behavior technician

support specialist

care coordinator

mental health therapist

certified medical assistant

Excelsior

A typical day at work, which was predominantly "on the floor" providing direct services to youth and young adults, was an adventure in helping provide a stable, consistent and supportive environment to the aforementioned populations. We served a variety of people with an even larger variety of hurdles, histories, strengths and barriers to overcome. Days were centered around being useful in overcoming those barriers, being sensitive to histories, and affirming strengths.
Tasks included; direct service, low level case management, vocational assistance, psycho-educational instruction and discussion, medication support, collaboration in the acquisition of independent living skills, behavioral support and crisis management. 
During the course of my time with Excelsior one of the most enjoyable parts of my job was the relationships I developed with my supervisor. She was a very smart and driven woman from whom I learned very, very much. I was also surprised and with the great degree to which being apart of the lives of so many of my coworkers and youth being served brought me a tremendous amount of satisfaction. My time at Excelsior was something of an education into the ways people really act and what they really think about the world. It was a unique and life changing experience.
I watched a lot of people struggle with the workplace culture. I did not have the same problem. I would encourage new employees to be careful of the way they befriend and disclose information to their peers. It is a very social work environment and those with poor boundaries paid dearly by having something like a high school drama to deal with at work. 
In my experience specifically, the most difficult part of the job was to deal with people that were looking to "save" others or "care" about them. Helping professions could do with a little less love and compassion if it comes at the cost of consistency and stability. If my experience at Excelsior taught me anything deeply, it was that helping is slow, arduous, sometimes painful work and nearly always worth it. 
The best part of the job is having the privilege of being a part of so many peoples' lives in a significant way. So many young people, and even a lot of adults gave me a chance to act like an important adult and be someone worth listening to, looking up to, and trusting. It had a substantial positive impact on my maturation. 
This was honestly my experience. To be sure, there were also a lot of things that rubbed me wrong. A lot of that was about me and not about the work.

If you are looking for a fulfilling job, you like to work hard, and you have exceptional boundaries, this job could be your favorite place to learn, grow and make money.

The kids are great! Of course all of them being there for one reason or another, (they are troubled children but, remember-they are still children) they all are wonderful. Working with them is so very rewarding. The little things like, having them share a poem they wrote, make you a bracelet, paint a picture or give you a drawing they made for you, opening up to you because they finally feel they have made a connection and feel safe enough to talk to someone. Excelsior offers several trainings, they are very on board with reaching out to the community to offer their employees the opportunity to further their education in a variety of areas to better serve the youth they work with.
This is an opportunity to give back, not to make a lot of money. If you are looking to make a lot of money, this is not the job for you. 
When it comes to management, I found that for the members that truly care about the kids, care about the employees as well. Having an open door policy is helpful... As with several companies when it comes to co-workers, you will always be thrown some lemons, it is up to you what you chose to do with them....The hardest part of the job would probably be balancing work and home life. There are times that you may end up staying late for one reason or another, or coming early. It can feel like a thankless job at times but, it is not, most of your appreciation will come from the kids you work with and you may not see it everyday. It is important to remember who you are there for. The most enjoyable part of the job is seeing the kids graduate successfully or find a loving home, and move on to bigger and better things in life. They deserve it. Knowing that everyone there at some point in some way from administration, to relief staff, the kitchen staff, accounting ladies, maintenance, even the secretary at the front desk had a helping hand in getting them through yet another one of the most life changing experiences they will have to go through but this time, its a positive experience.

I worked at Excelsior for over ten years, in a variety of programs and through a change in management and direction. Though it was a while ago, while working directly with the residents, I found the work to be extremely fulfilling and rewarding, and it was easy to find hours as long as you were dependable, consistent, and available. The coworkers I was fortunate to work alongside were extremely supportive, and we developed a system which allowed us to grow as a team, and helped our residents gain skills and the confidence to shape their futures in a positive way. There was never anything more rewarding than getting a call from an ex-resident who wanted to express their thanks and appreciation, and reminesce about their time at Excelsior. The work could be draining at times (emotionally and physically) but in the end, we were all there to help make a difference, and in the short time I spent there, I believe I accomplished what I set out to do.

I enjoyed my time with the residents, but when I was ready to move on to something different, the administration was extremely supportive and believed in my potential, so four years ago, I was hired on in another capacity in another department. Communication was never an issue for me since I was lucky enough to work beside amazing coworkers and supervisors who had my best interests at heart, who were willing and able to support me and help me grow professionally, and address any concerns I may have had. If my husband had not found work out of state, I would have continued to work at Excelsior for much longer: I truly did enjoy my time there, and will miss everyone I met.

My graduate education prepared me in many ways, most importantly to grow personally so that I was positioned well to assist other's. Working at Excelsior with the outpatient and child welfare population not only tested my education but my personal strength and endurance--as I learned about the inexplicable traumas and difficult life circumstances of these youth--as no education program could have totally prepared me for. The resilience of the youth who come to Excelsior for services is what kept me going, don't let me forget the people who work there (most have been there their whole career) as they were a wealth of knowledge and support. The management went through a major reorganization during this time, and it was difficult for almost everyone, but to watch the culture and health of the organization improve, and the patients responding positively, made it all worth it. Lastly, one thing I learned there, that will never leave me, is how to define success when your intent is to help/assist another person. Excelsior's definition of success allowed me to endure things I otherwise would not have been able to, and because of that I was able to see some amazing outcomes and watch youth turn into pretty amazing adults and constructive community members. Excelsior is a premier place to get training and experience serving some of the most marginalized and vulnerable people in our community. There is everything in one location, medical, counseling, recreation, etc.. so you learn a lot from other departments. It is also a place to settle into a career as so many have.

I worked at Excelsior for a number of months and found many issues.  First, I have a long successful history working with youth in similar environments and while they all have pros and cons, Excelsior’s is horrific and the greatest concern is they don’t see it and make excuses when it is brought up.

First they list a wide array of trainings they say you will receive, most email f which you either won’t or are non-applicable computer based training.  The scheduling system is random based on a leads ability to reciter needs and place staff, very 20 years ago. The management makes decisions that effects the programs with ramifications they don’t consider or address when they occur.  Communication is non-existent and not wanted.  There are almost daily violent acts within the units that are never fully addressed.  Both harm to property and individuals. If you have a child in one of these programs they will most likely leave worse off then when they entered as it is out of control and the few amazing employees they have can do little to combat the poor management, logistical issues, and the other employees who are openly antagonistic and hostile towards the youth.

The management is unprofessional and plays favorites. Management spends most of the time during staff meetings making inappropriate jokes, sharing inappropriate stories and publicly reprimanding their employees. On a typical day employees are provided no notice of what to expect and are given little support in carrying out their tasks. Coworkers will form cliques and actively target people outside the clique to get others in trouble. There was even a group chat of employees targeting people that were outside of the group. Management had no idea what they were doing and would make promises that never got fulfilled. They would string employees along promising raises or changes to the workload but wouldn’t enact the change. I was finally given a raise after three months of being told it was going to happen and then demoted and lost the raise out of the blue when I returned from vacation because management “didn’t think I wanted the job anymore”. Working here was a mistake, it was hands down the worst work environments I’ve been in. 

My years dedicated to this company have led me to a dead end.  I learned that hard work and dedication doesn't mean you will advance within the company or even be recognized at all.  If you are a person who puts their heart and passion into their job and truly gives it your all, I warn you.  This company has some amazing ideas about helping our community but their actual followthrough often falls very short of base expectations.  Transparency within communication between those who are management and those who provide direct services appear greaty discouraged.  It was this consistent disconnect that has led me to distrust this company that I had believed in for so long.  If you are seeking a career with a company that truly values the direct service providers well-being, I would advise you to seek employment elsewhere.  The company claims to promise hope, care and respect for their clients but doesn't provide the same promise for it's employees.

They start off by promising you the world and the following through with nothing. They only hire paraprofessionals for most of their departments and then they are left with children who are requiring more specialized attention than what many people are able to able to handle- some staff do not even have the correct schooling or experience in the fields they are hired for- who hires a horse trainer to work with special needs kids??? 

Upper management has no clue on what is going on, and when concerns are pointed out, you are told you are creating negativity, being a boat rocker, and eventually pushed out. The building is falling apart and do not expect to get anything repaired in a timely manner. 

Gossip flows like wine.

If you consider working here, please make sure you really do your research.

This is a great place to start out if you are looking either to go into a social work field or a correctional field. You learn many different ways on handling children. Everybody has their own style, so knowing what works best for you will be beneficial. The work environment is very chaotic, and many employees have a difficult time under stress. Many employees do have an issue with the working environment politics. I have met some wonderful people at excelsior. You will always be asked to stay later and work more shifts though. The most enjoyable part of the job is knowing how much experience it will get you, as well as knowledge and strength it gives you.

The kids are not a priority at this "wellness center". They use the kids as puppets to get community support and funding which is funneled into management's pockets. They teach the kids about the importance of eating healthy, then turn around and feed them processed garbage that they receive for free. For a place that has a $19 million yearly budget, they only hire under-qualified college kids and pay them minimum wage to work in an understaffed and stressful work environment. And you will get a call on almost all of your days off trying to get you to come in. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Behavior technician 14 salaries reported	$23.33 per hour
Support specialist 9 salaries reported	$25.66 per hour
Care coordinator 8 salaries reported	$26.65 per hour
Mental health therapist 7 salaries reported	$82,382 per year
Certified medical assistant 4 salaries reported	$24.94 per hour

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