residential counselor

therapist

residential coordinator

program director

licensed vocational nurse

Evolve Treatment Centers

As a Primary Therapist, I actually had a very fulfilling experience at Evolve. At the same time I agree with many reviews, that they could pay more considering the workload they ask of their employees. But I have worked at two locations and both had a very positive staff culture and rapport. What I find is that the demands and pressures placed on me (which were, on most days, manageable), are also being placed on those to whom I report, and that I have to approach my expectations based on knowing that we are all in the fire.

Even though I never felt that I "fit in" to the DBT culture, over time, I felt that my work and my diverse treatment modalities were valued. I learned a lot from my supervisors and enjoyed collaborating with the team about client care. Learning about documentation for medical records and diagnoses is something that really every therapist could benefit from, especially if you are prelicensed. The job is very demanding, lots of sessions, lots of documentation, but I found that to be a great learning experience. 

If you are considering working here, I would try to meet not only with your hiring manager but others you will be interacting on a daily basis as well. And - ask for compensation that you feel you deserve because they might agree that you deserve that, too. This is a job that will take and take from you, but will also generally respect the limits of what you can accomplish. Also, when you read reviews for Evolve, note the positions that are leaving the review. Floor counselors ("outpatient counselors as the listings are titled") do tend to get underpaid considering the amount of supervision and constant contact they maintain with clients. Again- don't be afraid to ask for the compensation you deserve.

The clients are also really awesome. Working with teens who want to work on themselves is gratifying work. As a Primary Therapist, my typical work day would be running a psychoeducation group, meeting clients or their families for therapy sessions, a once a week team meeting, and constant communication about client care over Microsoft Teams. This is something I really appreciated - knowing that clients were not just relying on me for their growth/healing, but that they had a whole team of staff and multiple groups each day to bolster their recovery. 

I would say that overall Evolve is a supportive company, but, like most companies, there is some out-of-touch-ness between upper management and ground floor staff. There were some things we could advocate for and get, and some things we simply could not due.
Are there things I would improve if I ran the company? Overall, yes. However, even when I left my 30 hour position to pursue private practice, I still remain on call and find my time there very gratifying. 

In terms of growth opportunities, I think these are reserved for more upper management positions. This is because lower level positions have certain requirements that often take years to attain. However, if an Outpatient Counselor finished their Master's and became an associate, they could promote to a Primary Therapist. So technically there's room for growth, you just have to be doing your own professional training outside of Evolve (which most of us on the ground level are). 

The emotional toll this job took on me was immeasurable, to the point I decided mental health was a field that might not be for me. I realized that despite how much heart and soul I put into the job and helping kids; money, insurance problems, legal intricacies, and just lack of  effective and compassionate management will make it nearly impossible to make a real difference. 

Of all the things that made this job difficult, the kids made the days worth it. The kids can prove to be challenging to work with at times, but I stayed as long as I did because despite the times Evolve was ineffective and at times even detrimental to the kids, helping them learn to cope or learn to get sober was endlessly rewarding, but unfortunately it was often hard to be there for the kids that need us when we serve as human shields for the higher ups. In the time I was there, I had many days in which I was single staffed, with no one to relieve me of my post so I couldn't do as much as use the restroom or take a sip of water for 8 hours. Even on fully staffed days it was rare to get one 15 min break, much less the two you are supposed to get. 

8 hour shifts where you work through your lunch break in exchange for a free meal that you likely won't get to eat because you are spread so thin. Looking for support from management would often result in condescension and a lack of real support. Need a mental health day? Management will tell you to make a 6 week advanced notice to use your very slowly accruing PTO. Gee, thanks, Ill put off the mental breakdown you are inducing until 6 weeks from now. Also, you wont be able to afford therapy because you are barely making enough to get by. 

You are expected to do overtime 70% of your shifts because there is very little time to finish notes throughout your day. The work life balance is nonexsistent when your phone is constantly ringing off the hook with texts and emails begging you to come in on your days off. They are so severely understaffed because the turnover rate is worse than any other job I've ever seen. The training period is a joke and they throw RCs to the wolves as soon as they can. 

The scheduling is a joke and scheduling coordinators often respond unkindly or speak poorly about RCs who need to call out, or RCs who don't pick up shifts outside of their schedule. As an RC, you are expected to do far above your paygrade. You are expected to always know the right answer with limited training. 


The way management speaks about certain disorders also is at times judgemental and lacks empathy. I saw many counselors much stronger than I leave because of the detriment this job did to their mental health and wellbeing, and even those with the highest of work ethics would start to wear out within a couple weeks. This job even at its best requires you to always be on your A-Game with emotional energy to give these very vulnerable teens who need someone to give support and a solid foundation for treatment, but management and the very way the RTC is structured makes this nearly impossible

Pros: The kids teach you alot and genuinely you can make a difference on a small scale, good food sometimes, learning on your feet and you learn a ton about what its like to work in the field and in a clinical setting. Amazing prep for a MA program. The vast majority of counselors are amazing. 

Cons: Nearly everything else. 

I can say that working at Evolve was a steep learning curve. A wonderful program director gave me the chance to make a real difference in the lives of some kids who needed support, and I was deeply grateful for that opportunity. However, things changed after I returned from maternity leave.

It became clear that the current Program Director doesn’t make an effort to get to know her staff or the kids. The Residential Counselors (RCs) spend most of their time with the children, while therapists only spend about four hours a day with them. The therapists often demean the RCs, especially during treatment team meetings. Additionally, the current PD is only available during weekdays and dismisses weekend issues, particularly if short-staffed, leaving it as a problem for the RCs.

RCs are underpaid despite working long hours with the kids, often over 8 hours a day. When a CO doesn’t come in, RCs may have to work solo. Instead of offering fair pay, the organization often tries to incentivize staff by offering additional money for extra hours, rather than raising base pay. They also tend to offer different rates to different people instead of maintaining consistent compensation.

With many of the experienced employees having left, it’s uncertain if things will improve. The only real positive aspect is the opportunity to help the kids. However, questioning authority can quickly make you a target, as Evolve tends to avoid addressing issues directly and prefers to eliminate perceived problems. It’s important to be aware of this lack of culture and limited growth opportunities before joining.

I worked as a Residential Counselor at the Danville RTC program. In the year and a half I worked there, I learned so much and grew not only as a counselor but as an individual. I absolutely loved the team, from my fellow counselors to the clinical staff and our program director. Everyone was very supportive and had a positive attitude, which is key especially when working in an environment that demands your emotional investment. I had previously worked at an RTC program with another company, and the difference in standards for care was night and day. Evolve truly demonstrates the highest quality standards for care, and this was executed at all levels. Although the role of a Residential Counselor can be an emotionally draining at times, I always felt excited to come to work because I knew that my work was making a difference and I felt inspired by my coworkers. I wholeheartedly endorse the work Evolve is doing to support teens, which is made possible because of the staff who have a genuine desire to help other and make a difference. I will say, being a Residential Counselor can come with stressful crisis situations at times. I am grateful because those experiences allowed me to learn more about myself, remain calm in the face of challenges, and remain solution-oriented for the wellbeing of our clients (which are useful skills regardless of your career path). If you enjoy helping others and remain willing to learn and keep an open mind, this role and this company offers opportunities for you to succeed. 

Lots of changes going on, not good ones. This place used to be a good place to work for, about 2-3 years ago. Upper management does not care about employee happiness, all they care about is census which leads to admitting clients who are extremely inappropriate for the level of care. They also try to keep clients longer than necessary, for money and census, which is extremely unethical. It is extremely difficult to get promoted, unless you are best friends with the executive directors, who only give themselves new titles, raises and promotions. Promotions have nothing to do with actual skill or experience. It is also very difficult to take a sick day or time off, as you are questioned so much as to why the time off is necessary. As a therapist or program director, work life balance is non existent, unless you have a program director who is supportive and helpful. As a counselor, you get paid very very little for the amount of work you do. In the residential setting, everyone is over worked and underpaid. The people who own the company don't even involve themselves and barely know anything about mental health. It is sad to experience, but this company is going down hill. Many people quit after 2 years and the owners/executive directors don't see this as a problem.  

Started off good but slowly you realize upper management doesn't really care about you by offering little training to run groups or handle crisis situations. You feel this immense pressure of doing your best for the sake of the clients because everyone else is ready to clock out at 4 or 5 besides the counselors leaving just you and your coworker to take care of high-risk teenagers.  Most likely you will be joining a team that is heavily understaffed and you are forced to stay overtime 4-8 hours if management cannot find coverage and put the blame on the workers for calling off. This leads to a toxic work environment because would you want to leave a bunch of teenagers alone if there was "no one else to work"?  Of course not because that would be on your conscience if something horribly went wrong and technically you signed up for this and you will get fired or written up. The job allows you to grow your skills in this profession but that is solely up to you to be the "Counselor" they described in the job description but in reality the job title should be Caregiver because that is what they are looking for. The benefits are the knowledge of therapy you learn at your own discretion, free meals, nice houses, helping clients,  and co-workers. Other than that you are winging it and hoping for the best a crisis doesn't happen on your shift for you to deal with. You will feel burnout, develop a Savior Complex, and start to question if management really cares. Actions speak louder than words and too many promises were just swept under the rug for reason.

This job did have some rewarding aspects such as making connections with teens, helping them discover healthy coping mechanisms, and the amount I learned about mental health and addiction treatment. 

Sadly I often felt like the teens were treated harshly. Many clients were seen as attention seeking and our weekly meetings felt more like client bashing sessions. The clients had to complete body checks which required them to undress and jump twice. Their rooms were searched randomly and upon admission they can’t keep the door closed to the bathroom for 24 hrs. Showers are limited until you prove yourself essentially. The turn over rate is really high often due to the pay. The pay scale hasn’t gone up since 2019 and the pay for the area is very low especially for the amount of stress. I was told we don’t take clients with eating disorders or homicidal clients but I experienced both in my time there. 

As an RC you are with the clients 75% of the time if not more. Therapists only spend three hours a week with them so our job is the most important but lowest paid. It feels like a for profit business and you quickly learn from the clients that the program closts $2,000 per day. It’s sad to think you are contributing the predatory teen businesses that have been growing in the past decade. 

Like many others, I was super excited once I had landed this job. I realized immediately that it wasn’t what I’d imagined once I was trained— 2 shadow shifts and 1 reverse shadow shift, and then you start. (my current job required four weeks of training before working with youths in a much less intense and intimate setting). As a result, you are constantly reprimanded for breaking rules that were never told to you and there’s inconsistency between staff which leads to frustration on the clients’ part. 

Residential counselors are given a plethora of responsibilities that could be better designated to other staff, are forced to be physically responsible for clients 24/7, work the most grueling hours, and yet of course are still paid the least out of any position. The burnout and  turnover for this job was actually unlike anything I’ve seen. 

Sure, I feel like I genuinely helped some kids. But most clients couldn’t wait to leave, and simply weren’t suited for the strict rules; admissions was more than happy to take their parents’ money even if they knew the kid wasn’t at all suited for the program. Because of this, we had many, many AMA early discharges. They claim to focus so much on evidence based treatment, yet seem to ignore the actual effectiveness of their program.

The stress of this position just isn’t worth it. 

Every day can bring something different, very much depending on how clients are presenting that day. It can be super fun and rewarding, an opportunity to really help teens change their lives and learn skills that will benefit them throughout the lifespan . When there are crises, it can be stressful, but you will learn so much about how to deal with that, and you will never have to make decisions in a crisis without support, usually multiple levels of support. I've learned how to stay calm in a crisis, how to teach DBT and use the skills in my own life, become an excellent family therapist, and really honed my clinical skills to the point where taking the licensing exam was easy. The hardest part of the job are the days when multiple things are going on; one client in crisis, making a CPS report, clients not wanting to attend program...if all the things happen on one day it can be stressful. But again, we're working as a team and there are always people to support if needed. The most enjoyable part of the job is spending time with the clients. They can be challenging, AND really wonderful. It's rewarding when you hear from them later in life and they tell you the awesome things they're doing!

I worked as a residential counselor at two of Evolve’s programs for a total of about a year and a half. Each program was filled with amazing team members who all worked together to provide comprehensive treatment for the teens. The clinical team was always updating staff on each clients treatment plan and going over interventions/skills to use with each client in order to be effective. Shift reports helped keep staff informed when it came to each clients progress and made sure we were consistent in the care we were providing. While the main priority was keeping our clients safe and providing therapeutic intervention, as a counselor I was always encouraged to participate with the clients in activities like art therapy, fitness and rec. This was awesome because it promoted a fun environment and helped me build rapport with the teens.

The lead counselor who originally trained me was thorough, patient and fun. She gave me the training and support needed to go on to be a lead counselor myself. As a counselor at Evolve I was constantly learning, during treatment team each week we would receive some sort of training whether that was on DBT, CPI, clinical documentation, or working with transgender youth. It was helpful to prepare me for future opportunities.

Plus, the chef is amazing and always kept me full and happy!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Residential counselor 386 salaries reported	$24.19 per hour
Therapist 20 salaries reported	$36.75 per hour
Residential coordinator 3 salaries reported	$21.83 per hour
Program director 28 salaries reported	$128,393 per year
Licensed vocational nurse 30 salaries reported	$35.05 per hour

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