clinical counselor

certified peer specialist

care coordinator

case manager

housing manager

Lighthouse Behavioral Health Solutions

A typical day at work started off seeing individual clients, then maybe 15 mins for lunch due to client issues interrupting meal time, group all afternoon, and then working late to do notes and try and complete other paperwork. It was a struggle because 1. The work load was too much for even healthy counselors. 2. I was suffering from an unknown illness that took me out on leave and never to return.

I learned that I will never again trust the people at the top who make half empty promises with really little care on delivering. I learned that I literally worked my fingers to the bone for nothing. I learned that I was no more than a productivity, money making machine. I learned that management will try to convince you that they care about you and when you go on leave and almost die that there will be not a single phone call, email, letter, card, or smoke signal sent your way indicating any kind of care and concern. All I got was a question of when I was returning to work after being off a full year. The answer? Easy, rhetorical question really. "Do you want to work for a company that cares THAT much about you?" Me neither! They spew forth a lot about compassion and that spewing is about as far as it goes.

Management- the most passive/aggressive place I ever worked. Supervisors who were not really qualified, overreaching policy changes that were unhelpful and reactive after every type of sentinel event, focused on rapid growth that lacked a clear vision and path.  Creating roles, promoting, and bringing in higher level administrative staff with high pay and the presence of more German engineering in front of the Admin building than you might see on any given day in Berlin but yet counselors couldn't get raises and the bonus structure did not rightfully account for that, and the unforgettable Friday morning propaganda meetings where the sights of Marlin fishing, Starter jackets, and the spin of rapid growth and new offices and new staff all being the next coming of the Messiah when in reality it was a bit more mess than anything. All that growth though may not have been balancing the pluses and minuses as they secured a significant amount of investment capital from Amulet Capital, who likely now own a significant amount of the company but employees were not informed of this which is odd since every Friday seemed to be focused on finances somewhere during the meeting and all the hot, new deals coming down the Lighthouse pike. I could say more about management....but why?

Workplace culture- Therapists are so busy that they really don't have much time to talk to each other, let alone think about time with client's treatment team. The staff for the most part really do care about the clients. Housing is set up as a failure- no live in staff but have more senior clients helping to manage the houses which is an epic fail, overdose deaths continue to occur at the properties and has been addressed reactively and not proactively. The "warm fuzzy" environment does not exists in these offices. Friday morning meetings were completely unnecessary. 

The hardest part of the job for me was honestly figuring out a way to get out of it. PHP group, plus caseload to see, plus working with treatment team on issues, and all that complicated by something that was killing me and I didn't even get a "Hey, how you doing? You need anything?" Or a "We really miss you!" I got a big fat nothing and that was kinda hurtful. 

Client were honestly the most enjoyable part. Seeing them go from shutdown in group, to feeling more confident, to putting in the work, to chasing recovery, and hopefully on to the next part of a beautiful recovery journey. They were why I got up and went to work everyday. 

The decision to come to LBH was single handedly one of the best decisions I have made for myself. The amount of support I receive from all the varying departments and staff members have been unmatched in comparison to where I have worked before. The amount of professional development opportunities I have been given have helped me make leaps in my career that I thought I would never get to have in a short period of time. I am able to express how I am feeling and have people to go to when I have questions or concerns. Our HR team truly listens to us as well as the other executive officers in the building. When staff present concerns or areas they would like to see improve, they listen and make changes. LBH is a newer company but it truly feels like its been in existence for a long time. It runs well and truly cares about client care and client outcomes. Clients are not just dollar signs to us and we will always put their health and well-being first. There are not many employers who care about their employees and clients to the degree that LBH does. The work we do is hard given the nature of the recovery field but LBH puts precautions in place to help staff avoid burn out and still prioritize their own mental health and well-being. The compensation is more than fair, especially in regional areas such as the ones I work in. I am a mother of two young children and have never felt afraid to ask for flexibility when it comes to taking care of their needs. LBH is a great place to work! We all recognize that we are humans that need care too and that we are not machines that can constantly go without taking breaks and time for ourselves. LBH also provides a platform to ensure you get all the CEU's you need for your license at no cost to you which is an added bonus. Plus their maternity/paternity benefits are great in comparison to what other companies provide! 

I've been at Lighthouse for a while and have been here through the company growth, need for adjustments in how we communicate, and times when we have been short staffed (as seen in other reviews). What I will say, is there have been growing pains but there has also been a great effort to correct these things and we are seeing those improvements. I feel incredibly supported by my work team and supervisors. If I go to them feeling burnt out, they will lower my case load. If I say I can't take any more clients, they will respect that. I feel valued and supported most of the time. As a counselor, you will be expected to run group and carry an individual client caseload. To get the quarterly bonus, you need at least 65% productivity (roughly 24 hours/week of direct client hours, which is manageable). The salary here is almost almost 2x what I have been offered by other places and you can make around $10,000 more if you meet bonuses. The insurance isn't great. You accrue 4.5 hours of PTO every 2 weeks. There are 2 mandatory meetings/week for counselors (1 is an hour long, one is 30 minutes)- aside from that, your schedule is made by you. Compared to other agencies I have worked for, this is incredibly manageable. However, agency work like this isn't for everyone. SUD population isn't for everyone. As a counselor, you have control over what and how you teach your group and how you set your own schedule. I personally LOVE group work, and have been allowed to design my schedule to fit around what I enjoy- more group and a lighter caseload. 

Lighthouse is a rapidly growing company. Management continuously makes changes daily resulting in negative outcomes for staff and clients. There is zero cohesiveness and communication as everyone is so busy trying to meet the companies impossible standards. The the left hand never knew what the right hand was doing causing major disfunction within the organization. The staff that work with their whole heart and want to make a difference burn out very quickly. For a company that is centered around healing individuals; the environment is far from a healing environment. It is chaotic, money driven, and cut throat. Obviously a company needs to make money to keep afloat, but growth needs to be at a sensible pace. Lighthouse has no concept of sensibly paced growth. Because of this, staff and clients suffer. Management uses toxic positivity to make staff feel guilty if they point out areas that are in need of improvement. I met a ton of wonderful clients, and a small handful of  caring staff, but I do not suggest working there if you are client centered and conscientious. 

The current model is not sustainable. Lighthouse used to be mission-focused, but after the owner sold a portion of the company to a healthcare investment firm everything shifted toward maximizing profit at all costs. The success Lighthouse had was built off the backs of loyal, underpaid staff, not leadership. If you are passionate about recovery, client care, or ethical behavioral health work, do not work here. You will be overworked, underpaid, unsupported, and ethically compromised. They don’t care about the professional growth and development of their staff. They eliminate roles for hardworking staff but create roles for people to be in “leadership.” If you’re not brown nosing leadership team, they don’t care about it. They ridicule you for not doing whatever it takes for clients if you put boundaries in place. They ask you to jump in and do whatever it takes but I don’t see any of the leadership team staff doing that. The leadership team is out of touch and focused solely on turning a profit for investors. The culture is crumbling, and the writing is on the wall. Clients and staff deserve far better.

Caseloads are “normal” but group is the money maker. Productivity is always in your face and if you do not do what one person opinion is, threats of write ups. 
Leadership is a joke, a laughing joke. No communication until after wards. Leadership dictates everything about clients, even if they have no idea who it is. 
No communication within the office, housing, case management. To many chiefs making the calls on everything.
What was once a rewarding job, has turned into toxic and hostile work environment.
It’s not worth YOUR mental health, it’s not worth trauma to YOU. Clients are sadly numbers and billable. Head in the bed, bill and bill more. 
It is not about the core values of honesty, teamwork, excellence, and empathy. It’s all about how many people can we shove in a house or room. 
I don’t recommend, I don’t recommend it at all!! 
Leadership does NOT have your back. They will promise one thing and less you to think it will get better. It doesn’t, it never gets better. Just another target on your back and the fear of speaking up for yourself, leads to high turnover rates. 
Lose your front line workers and you lose it all!

If you care about clients or the work you do, be prepared to cover the work load others drop. This will prevent you from having adequate lunch breaks or even restroom breaks on days when staff call off routinely. Sadly, clients can become discouraged by the program because their assigned staff doesn't show up or is obviously in need of their own mental health treatment. This goes unaddressed. I spent a lot of time counseling for trauma endured while in the program rather than trauma or concerns that lead to engaging in the program. The CEO seems to have a great idea and heart behind the work, but it falls apart in the implementation as staff and management take advantage of policies. This program is largely based in 12 step and they denied this during interview. They also deny this to clients which creates friction for staff and clients as many staff apply 12 step as Christian based rather than just spiritually based. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
The clients are the best part along with the nurses. The pay was pretty good as well. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Continued leadership changes with no clear guidance on how things should operate. You would get into a decent routine then a leader would leave and a new one would come in and change just about everything that was working. So much micromanaging and disconnect from what is needed to operate successfully.  Admission criteria constantly changing without medical guidance. No work-life balance. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very profit driven with so much micromanagement that it makes doing your job impossible. They don't care if your license is placed at risk at all. Your medical opinions are not valued in the least. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Stressful and chaotic with a total lack of organization.

I have worked at Lighthouse over 4 years and I could NOT imagine working anywhere else. We've grown in size so much over the past few years, but there is still the same integrity, client care, and family feel as when we first started! I began as a therapist and I am now an administrator. I love the fact that we promote within. The workplace culture is incredibly healthy and supportive. The hardest part of the job is the fact that it is in-person and very team oriented. So many jobs offer telehealth nowadays, but Lighthouse understands that face-to-face engagement increases the likelihood of client success. You must pull your weight for your team and your clients, because every cog in the wheel is important. It is hard work at times, but it is so rewarding when you see how many lives you can change... and our PTO/sick time allocations are considerate of work-life balance and self-care.

Lighthouse is a major resource for those who need it and they are working very hard to provide services that accommodate in a variety of ways most specifically to provide residential housing for people in treatment long term.  I was very impressed with the programming as well.  The corporation has and still is been so rapid in their growth and that negatively impacts the organization and flow of service delivery and cohesion among staff.  The administration and management staff articulate goals and vision that they cannot quite deliver.  Most significantly, there was no team mentality as the staff were hard to work with and very unfriendly because they were seemingly very competitive with one another.  Also, there were so many supervisors from one department to the next to report to with varying agendas to delegate tasks.  It was a constant issue because to accommodate one often would offend another causing conflict and confusion. It was a disappointment and overall just not a fun place to be.  

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Clinical counselor 1 salary reported	$66,750 per year
Certified peer specialist 1 salary reported	$19.00 per hour
Care coordinator 42 salaries reported	$22.10 per hour
Case manager 20 salaries reported	$23.40 per hour
Housing manager 35 salaries reported	$25.04 per hour

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