direct support professional

addiction counselor

licensed practical nurse

case manager

childcare provider

Gaudenzia, Inc.

I had a team of ladies that I supervised.  I drove the ladies to various locations for dosing. I did the morning meetings with the residents. Attended staff morning meeting. Prepared lunch, cleaned up the kitchen. Intered my notes from the meeting. Made sure staff was doing their job. Drove the ladies to the store, picked up the chicken from school. Went on cigarette runs. Prepared dinner. Stocked and ordered hygiene products. I cleaned rooms.Put away food items from delivery. Prepared the rooms for new residents. I did the intake process, which consisted of scanning them, urines, going through all of there clothes, logging in every item. Made sure they showered. And I disbursed medicine to the residents. I trained  mynew staff. I did supervision's. Payroll. I also inspected the entire building, did monthly inspection reports.

There was little to no training involved, no job description or schedule provided, took 3 1/2 months to get connected with email and training while sharing one computer among 5-6 employees.  Upper management was invisible preferring to watch everything on computer in office, clients and staff treated with such disrespect it was difficult to build a community that supported one another.  They offer a sign on bonus which holds most staff hostage for a year, and most shifts consist of one RSP and one nurse, neither of which are permitted to make decisions on their own and when upper management is off the clock, most often they would not answer texts, calls or emails when needed.  As a state funded, nonprofit rehab facility this place needs extensive change or to be shut down.  I am appalled still, thinking of the many dangerous situations I and others were put into, without guidance or directives, and trying to keep clients safe.  

Gaudenzia management has no regard for work-life balance. They are understaffed and will overwork you to the bone. As a counselor, you will work hours that are not conducive to meeting with your clients. Most staff are rude and sneaky. Gossiping is rampant. There is a lot of favoritism even for those who are not pulling their weight. Employees are consistently being belittled and there is a lot of condescending remarks to both staff and clients. The facility is old and dated. Counselors must share offices, so it is very difficult to conduct individual sessions. As a counselor, you will do other jobs that are not within your job description and have nothing to do with counseling. The curriculum is subpar and repetitive. Most employees have no clue how to deal with clients who have experienced trauma although the talk is about client-centered and trauma-informed. It is quite the opposite. There is plenty of work out there if you’re looking to make a difference in someone’s life. This isn’t the place.


I have worked in the Prison Services division and have consistently served clients that are serving time in correctional institutions within and around Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and the northeastern portion of the state of Maryland. Most enjoyable part of the job is seeing people gain the skills, confidence, hope and healing that they can live a substance and maladaptive behavior free life. I have had the priveledge of working with some of the most dedicated and caring managers ever.The underyling treatment philosopy of Gaudenzia, Inc. is phenomenal. Working within correctional settings sets up staff to regularly be in conflict with those whose job it is to simply detain. Unfortunatley, the corporate culture of Gaudenzia took on those worst aspects, and too often treat their employees like inmates.

I would not recommend this organization for either field or corporate roles. In my experience, compensation is low compared to the expectations of the position, and there is limited support for employees when it comes to workload management or personal needs.

There also appear to be broader organizational concerns. Communication can be inconsistent, and processes, particularly around documentation and program operations, often feel disorganized. This clearly impacts staff efficiency and the overall quality of care provided to clients.

Additionally, I found that the organization’s stated mission and values, especially regarding mental health and substance use treatment, were not always reflected in day-to-day practices.

- Advice to Management -

Improve transparency, strengthen internal processes and oversight, and invest in both employee support ( and actually practice fairness for all), and quality of care to better align with the organization’s mission. If that’s what actually matters…

Gaudenzia has provided me with immeasurable career growth and advancement opportunities over the past five years. New leadership over the past year has been actively working to move away from a punitive culture, and those changes are beginning to take effect. When you ask for support, it is there.  Work-life balance has never been better.

Like many organizations in transition, inconsistencies can arise in change efforts. However, for individuals who are motivated, adaptable, and committed to serving both the organization and the clients, there are many opportunities to grow and lead.

Gaudenzia offers strong benefits, including tuition-matching partnerships with colleges, and nursing pay that exceeds the current market. After once considering leaving, I now genuinely love my job and feel proud of the positive impact I am helping to create.  

One of the largest and oldest D&A non-profit agencies in PA, Gaudenzia provides inpatient, and outpatient treatment based primarily on a Therapeutic Community model.  Gaudenzia's greatest strength is its willingness to provide services no one else will attempt, such as TC's in prisons or women-only inpatient programs that allow them to bring children.  The agency has an exceptional mission buy-in from both staff and clients and honestly posts excellent treatment outcomes, as a result.

The downside is that many of the staff were recruited from their client-base, making management less a matter of talent than charisma and seniority. For the same reason, and because it's a non-profit that seriously accepts nearly any client regardless of payment, salaries and benefits are kept low.  There is a lot of staff turnover which increases pressures on remaining staff.

This is an exceptional place to work for, as they have a culture that is line with their belief system that is given to their clients. For people in this line of work, this job gives you name association and skills that are highly sought after in mental health and addictions therapy. Everyone in this field has heard of this company and their reviews have been good.
This being said, their are company politics that allow some individuals to climb the ranks quickly and others be mired in a position for extended lengths. 
  My co-workers were a mix bag of positive products of the program, collegiate professionals, and cronies that used their affiliation to get the choicest hours.
  Majority of the job, you would work with some interesting people. The toughest part of the job would be that non-office staff had some tough shifts and would often have night and overnight shifts.

A typical day at work would be to arrive by 8:00 a.m., have a brief meeting with staff, gather materials for morning meetings and group sessions, and leave office to designated areas. I have learned to adjust to co-workers and institutional staff personality differences, and attitudes.  I have learned to managed great leadership skills, I enjoy managing the challenges of problem resolution for existing and potential participants.  My co-workers and I have developed and adapt to a healthy work atmosphere while learning to trust and support one another. The hardest part of the job was getting the institutional staff buying into the vision of the "Therapeutic Community" Model.  The most enjoyable part of my day was the staff debriefing sessions that came at the end of the day.

Where to start? I’ll start with the folks at the top. Gaudenzia is sinking under the weight of poor leadership, especially the corporate leaders. The people in the highest positions in this company, who really never step into visit any programs or actually see the human beings in recovery that their employees are giving their all to help, are so lost. There is absolutely zero leadership or organization anymore. Every other day, we are under threat of being shut down. The current corporate leaders can’t pick anything to focus on. So the end result is growing chaos. It is making it so hard on all of us out in programs, who are face to face with people trying to get their lives back from addiction. There is a sudden mindset of narrowing in and cutting women and children’s programs. This is such a deadly game to play for mothers who need help to overcome addiction. I love my job. I hate what this company has devolved into. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Direct support professional 351 salaries reported	$16.52 per hour
Addiction counselor 103 salaries reported	$23.02 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 86 salaries reported	$36.50 per hour
Case manager 67 salaries reported	$21.60 per hour
Childcare provider 44 salaries reported	$16.40 per hour

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