therapist

residential counselor

mental health therapist

counselor

mental health technician

Hillsides

Schedule would be 130-11/1130 weekdays and 9:30am-9:00pm on Saturdays. Off Sunday, Monday and Wednesdays. Other than the first month training with co workers, was working alone rest of the time; 6 male clients. Start the day off by reading the "logs" that the co workers wort the previous day, so I would know the moods of the clients or/and if any AWOLS happened. Pick up clients from school and depending on what day it was we have schedule activities. From the library for homework to outings. I was medical trained so i can dispense the clients meds on a daily basis. I had to learn the each clients med and times to dispense. I also am CPR trained and Pro act trained. Document every incident. Clients do and have got upset and tried to attack staff. If we do not eat dinner on the main campus, I, staff would have to cook for the 6 clients. After dinner was the same routine, each client had their chores and showers to complete and had to be in bed at certain times. During these times, a minor argument or a possible fight would break out and we have to the the situation professionally. If an Awol occurred we have to shadow that client until we get further assistance from the main campus. I worked off the main campus, in a residential house, so the min. time would be a 20 min wait. If we could not find that client, a missing persons report was done with the Sheriff department. Every day, at the end of the night we would have to write a log and narrate what happened during the day/night. Along with any incident report(s) that had to be written.

I did not realize how much working here took a toll on me. Some staff are really nice people and  building rapport with the kiddos was truly the reason I stuck around for so long. Unfortunately after a while you notice the toxic environment. Certain kids can be very disrespectful towards staff and have no consequences. Staff at times would report this to the supervisors and the supervisors would let the kids get away with it. There is a power imbalance and the kids definitely control the staff. The staff can also be very deceitful towards each other. They do a great job of gossiping about you and any other coworker when you are not in the room. It’s the culture hillsides has built and it’s very hard NOT to get sucked into it. I witness many of the staff act nice to someone’s face and then gossip about them behind their back.  Expect to work overtime often, alone with teens, and without ANY breaks. Lastly, there is a lack of growth within this company.  Please consider why this organization has a high turnover rate!

Hillsides takes a lot of pride in their work. They care a lot about branding and reputation. They place high expectations on employees and try to reward them with a good salary and benefit package. Some of the things required are unnecessary or "self inflicted" might be a better choice of words. For example, they required Facilitators and Clinicians to obtain signatures from the minors' lawyers for too many things, acting proactively to cover audits and legal compliances. However, there was no clear statute that justified this practice. Making phone calls and faxing documents to attorneys took a lot of time; time away from doing other more productive work. They also placed very high billing expectations on staff. High above the industry standards, which resulted in increased stress to employees. Albeit high billing expectations brings in a lot of revenue for the agency.

Hillsides is a great place to work with supportive management and a friendly company culture. Work is both challenging and rewarding. Lots of opportunity for learning and advancement. The work environment is somewhat relaxed, but still business-like. Overall, staff are very friendly and encouraging. 

Compensation is competitive by industry standards with a decent 401k match. The medical benefits package for families is not great. Many staff with dependents opt to independently shop for private health insurance because it is cheaper than what Hillsides offers. The medical benefits package for individuals without families, however, is fantastic. 

All in all, this is a fabulous place to work! I would highly recommend to those interested in applying.

Child care counselors are extremely underpaid and subjected to violence from clients on a daily basis. New protocols and trainings are making hillsides more of a dangerous place to work. If you decide to apply for a job at hillsides, makes sure it's not a direct care position. Child care counselors were also not given adequate breaks, work 12 hour shifts, dont have a meal time, and work evenings, weekends, and holidays. All the while they need a bachelor's degree, and are paid well under 15 an hour. The only positives are the other staff that are supportive, and sometimes you make an impact on a clients life for the better. Trust me, they're is a reason these listings are constantly on Indeed, this company has such a high turnover rate.

Company has adapted a corporate model over the last few years that has had a big affect on the work culture. Depending on who your supervisor is, it could be a positive or negative experience. A lot of pressure is placed on employees to bill and it feels like quantity over quality at this point. Benefits cut every year but they have millions for new construction. They try to make you feel like they are doing you the favor of letting you work there. The bar is so low in the mental health field in comparison it seems okay but overall they only care about numbers. The CEO is the worst.

Anyone in the psychology field will learn something new everyday. But what makes it a tough job is the management. Overworked and underpaid is not enough to cover it. Management loves those who dedicate their life to the job, but are quick to let you go. Everyone is constantly changing positions so it is very hard to build trust within your team. The major benefit is learning directly from the clients, but communication within staff and supervisors is disappointing. No praise, only demands.

My work day consist of scheduling my clients and driving to their homes in order to provide FSP Intensive Therapeutic Services to the TAY population. I learn about how providing an intensive approach for the TAY population with not only severe mental problems but also accompanying severe medical problems. Management very supportive and attentive as well as my co-workers. Hardest part is seeing these young people going through these mental and medical issues. The most enjoyable part of the job is being able to help my clients make positive changes in their functioning abilities.

No comAssist the Director of Rehab Services in providing age-appropriate recreational activities for youths such as art therapy, music therapy, and community based sports activities, etc.
Participate in outings, field trips and camping trips
Set limits and maintain disciplinary standards consistent with Hillsides policies and procedures
Assist in maintaining recreational equipment and the general cleanliness and good order of the recreational facilities
Engage in recreational and/or therapeutic sports activities with youth a needed
ment

This used to be a great company to work for but unfortunately they have adopted a more corporate model and it is now very stressful. Management was hit or miss, often times a miss. Workplace culture overall is better than most but doe to recent changes it is rapidly changing. Hardest part of the job was managers and or work expectations adding more stress when some of it could have been eliminated. Most enjoyable part of the job was working with the kids and also the company has really good benefits.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Therapist 1 salary reported	$73,140 per year
Residential counselor 13 salaries reported	$18.42 per hour
Mental health therapist 4 salaries reported	$71,060 per year
Counselor 3 salaries reported	$29.50 per hour
Mental health technician 6 salaries reported	$25.56 per hour

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