sometimes conducted in common spaces, violating privacy needs of clients. There was no access to the school’s system to get information needed. Some clinicians work in their car in the parking lot because there is no space. I have had to use my phones hotspot to complete documentation. The EHR system used is incredibly glitchy.

Third, the way management works is hierarchical and prone to abuse of power. Supervisors are dual role in management and supervision. There are multiple supervisors who sometimes say contradictory things. I witnessed a supervisor making racist decisions and claiming it was clinically motivated. When I respectfully expressed my concerns I ended up being disciplined. Managers pressure staff to take clients that are not appropriate for the program, or to take positions that they don’t want. Management seems to only value the school contract. I felt like my clients and I were used as pawns to make the company money.



"Effective School Solutions falls short of its name, as it embodies an environment marred by discrimination, bias, and poor leadership. The company's leadership exhibits a concerning lack of regard for the well-being of its employees, favoring a focus on contracts over recognizing the invaluable contributions of its workforce. The workplace culture is divisive, with a pervasive sense of working against rather than with employees. Discrimination and bias are regrettably prevalent, creating an environment that is neither inclusive nor supportive. Poor leadership permeates the organization, leading to vindictive management practices that undermine the morale of dedicated employees. The overall experience is disheartening, revealing a company that prioritizes its bottom line over fostering a healthy, collaborative, and equitable work environment."

Choosing to work for Effective School Solutions poses a significant risk to your professional growth and personal well-being. The toxic culture, discrimination, and poor leadership create an environment that stifles creativity, collaboration, and career advancement. Investing time in such a detrimental workplace could impede your professional development and leave you feeling undervalued and unappreciated. Moreover, the company's questionable contract practices add insult to injury, with agreements that can trap employees financially if they wish to leave sooner than the contract's term. This not only reflects a lack of respect for employee rights but also suggests a disregard for fostering a positive work environment. I strongly advise prospective job seekers to steer clear of Effective School Solutions, as the potential challenges and negative impact on your career far outweigh any short-term benefits the company might offer.



A wonderful concept as therapeutic services are crucial within school settings, however the delivery of the program needs reorganization.  The clinical coordinator and clinician work directly in the school on a daily basis which is a plus.  Regional directors are removed from the daily operations of the program at the school.  Their "management" is limited to once weekly and phone calls.  My clinical coordinator, my direct report, is extremely supportive and together we manage everything clinically and administratively in the school.  Overall, upper management has not been as supportive or instrumental in the program strength and has at times been a detriment to the program.  They tend to focus on minutia which ends up consuming unnecessary time that could be better spent supporting students.  The company rewards individuals on variables that aren't necessarily connected to good clinical work.  Due to lack of communication, decisions are made and quickly changed last minute, resulting in confusion for staff.

With reorganization and improved communication, turnover would decrease and staff satisfaction would be more positive.  Effective School Solutions is a small private company that unfortunately has been resistant to changes and have a one fits all model for every school which does not work.  The new CEO needs to talk to those working in the school everyday not the regionals who are out of touch with the inner workings of the school and program.  Instead of focusing so much on data, ask employees for input which is has not done on a regular basis, only once since I have been here. In addition 5 days of PTO is unheard-of in any line of work.  I ended up going to work sick because I used up my days and didn't want to get docked in pay.  If employee concerns are not heard, talented clinicians will continue to find other employment.

This job was nice since it is based on a school schedule and summers you either do extended program for a few weeks or work on a community with peers where you meet over Zoom to discuss how to improve services. A typical day included providing group therapy, having individual sessions, conducting classroom observations/interventions with students, making phone calls to parents, and providing PRN sessions as needed for when a student is in crisis. Unfortunately, my supervisor was very inattentive and was just plainly bad at communicating. He demanded consistent communication from us but hardly ever answered his phone, replied to texts or emails, and would frequently forget when meetings were scheduled. I understand this is based on the supervisor since not all are the same however, it left a bad taste in my mouth since I brought this up to my program director and nothing was ever done about it. I would give a rating higher than three stars but I was made aware four weeks prior to the school-year ending that our contract is ending, something that was brought up months ago however only came to a decision lately, and is leaving me scramble for a job before the school-year ends. 

Pros: 
- School schedule
- Flexibility with how you spend your time
- Full control over the therapy you provide and how you facilitate groups
- Working in a school, so there's other supports available

Cons: 
- Not much PTO
- Supervisors don't take your concerns too seriously
- School staff may overuse you in that they expect you to provide services outside your role
-  Lack of communication from higher-ups

This horrible company that I was loyal to for years loves to give preferential treatment to the males employed there. Their pay is not competitive- once they employ you, they could care less about raises or financial incentives to stay- actually they used to do stuff like that when they were a smaller company but now that they’ve grown to a large “organization” it’s all gone. There is no checking on regionals/management- so they get away with treating people beneath them like dirt.  Despite being a loyal, well respected and liked employee for so long there- you get punished for speaking up. For advocating for yourself, your program, the needs of your school/district.  Then, they blackball not only certain staff but also their family members or friends who apply. They string you along by promising you promotions only to turn around and give them to a less qualified individual who can’t do the job at all and then you are vilified for speaking up and bringing attention to those shortcomings. The pto is horrible and there is a lack of coverage for your school- which ends up hurting them!  The management is so fake that when you ask a simple question they clearly sit together and get a team answer before getting back to you (often days and weeks later) and then give you a rehearsed company line. You never get the truth but it’s always obvious they’re crafting an acceptable answer. The gaslighting is disgusting and all they care about is growing the company. It’s such a shame- this company could be great. Maybe if they wipe out their upper management and start from scratch you’d start seeing employees WANT to stay. 

I have worked in mental health for 15 years and worked for both for-profit companies and non-public agencies. My experience at ESS has been the best. I started two months before Covid 19 struck and the management was very pro-active in putting policies in place but were flexible as situations changed. They quickly adapted to services being done remotely over telehealth instead of in-person when schools shut down. 
It has been a very positive work culture with management having an open door policy.  Communication is regular and clearly written. During Covid 19, there have been weekly trainings on clinical and cultural topics over Zoom and people from California to New Jersey regularly participate and it can feel as much as a check-in with friends as a company meeting. 
The hardest part of the job has been the very detailed but cumbersome clinical data entry and assessment system.  It is not very intuitive and/or easy to use at first.  But, in its defense, it is highly detailed and full of information (for example, trainings are recorded and stored within the system for review).
After working for several mental health agencies/companies it's been nice working for one that is well run and where you are made to feel like a valuable team member and not a disposable cog. Unlike previous places I have worked, ESS seems to have figured out the right balance of properly servicing the kids getting our services, and still being financially viable.

While I enjoyed working with the youths and families- they are the reason for most of my stars. I often felt and vocalized that customer service was a priority over clinical decisions. It was frustrating to communicate and feel heard. When tough decisions needed to be made, it felt like I had to advocate for myself and levels of risk for some students. When asking for help, it felt often pushed aside.
During contract season- forget it, any issue is swept under the rug.
school administration and district feelings was more important that happiness of staff. Often times I was better off managing situations myself then reporting it to Effective School Solutions higher ups.
I worked there while NJ Board of Social Workers were not approving hours for clinical. Effective School Solutions tried to communicate the issues but I often felt unseen and clueless in regards to my LCSW process.
I think the structure and concept of ESS is so great. The families love the support and relationships able to grow. If there was a stronger line of communication and support as corporate level, I think this company should be in every school across the board. Your day is never boring, and kids genuinely want to be there and participate. You will feel you are making a difference.

There is a lot about this job that I love. I got lucky to have great supervisors now but in the past I have had some bad supervisors, so it is luck who you work with. I love the school schedule and some people within the school can be so wonderful. However school employees can also be very skeptical and distrustful. Schools also usually have unrealistic expectations for what therapists and clinicians can do and want you to "fix" kids with a wave of your magic wand. However this is also luck with who you end up working with at different districts. Some kids do great with the program, some kids are really not suited for this kid of service, but if the district wants them in, they have to be let in. The pay is good for provisionally licensed professionals but when you get your full professional license, the pay can be lacking. But it's a stable salaried position and the school schedule is excellent which makes the pay more worth it.

A big con is that ESS are ultimately salesmen and want to make the districts happy so the districts keep the contracts year to year. However this sometimes means compromising ethics or, often, bending over backwards for what the power-hungry high-up people in the district want rather than what the clinicians think is best clinically. This may mean that the district does not re-up the contract for the next year, leaving the clinicians out of a job and scrambling to get another job in ESS or have to leave the company. 

The company appears to value their employees, but that is just for show. Management is disorganized and they only care about making money and what the schools district wants, not what is best for the employee or the clients/students and their families. Therefore, you will be asked to take on MANY cases, above what they report their max caseload is, and regardless of whether or not you can actually see that many students and complete the required paperwork. However, you will be expected to do it all anyway! And, furthermore, that also means there is NO job security and yes that includes maternity leaves. There is no guarantee you will return to your current school placement the following year - who wants that!? It was extremely stressful never knowing if the school's contract would be renewed and/or if I would be offered my position back for the following year. 

It is like a popularity contest. The pay differences are INSANE between employees. Some employees were not given their positions back after maternity leaves. Employees who work hard and are loyal to the company are never rewarded. Those who complained, were rewarded. Very backwards! Not healthy!

The benefits are severely lacking and you don't get enough PTO (vacation, sick leave, etc.). 

You aren't valued as an employee, they do not care about you - you are easily replaceable. This is not the type of company you want to work for, especially as a therapist!!

I still regret putting any effort/time into this company. I worked on a team that was generally extremely unsupportive and only had administrative interests as their priority (not mine) and were looking to implement the program in more schools. Quantity, NOT quality. It seemed like more than just an issue with the few people I worked directly with, that impression applies to the entire company. When I asked for help understanding how certain things (like paperwork) should be done, I was told that everything was new, they were still learning themselves, and that they would eventually help me. Of course, this never happened. When I began to assert myself, I was gaslighted and told that I seemed uncomfortable, and also made to believe that I was overreacting. I'm now thankful that I was actually let go very quickly, without much explanation as to why, besides that the paperwork that I was never properly trained on was not completed correctly. I often think about how alarming that must have been for the students that I was working with, especially considering that they had mental health needs. It doesn't seem like the most effective or considerate way to handle such an issue. My impression is that all higher ups seem uninformed and inconsiderate. Nobody listened to my feedback, and I hope it will reach someone here.

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