direct support professional

mental health technician

therapist

registered nurse

teacher

Grafton Integrated Health Network

Direct Support Personnel (DSP)
Overnight Residential Associate (ONRA)
Grafton Integrated Health Network
Berryville Campus


Although I had previously worked as a pre-school teacher, Grafton is my first foray into the field of behavioral health/special education/mental health. I had actually applied for an administrative assistant position with Grafton, I had no desire to work directly with children again, but was instead hired as a DSP in September 2018.  

Like many of you reading this review, I had heard a lot of negativity about Grafton. Negativity about Grafton as an employer, about the staff (especially those in higher positions) and, of course, about the clients Grafton serves.  For years I listened to these stories and heeded their warnings.  I wish I hadn’t. Had I known what Grafton was really like, I would have applied long before now.

You do not go into this blindly, you are not left to flounder about with no guidance and you are not just hired and dropped in on the clients with a pillow for protection, a tall tale I read in many reviews. You must complete two weeks of hands-on training prior to working with the clients.  I was dreading sitting in a classroom and listening to instructors drone on for two weeks. After the first day, I found myself looking forward to attending the training each day, the instructors were awesome.  They were knowledgeable and informative but they also kept you entertained so that you were never bored and they always had your full attention.  A lot of invaluable information is packed into those two weeks, and somehow the instructors are able to present it all in such a way that you will remember it, pull from it and put it to use. 

Grafton, as a company, offers competitive salaries, great medical benefits, a 401K plan with a very respectable match and financial assistance for continuing your education.  They also offer a generous PTO allowance and many opportunities for overtime, not to mention free, healthy and tasty meals.

The staff at Grafton are all here for the same reason, the clients.  Although my regular shift is second shift overnight, I have had an opportunity to provide support to each shift and program at the Berryville campus.  I have seen numerous staff deal with extremely difficult and trying situations involving clients, all-the-while maintaining their composure and consistently treating the clients with respect and compassion.  As the clients display negative behavior(s), the staff continuously manages to focus on their positive behavior(s), encourage the client and help them process through the issue(s) so the client can get back on track with a fresh start.  

Having worked the different shifts and programs, I have had a chance to work for each supervisor at the Berryville campus.  Each one of them have made me feel appreciated.  Not once have I not been thanked….Imagine that, being thanked for doing your job, it is very rare in any workplace.  Anytime I have been asked to do something, the request has always started with either please or would you mind. This does not end with the supervisors, it continues straight up the ladder. My time, efforts, opinions and contributions are never taken for granted, I always feel like a valued member of Team Grafton.

The clients at Grafton are some of the most unique and special individuals you will ever come across.  I work a lot of extra hours, not because I have to, but because I enjoy every moment I spend with the children at the Berryville campus. Once you have worked with the clients, after you have read their files that describe their conditions and the trauma most have suffered, everything you have heard about Grafton and the “horrors” the staff endure at the hands of the clients disappears, and you begin to empathize.  The majority of Grafton’s clients have been through more already than, thankfully, most of us will experience in our lifetime.  They want and deserve, respect, kindness, compassion and most of all love.  I have found that if you give these basic things to the client, they will give it back tenfold.

I cannot say that this job is all unicorns and daisies, no job is.  There have been days my patience is stretched to the limit and I have one good nerve left that is being plucked at, particularly after being aggressed upon by a client. I can say, however, that every day, good or bad, I am rewarded.  My reward may be gaining the trust of a combative client, it can be hearing a client say they want to be just like me when they grow up, it has been the smile that breaks out on a particular client’s face when I walk in the room, it is a basically non-verbal client shouting my name each time they see me or it may be having a client say I love you and thank you for helping them process through a very difficult time.  I have been working for 30+ years and this is, by far, the most rewarding job I have ever had.  I come to work knowing I have a purpose and I leave work knowing I have accomplished something, that I have made a difference.



If you're considering working at Grafton, think twice. The Manor House staff are the root of the problems here, and they create a toxic, unsupportive environment across both the academic and residential sides. I’ve been here long enough to witness firsthand just how disconnected and useless the leadership is — and it’s clear they don't care about anyone except themselves.

Let’s start with the basics: The Manor House staff do nothing to help. They are invisible in the day-to-day operations, never checking in on staff or clients unless it’s time to grab their food from the cafeteria. They don’t interact with anyone, don’t offer support, and certainly don’t care about the safety or well-being of the people actually doing the hard work. Whether it’s residential staff or academic staff, they are nowhere to be found when we need help.

The academic side? Completely neglected. Staff are left to manage the most difficult situations with little to no support. When you’re dealing with students who have behavioral issues or learning disabilities, there’s no leadership coming in to offer help or guidance. The academic team is left to figure it out on their own, with minimal resources, and no real backup from the Manor House staff. It’s frustrating and feels like you’re set up to fail from the start.

On the residential side, it’s even worse. The leadership at Manor House consistently admits clients who are not a good fit for the program, and they do it just to increase revenue. We’re asked to work with children who have severe behavioral issues, often putting ourselves at risk because the leadership doesn’t care about staffing or proper training. It’s all about money — and if that means putting everyone else in danger, so be it. The residential staff are left to deal with it, with no support, no training, and no help from the people who made those decisions.

What’s more, the culture at Grafton is one of fear and silence. If you try to speak up or raise concerns about unsafe conditions, unfit clients, or lack of resources, you’re ignored or punished. There’s no accountability at the Manor House, and it’s clear that they protect each other while throwing everyone else under the bus. If you challenge the system, you're labeled a problem and pushed aside. Staff feel they have no voice — no one in leadership is listening, and if they are, they certainly don’t care.

This job is draining, unappreciated, and unsafe. The leadership at Manor House does nothing to help staff on either the academic or residential side. They’re too busy focusing on profits to care about the people who are actually doing the work and the clients who need real support. If you want a job where you’re respected, supported, and given the tools to succeed, don’t waste your time here.


DO NOT WORK AT GRATON!!! I have been there for about 2 years and they treat there employees horrible. There is no support for there employee's, training, staffing wise etc. There are suppose to be at least 2 staff in each unit-sometimes 3. However, that is not the case. Usually every weekend I would have a full unit (7 clients) and no partner. I haven't had a partner in over 6 months even though they keep promising me one. On the weekends we work 14 hours a day, yet staff do not get breaks. There is barely time to go to the bathroom, if your luckily enough to get a staff to cover your unit. We are not allowed to bring in outside food and eat it in front of the clients. You can eat the Grafton food, yet it has personally made me sick multiple times and has made other staff sick from eating it as well. Besides everything listed above there is no accountability for the clients. The program there moving towards is a "comfort versus control", yet there is nothing in any program they run that deals with accountability and teaching basic rights and wrongs. There is never enough staff to be able to take the clients on outings, and when staff do put in for them, they get cancelled. Our turn over rate is around 86%. A lot of the issues stem from management or directly from the curator of the building. There is no communication with anyone so staff are constantly being overridden by PSS, management, and various supervisors. Staff get yelled at by managers./supervisors in front of the clients and there is no backing for the staff. During crisis situations PSS (program support) is called. Normally there job is to respond and help with a crisis. However, quit often there is know one to help respond with crisis situations because there are not enough staff. In some of those cases staff have gotten injured because know one (not even managers) came to help. At this job the risk is not worth the reward because of the way staff are treated and talked to. 

This job would not be so bad is there was communication and SUPPORT for the staff. The facility is run by someone !who doesn't have a degree in any kind of behavioral science, psychology, sociology, etc. 
Also if you got hired you would have to wait on a background check. There have been staff waiting at least a month for there background check to come back to even start shadowing, then you get to start. 

The new hires that come in stay about a month and move on. Please don't let that be you! Its not even worth your time applying!
Even the bonus they promise you they tax so you don't actually get the full amount.

DO NOT APPLY FOR THIS JOB!!!!

When I came to Grafton, it was because I was drawn to the idea of restraint-free, trauma-informed, comfort versus control behavioral health. I was looking forward to working for a company that believed in respecting the bodily autonomy and personhood of each and every client. Very quickly I learned that this is Grafton’s policy in word only and not in practice. Although the clinical team and administrative team may believe in these methods, the DSPs who work with these kids day after day clearly do not, and there is next to no corrective action for those who treat clients in unethical ways, despite my tireless effort to report these incidents to supervisors. In my time at Grafton, I saw clients pushed, shoved, yelled at, ignored, belittled, punished, and treated as if they were “bad” kids. I'll clarify that I have never seen anything that would constitute abuse, but that is not saying much... just not abusing kids should not be the standard. 

That is bad enough. However, the climate created by staff at Grafton makes it intolerable to stay here and fight for better treatment of clients, as I have been trying to do for the past 7 months. Gossip, rumors, cliques, cold shoulders, backstabbing and inappropriate staff relationships (with each other) are the norm at Grafton. If you care about your work and do it well, you are seen as snooty and stuck up. If you are a rule follower, you'll be socially outcasted by your DSP peers. If you report one person, you're everyone's enemy. 

I'll add to this that there is next to no educational value for kids in many of the classrooms (not all). They are simply told to sit at their desks while "educational" videos play and staff gossip and chat and avoid doing any work or behavioral intervention. Kids are put in double pull-ups so they can take them to the restroom less, kids are essentially ignored until problem behavior occurs, teaching them that problem behavior is the only way to access attention and assistance from staff. 

These past months have been exhausting, discouraging and have made me reconsider my career choices. I know this may fall on deaf ears, but I felt that it was my responsibility to tell those who may seek a job at Grafton that I am at the end of my rope... I cannot continue to see unethical event after unethical event… children with disabilities being mistreated… and continue to associate myself with the organization that turns a blind eye to the injustice of it. Look elsewhere, unless you have the energy to fight an endless uphill battle toward the comfort versus control model.

With 20+ years experience with the company, its safe to say I've seen a fair amount of change.  It happens in an industry that is (rightfully) heavily regulated.  That's right, things change.  Most of the time, this change is imposed as a result of legislative action.  Its not as if organizational leadership sits around dreaming up ways to make an already challenging line of work even more difficult.  
I'm currently blessed to work with regional and org-level leaders and have been very encouraged by the level of consideration given to direct care staff's work load/ stress.  Many of the folks who are making these decisions have worked as direct care staff, so they know full well the challenges that are faced.

To be clear, this line of work isn't for everyone.  You making yourself vulnerable- physically and emotionally.  You are supporting folks with developmental and emotional needs who cannot be safely managed in lesser restrictive levels of care.  You'll likely sustain a few bumps and bruises.  You'll see the frustration of your clients when they're facing challenges/heartache.

Its also a place where you'll see the best of humanity on display.  Coworkers and managers who pour their hearts out into their work.  Families who strive to support their loved ones through incredibly tough times.  Clients working through heartbreaking challenges and finding success that is life changing.  

There are a variety of work locations and clients- you could choose to work in a school, group home, or psychiatric residential center; you could work with infants, children, or adults.

Where do I begin?  Depending on where you are at in your career, think about capitalizing on your degree and/or acquiring the experience of working with 'at risk youth' and or special need children/adults, and MOVE ON!!  If your heart is in the right place, it can be very rewarding playing a part in changing someone's life....particularly in such need.  However, know that Grafton looks out for Grafton, employees are expendable, you are another number, and they run a full time conveyor belt of new employees - the turn over is ATTROCIOUS!!!!  Why?  The management exploits their employees, and proper lower level support/management is not available to properly support their employees.  I would say the Principal/Vice Principal at Berryville probably display the most ethical management leadership; however, the Prinicpal is changing.  

Truly, they fail to see the necessity in investing in their strong, dedicated, qualified staff and as such, will continue to run an employment mill....truly, something should be looked into with this organization as what you will see on a day-to-day basis will make you do a double, triple, well, quadruple take.  I say day-to-day, let me clarify, hour to hour, minute to minute.  The problem is, when you go to ask or gain support - they oftentimes try to cover up their problems, even you being a witness to a problem, and fire people often (understatement of the century)......with that being said, get your experience and move on to find a company that invest in their client, staff, and companies future.  The only ones truly going in there with a smile are the senior levels of management who are MAKING BANK $$$$$  while they exploit the teachers and direct care staff who are accepting all the liability for pennies in comparison......watch your back if you're thinking of working at Grafton....it can catapult you to the next step in your professional career or ruin your life - step carefully.....

I have worked at Grafton for many years and found it to be a wonderful place to work.  Grafton is about making a positive difference in people's lives. I have been fortunate to be a part of that process and see it in action every day.  

When you work in the human services field, it is very rewarding to see first hand someone achieve a milestone he/she has worked so hard for, and you know the challenges and trauma that person has had to overcome to reach that milestone.  

The work is challenging at times, even hard sometimes.  But it is also a job where you are paid to play with people. All of your meals are covered while you are working with clients.   Some of the activities that you support the clients in doing could be going to the movies or bowling, taking a trip to NYC to see a Broadway play, going to the beach for a week or going to see sporting events.  The possibilities are endless.  

The benefits from health insurance to tuition reimbursement, from PTO to a 401K with an employer match are really great.  I have had opportunities working here, that I would otherwise not have had.  

I have held several different positions, and each position was a good match for my personal life circumstances and needs during the time I held those positions.  During the most difficult time in my life, my supervisor at the time was a tremendous support.  I have seen managers and even top level executives take the time to work directly with clients in the best and worst of situations.

I have observed people who decided to make their careers here begin in entry level positions and move up into executive positions. Grafton will support you in professional development if you have the desire and willingness to work for it.   

If you genuinely want to make a positive impact in the lives of others and are willing to work hard as part of a team, Grafton is a great place to work

What is the best part of working at the company?
Building bonds with the children and actually helping them in their behavioral health.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Walking on eggshells and leaving the day questioning your entire existence. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
There is too much unnecessary drama between staff members and no support. If you are new, you will be shunned and some will even try to bully you. There are very few staff members that will help you the best way they can. This is a sink or swim environment, Most of the time, you are learning how things are supposed to go the hard way.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
You will go into work thinking you will apply all the things you learned during the two weeks of training and enter into a structured environment. Unfortunately that is so far from the truth. In all honesty, you might as well forget everything you have learned because everyday the unexpected will happen and most of the training techniques you were taught will not be effective enough to protect yourself against some of the children in there. There are children who have the strength of full grown adults who can easily overpower you and your only defense of protection which is a blocking pad. There have been situations where students have sent staff members to the hospital for concussions, stabbed, punched, kicked, spat at, scratched, you name it. However, you are warned before you enter that the children can get physical, but not to the extent that you will see. I started working in Late February and ended in April because I simply couldn’t take anymore. My first day there I noticed how staff members (therapists) would bully the kids and tease them for things such as not being able to read and comprehend.

I was hired right after I found out I was pregnant. My company worked with me even though I didn't qualify for Maternity leave. They allowed me to the time I needed to adjust to the new baby. When my child was born with medical issues, they continued to work with me. They honestly could have fired me for missing to many days like other jobs would have. Instead they kept asking me if there was anything they could help with. I stated off as a DSP working Wednesday thru Saturday. The hours are long but it is what you do in those hours that made it possible. They encourage you to take the client's on outing and into the community. They encourage you to use your strengths to help teach the clients how to act in the community. The behaviors the clients display can be extreme but you have to remember that for many of them this is their last chance before being placed in a long term care facility. The clients behaviors is the most difficult challenges that I have faced here. Because most of them have complex issues. Finding a way to help them is a challenge. But I have always felt comfortable reaching out to the therapist, nursing and the higher ups about my concerns. I've been here for going on 4 years. I am now a Lead RI. There are many ways to advance your career while here. You just have to be willing to put in the work and play the game. Just like every other company communication could be better but they are working on it. It has gotten better in the time that I've been here. And if you don't feel like it is enough you can always talk with the manager about it. The managers and the director are always willing to talk with you and listen to you concerns and try to work with you until you feel like you have the support you need.

When I first started at Grafton, I was enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with children. There were some challenging days in the beginning for sure, but the last 6 months has been a downward spiral or negativity. The clients injure staff and other peers with little to no consequences. Multiple staff had to be treated in the ER for injuries sustained by clients. Despite staff trying to address their concerns, the upper management does little to correct these safety concerns except ask employees to refer friends to come work here. Staffing is always short and if you give them your extra time, they will constantly expect you to do so. There is no structured program for the kids and half the time they are watching tv in school and playing video games in the dorms. I've watched some kids discharge worse than when they arrived. I signed up to be an instructional assistant but most of my time is spent not teaching, but playing referee and chasing kids around the campus. The lack of support or understanding from senior management is appalling, they have fostered an unsafe and low morale work place. They lose good employees from lack of support and low pay and little recognition for what staff actually have to put up with. They accept clients who we are not equipped to handle for the money. The only reason I gave it 3 stars is some of the kids are wonderful to work with and the teamwork amongst co-workers. I could not in good conscious recommend this company the way it is right now.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Direct support professional 71 salaries reported	$19.04 per hour
Mental health technician 36 salaries reported	$20.96 per hour
Therapist 14 salaries reported	$88,470 per year
Registered nurse 28 salaries reported	$44.80 per hour
Teacher 4 salaries reported	$84,153 per year

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