direct support professional

mental health technician

in home caregiver

case manager

early childhood teacher

Fraser

Being employed at Fraser is a great opportunity. I work with children who are diagnosed with Autism and Fraser provides services for the children. Specifically, I work in the day treatment program which provides therapy for them through many different strategies that are specific to the client's diagnosis. A typical day at work involves planning and preparing for the child's day treatment. The room I work in is a group of 7 children so preparation involves preparing group activities that will keep them engaged and tune their fine motor skills and other cognitive areas, preparing the children's daily snacks, reviewing the child's daily goals and their progress.
Throughout the day, I work one-on-one with a child and try to implement their daily goals into all activities that we do. Goals will include safety goals, fine motor goals, interactive goals, communication goals, etc. Again, the goals are specific to the client. I am constantly interacting not just with children throughout the day, but with many of my coworkers. In the classroom that I work in, communication is key in order to ensure the safety of the children and also to help with other children's goals and therapy.
My supervisor works directly with us, as each classroom has a supervisor for everyone in my position, which is a developmental trainee. The supervisor is there to ensure optimal safety for children and employees, and is knowledgable of all children's goals and therapy. The job itself is very demanding, as we have children who are all over the spectrum of Autism, ranging from very minimal to severe. As kids have different treatment programs, every kid responds differently.
The job is very demanding physically, especially if a child is very physical. Sometimes, there are children who are prone to biting, scratching, hair pulling, and throwing very wild tantrums. The key, is to have patience with the children, as there is a loss of understanding and the children more often than not cannot communicate effectively what it is they want to adults. In this job, patience is most definitely a virtue, and a must.
The most enjoyable part of the job is getting to work with the children. To see a child grow is amazing! Even in little daily successes, it is great to see the children grow and gain confidence in themselves. Though at times it can get frustrating, working with children and having a chance to directly work with them is a blessing for me and to me as well. As I continue to work with kids, they continue to mold me into a better person.

It takes a special person to be able to perform this type of work. It’s extremely exhausting and that would be an understatement, yet it is SO rewarding to see your clients grow and progress. Regression does happen but that should not scare you away. There’s A LOT of turnover in techs, practitioners, and even management. 

Your coworkers can either be your best support system or they could be the complete opposite. I’ve noticed a power/dynamic imbalance between techs and higher ups which is not ideal, especially when you’re already stressed out from other environmental factors at work. Another con is that they “require” you to do 40 hours worth of training (paid) and that’s fine but before you can even finish them, they throw you into the rooms to observe the clients. Oftentimes, people are going into ABA not knowing anything. It would be beneficial if new staff members actually finished all 40 hours before providing services so that they are familiar with ABA terms. You learn as you go but when you’re able to put two and two together, it’s very helpful not only for yourself but for clients and your coworkers, too. 

If you are going to be going into this field, brace yourself. You may encounter the most difficult situations with patients where you will be physically injured — either through bites, scratches, slaps, punches, etc. Should you work with this population, please be ready to put your entire heart into the services you provide. They’re human just like you, the person reading this. Treat them with respect. Don’t do your job just to do it. You will not like your job if you do it just for the paycheck. The amount you get paid is truly not enough but if this is something you’re passionate about, pursue it. 

Burn out is real. Pay is low. Management can either be your friend or your enemy. Find the coworkers who will uplift you. If you don’t have experience in ABA, it can be scary and daunting. Always ask for help and never assume. I wish Fraser compensated their employees more. The amount of things you endure through this job is not worth the amount you get paid. The kids are the only reason I come back. 

My experience was pretty rocky from the start and continually got worse the longer I was there, which in total was only 9 months.  
I was SO excited about this job and have over 10 years of experience in this field. I was told I would have autonomy, that ideas/process improvements would be welcomed, and that I would be working collaboratively with the site BCBA. None of that turned out to be true. 
I was micro-managed, gaslit, constantly running into brick walls when bringing up concerns and there was minimal collaboration with the BCBAs. My value to the team was my signature as a LPCC. 

Programming is not individualized, staff are not trained adequately, and direct support staff (especially) are undervalued leading to high turnover, burnout, and indifference. 

To be successful in this role, you will need to be okay with: signing off on programming that is ineffective, turning a blind eye to program implementation errors due to inadequate training, writing staff up daily for the most absurd reasons (which will also happen to you), having zero input on programming and/or training, being pulled into meetings with little to no warning to be reprimanded, rehash something said in an earlier meeting, and/or to talk about an upcoming meeting, and lastly, having the same conversation with upper level management only to have them act surprised  like it’s the first they are hearing the concern. 

If you still decide to apply after reading this, my only advice is to document everything, recap meetings in an email, and keep copies of Teams messages.  Not because anyone will be held accountable but solely for your own sanity, the gaslighting is very real. 

*There is greener grass. I LOVE my new job and am doing similar work. I saw this post when I was looking at opportunities for someone moving to the area and thought I should leave a warning*

Can't staff the locations they have but there is an irresponsible push for growth from the top.  Supervisors (I resigned my supervisory role) are not empowered to address performance issues in a timely manner, or choose their own team. Their retention problems are such that it takes a lot to go wrong to get permission to term an employee, even when a clients health or safety have been jeopardized.

My department gets neglected because it's a money loser for the company.  The talk of being mission driven appears to be lip service, because they are delivering services in a manner that is poor to dangerous given the insufficient training protocols and the fact that they will hire almost anyone to provide direct support.  It's difficult to push entry -level staff to improve performance, as there is no possibility to offer them a financial incentive and everyone involved knows that the employee could make a better wage on day one at Menards or McDonald's.

The focus of this organization is expansion, but they do not have good internal systems. I feel like workers must proactively identify and fill holes in protocols, and then they retire or go on leave and all of a sudden something isn't happening because no one knew that employee was the one doing it.  And I am still on the email list for supervisors, despite having left the role nearly a year ago. I like to know what's going on, so I've never asked to be removed.  Middle management is so overworked that I can't blame them too much for the chaos on the ground. They have seen their good plans for solutions, but are unable to effect change.  I do not know exactly what gets in the way, but this company claims they welcome direct feedback but I do not perceive honest efforts to implement improvements at a systemic level, even though the health and safety of vulnerable adults are at stake.

I have absolutely adored working for Fraser, with some hiccups along the way. As a Clinical Program Assistant (formerly known as Developmental Trainee), I enjoyed the flexible schedule while I was still in school (MWF mornings and afternoons available, as well as T, TH mornings and afternoons available). However, as I've moved into a full-time position with hopes to grow within the company, I've noticed a few things that I don't enjoy so much. I graduated in May with a degree, for example, and don't use it within my position. I've applied for the Mental Health Practitioner position on a few occasions but have been denied the opportunity (mostly because those applying for the same position have been around longer - bad timing). It's frustrating! Especially when you max out at $14.50 an hour as a lead in the room, and a newly graduated individual external to Fraser is hired for the position you've been working hard for. 

While I feel valued and respected by my immediate co-workers, the feeling isn't replicated in higher management and opportunities. Many individuals who I work with have HUGE hearts, and put a lot of work into what they do, sometimes leaving with bites or bruises at the end of the day, but I think they too feel like they're not compensated enough. Other companies who provide the same services often start their pay at least two dollars more per hour. I want to stick around, but I'm just not sure it's worth it! A lot of opportunity out there... 

I would suggest to students with a degree, find a job where you can truly use it and be compensated for it!

They are a great place to start off with but the turnover rate is high. this is due to people being Ill-prepared to actually mentally deal with the expected work. If you are going to this job expecting to just play with kids, you are setting yourself up to fail at this job. This job requires an intense amount of patience and dedication for the success of these kids. If you are very level-headed in stressful situations and can handle not reacting to any physical pain being inflicted upon you whatsoever, then it's a pretty good job.  Management is pretty understanding and fair for the most part, and quick to react when requesting help ASAP. However, the only really bad negative I see is the Job Culture itself, management may be nice, but the staff can be VERY Clicky, and if you don't fit into those clicks you will feel very Lonely and not supported as a staff member. If you are Social Awkward or Introverted, you may end up not having many friends and feel very isolated from your actual team members. Management tries to do team bonding exercises however, all it really does is remind those who are not in those Clicks, that they are not welcome and the team bonding is just rubbing salt in the wound unintentionally.

Exactly as the title suggests.  Working here for the short time I was employed was levels beyond stressful and frustrating.  While the idea of working with kids here seems fun on the surface, the pay is WAY too low for what you are putting yourself at risk of happening to you, which includes getting bitten, scratched, kicked, and having things thrown at you from those same kids you are working with.  There is also a very snobbish, high school-cliquey workplace culture here where management picks and chooses which behavior technicians/trainees they want to favor more over others and treat with kid gloves, no matter how rude, loud, or annoying they are to everyone else.  The same can also be said about some behavior technicians who have been here longer than others, in that they tend to openly ignore or look down upon new hires as if they think they're no better than gum on the bottom of someone's shoe.  Management is also very slow to address actual, genuine concerns from most other behavior technicians, and is VERY quick to throw them under the bus if they make a mistake, no matter how small it is, just so they can keep their hands clean and their track record good.   Under NO circumstances would I recommend anyone work here.  Avoid this place like the plague.

When I started at Fraser as a Behavior Technician Level II, I felt excited and motivated to provide high-quality therapeutic services to children. It wasn’t long after my start date that all of Fraser’s behind-the-scenes chaos became apparent. Fraser has an incredibly difficult time keeping all of their sites fully-staffed - it wasn’t uncommon for staff to be sent to other centers, up to 30 miles from your home base, to help cover sessions and ensure Fraser could bill for these services. This dramatically effects the work/life balance Fraser so greatly encourages. During my time at Fraser, they expanded their in-home services program and it was required for all employees to be prepared to travel anywhere up to 30-miles from their home base to provide services - this was especially treacherous during the winter months, as there was no concern for the therapists’ safety on the HR-end, just wanting to bill for services. Talking to management about any concern or issue was virtually pointless - any message appeared to go in one ear and out the other without a care, though they insisted they want to “support” you in any way possible. The pay did not nearly equate the amount of work we put in to each day - for all that we had to be “prepared for” and how often we had to travel with a literal moment’s notice, what we were paid was no match. Fraser may provide excellent services to their clients, but they treat their staff like puppets.

I worked for Fraser throughout the years and I watched the residential division lose everything it was built on as the Autistic school and services gained momentum. It was unfortunate to watch as it happened because the clients really began to lose out. The money was taken away slowly but surely from them as the school and services continued to grow. I understand that residential didn't bring money in and the service side did, but as one company they should have balanced each other out or split companies. 
HR is not approachable. Its a tight knit group of gossipers and nothing was safe to speak to anyone about. When there were serious SERIOUS staff issues with treatment of clients the company put their convenience first and left the clients with horrible care takers. Slackers, people that are more worried about their school work and their gossiping than their clients, druggies, etc are all what are employed in residential. I have actually had to seek out staff at events when a client has become injured to alert the staff because they are too busy gossiping with other staff. 
The clients are an absolute joy, but the company is horrible. There is no training, there is no leadership, there is no room for growth, the company doesn't pay enough for a single person to not be on welfare, let alone a person with a family, they have horrible benefits, etc. 
I would steer clear of this company!

Fraser is by far the worst company I have ever worked for. Don’t get me wrong - the kids are absolutely amazing and it is so heartwarming being able to see their growth. That being said - the company does not have their priorities straight. In my 3 years with the company it was become very apparent that they do not care about their staff or clientele in the least. All they care about is money. They would do everything in their power to earn the most money from sessions even if this has a negative affect on staff and/or clients. Staff is incredibly underpaid and there is little to no room for growth. They hire in outside people to fill roles before promoting from within. They will not see the hard work and hours that you put in - all they care about is your “productivity” aka billable hours. If you are out unpaid for an reason (including COVID related or if they have to send clients home due to COVID) this has a negative impact on your productivity. Communication?? Never heard of it. Management is an absolute joke.  Centers are EXTREMELY understaffed yet they already have plans to open 3 new centers. There is a reason the average retention of employees is only around 3-6 months. All of this being said if you value your sanity/mental health do not even consider putting in an application. 

You can make more flipping burgers at McDonald’s 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Direct support professional 7 salaries reported	$16.00 per hour
Mental health technician 6 salaries reported	$22.70 per hour
In home caregiver 1 salary reported	$16.00 per hour
Case manager 6 salaries reported	$53,708 per year
Early childhood teacher 13 salaries reported	$17.00 per hour

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