behavior coach

therapist

mental health technician

teacher

van driver

LAUREL LIFE

Before COVID-19 Laurel Life was a wonderful place to work. Things really took a turn for the worst when COVID happened. It seems as though the main focus is now on making money and not providing high quality therapy for clients. We are no longer permitted to work from home, which is incredibly frustrating because it gives the message that we are not trusted and it seems like another way for admin to micromanage us.  Policies put in place have been changed within a day with little warning, which gets very confusing and frustrating. I no longer feel like a valued member of a team. It has been made very clear that therapists are viewed as replaceable. There is also poor work/home life balance and management does not care if you have to work weekends, holidays, or late nights each day of the week if you don't meet your quota. This would be understandable if you didn't have to rely on clients to show to their sessions, which is totally out of your control. 
A huge plus of working here are my coworkers, clinical supervisors, and office staff. I am getting supervision that goes toward my licensure as well as exposure to many unique and diverse populations. Working with clients and their families is also extremely pleasurable and rewarding and makes the negatives more tolerable. 

I wish someone would have told me that this job is going to be a very high stress environment. If high pressure situations are something you can handle in a job then this position would be great but it is constantly being stressed if a child would be aggressive toward you, your staff, or other students. Most days I would not even get a lunch break. A lot of these children should be placed in a higher level of care but are not due to budget issues. 

Also do not plan on getting coverage majority  of the time. Most of the time they cannot get a sub so if a team member has an appt/ or is out your team will be down a person for the day and that is very stressful when you are trying to work with 8-10 very aggressive kids. 

This job was so stressful I did not even care about the summers off or school breaks.  Nothing was worth the stress of this job. While I loved my managers they are typically very stressed themselves and covering a lot of other schools. So basically if you are struggling you will get little to no support. 

Lastly the pay/ benefits were awful. You can only take limited PTO, and they only offer a high deductible plan as health insurance. Good luck if you apply, I warned you. 

This job can be so rewarding at times. The kids and families making progress is the best part. The pay is competitive and the benefits are good. But this job is not for everyone. It is very intensive and we work with very traumatized families. You are "in the trenches" of mental health. You will meet the family's where they are at, which is usually unclean, buggy, and hurt. It is hard work, but seeing the kids and families make improvement over the time of treatment is so rewarding. A severe con is that the family's are responsible being at the sessions, and you only get paid if they follow through. Your paychecks can vary so much that it can be hard to live off of. There is a lot of paperwork and it can be overwhelming more of the time than not. The staff can vary. If you are partnered with someone that you do not mesh well, everyday can be difficult. The supervisors can also be sneaky, manipulative, and guilt-shaming. It is hard to know who to trust at times. One day, things are great. The next, it feels like the world is falling. Something we learn that helps kids succeed is consistency, but yet they lack this very thing.

I moved to Pa from out of state and was given ample amount of information to help me with my transition from apartments to child care! Laurel Life is a workplace like no other. You are treated with the utmost respect and  you are not viewed as just another employee but more so of part of a working family. The supervisors and colleagues care about you as a person. They will check in just to see how you are doing and not just in regards to work but with life. They genuinely care about your well being. During my first supervision  we discussed what self-care activities I was involved in and made sure we were engaged in something to keep up with our own mental health. During COVID-19 they were extremely caring and supportive through the whole ordeal! Supervisors and office staff return your calls, texts, emails right away; they are always available for assistance if needed. At Laurel Life you are apart of a team; you are not just a number to fulfill a spot but part of a family to grow professionally and personally! 

Most of the supervisors in the company are very kind and encouraging, but some are not very good communicators. The team you are with is very hit or miss-they may be awesome or they may suck: good luck!  Being paid all summer for not working is nice in theory, however, if this job is your only source of income, you'll need to find another job over the summer to supplement the low salary you recieve. Also, you do not have an option of getting your salary just during the school year-they make you spread it out all summer, so if you ever want to quit, you would have been working for much less than you should be. You have 2 personal days and acrue sick time (that does not get paid out). The company accepts many children into the program that are very physically aggressive, so you may use SCM much more than is communicated to you by the trainers. However, you will more likely just be getting beat up on a lot and not using the holds since the holds can be more traumatizing to the child. 

This place is a classic example of what happens when the wrong sort of people get into positions of power within a company. It’s not about the clients & families & what is best for them. It’s about money and how much they can make from clients insurance providers. I’ve seen unwarranted diagnoses & treatments given for the sake of making more money. It’s sick. And if they treat clients this way, imagine how much they care about employees. They fire & rehire at a continuously decreasing rates and at soon as the company is in “financial trouble” they cut wages at, guess where? The employees at the bottom (aka frontline workers). They’ve been know to pocket government stipends & grants specifically intended for low level employees. In short, an ethical nightmare for a company that deals in human health and welfare through social work. 

I was hired in two days, which should have been a red flag, but I assumed it was because I was overqualifed and overeducated for a position with such low pay. I was attracted to summers off and the chance to do therapy with a small class group. 
Management is very much a clique of people who have stayed with the company long enough to move up-- despite lack of education or skill to do their jobs. There are no "leaders" in the company and even those who try to be managers really struggle. They do not seem to receive any leadership or management training. My own experience and expertise is not valued and my voice is not heard. 
If you are desparate for an entry level positition, a transition classroom giving summers off is pretty nice for a 20-something employee. But anyone beyond entry level should definitely keep looking, as I am.

Every day is different depending on the situations that occur during the day and what mood the student come to school in.
Have to learn to go to their level so they understand what you are trying to discuss with them and realize they might not remember what you discussed the day before.  They are so are usually very smart about things they fixate on.
I enjoy working with the co - workers.  they are willing to give you advice if you need it and are always there to lend a helping hand if asked.
The hardest part of this job is when a client is being defiant all day and don't understand their are consequences when they make bad choices.
The most enjoyable part of this job is it is rewarding when you see a client able to use coping skills and able to go through a day with out a total meltdown and follow all the rules.

What is the best part of working at the company?
There was no real best part. The training was inefficient for the position. The staff was not transparent or supportive. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The program is not effective as they present 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
people are not transparent. Supervisors are critical with no support 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
you arrive before children arrive and you spend the whole day referring behaviors. you are cursed at, hit and missed treated by the children. Supervisors stand around speaking critically of you to other staff members. Supervisors are unsupportive. Environment is aggressive and supervisors are toxic.

CONS- Zero support from direct supervisor, very negative and dismissive of your competence and professional opinion. Overworked for the lack of compensation and benefits received. If your team is not strong and does not have your back it becomes a very toxic environment. The company is more concerned about looking good to its financial supporters than its employees overall well being and mental health. Very little room to grow professionally. Very hard to balance both roles and give both roles the time, effort, and attention they both need to be done effectively to support both your team, parents, district, company, and students. 
Pros- salaried, can be creative as a therapist and not restricted to how you want to practice, school schedule. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Behavior coach 3 salaries reported	$38,667 per year
Therapist 3 salaries reported	$50,000 per year
Mental health technician 3 salaries reported	$31.17 per hour
Teacher 5 salaries reported	$48,000 per year
Van driver 1 salary reported	$14.50 per hour

Working at LAUREL LIFE: Company Overview and Reviews

LAUREL LIFE

LAUREL LIFE Ratings

Popular jobs at LAUREL LIFE

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected