behavioral therapist

psychiatric nurse practitioner

qualified professional

occupational therapist

speech language pathologist

Minnesota Autism Center

Executive leadership lacks compassion: MAC is a solid company with a lot of potential for good if the leadership on the executive team cared more about the people on the ground. Finances seems to take priority over quality.  There is more focus and recognition for billing higher than having higher quality work.  This takes away from the reason we are here, which is to help our clients learn and grow. Significant changes occur frequently without any collaboration with those the changes affect.  CEO is retiring this spring which is a blessing & many are hoping for improvements after his departure.
Pay: Compensation is not fair from one person to the next, longevity at the company is not factored into wage, there are not regular raises provided for years at times & how hard-working you are is not factored into your wage.  Longevity, dedication & ability is not factored into your wage. 
Positives: The multi-disciplinary team on a center level is incredible. The BTs are incredible. The clients are incredible. There are many people here who do things the right way, care about our kids and their families and will help this company grow in the right direction once the executive level starts caring about the people doing hard work in the center, day in and day out

I worked as an SLP for 2.5 years for the company and saw a huge shift in management around 1-1.5 years in. With the new management there is no value for your clinical judgment as an SLP or OT, you are asked to complete unreasonable billable hours that keep becoming larger despite not being able to meet it, and expected to split between sites in order to meet the goals even if you’re contracted for one spot. The speech and OTs at the company were always great, and we had good managers within the department, but we were unable to bring our concerns and needs to upper level management and corporate to get resolved. You are often more reliant on your ABA team as a culture for your kids rather than the other speech and OT therapists, and there is frequent agitation and drama between all of those therapists which makes the work environment more hostile. MAC is able
to offer great benefits, lots of PTO, etc. but can often make you feel guilty for taking a day off. They also don’t care about their employees and have no care to fix the problems. Especially if you’re a CF, there won’t be people who have been working there long enough to really give you the support you want and need! The kids are amazing, but it’s not worth the drama and the lack of care for their employees

I've been a Behavioral Therapist for nearly two years and love nearly every day. Sure there are days that are longer than others, but with solid supporting staff and management, I walk out each day with a smile on my face. I've received four raises; one being an annual review, two for completing competencies, and the last was a spontaneous increase to all behavioral therapist : )   A typical day is eight hours, working with two different clients. There is only one structured break, for lunch, but small breaks for bathroom or making a phone call are allowed. I've learned and grown so much at Minnesota Autism Center, specifically when teaching and interacting with Autistic clients. Our management encourages and fosters a positive, supporting, and fun work environment which is critical when working with clients with challenging behaviors. Best part of the job is my co-workers (management included) and have really became more of an extended family. Always supportive and encouraging an environment that puts the kiddos first; they do this by providing you the skills to make that possible.

It’s an amazing experience to be with those children and understand more as well as watching them understand more. It’s powerful and the only reason people stay. Many former employees say the same. No management or communication on any level. That’s disappointing for the children and parents as well as the staff. Many parents complain about how poorly Mac is run. Mac hires young kids with no experience so they do not have to pay for the experience and once they find a kid to work, another senior employee making more money loses their jobs. If you still choose to work there, document every talk, and make sure to protect yourselves and document every time you need any time off, document on paper your request and make sure to take pictures of all emails about anything important and if your requests are approved or denied because it will come back at ya. Do not have talks without having documentation because that’s what they try to do because then employees have no proof and the supervisor can fire you at will. 

Working at MAC started out great and provided me with experience.  It was a fast paced work environment that kept me engaged and left me feeling fulfilled in my work as a therapist. I started advancing in my position immediately and developed connections with co workers who were great! Within six months a lot of that changed and I realized there is little to no consistency within the company. I soon felt constantly under observation by my multiple bosses, stopped advancing in my trainings because it was all relative to how busy your lead therapist was and how they felt towards you, and witnessed a lot of favoritism in general. This non for profit is run by a group of women who pick favorites and often make rash decisions that effect everyone in the workplace. Be cautious when applying and only accept the job if you are okay with not having your opinion valued by your supervisors!

I worked at MAC for almost 5 years. I was in just about every position, starting at behavior therapist, then worked my way to be a lead therapist and then clinical trainee/supervisor. I LOVED working as a CS and everything the job entailed. Management, including the CEO, which was a new CEO who came on board when I was there was awful. They make rash decisions and do not work collaboratively with their building supervisors or take input. They move your job location or try to out the blue without warning. Pay is also bad. There was a major discrepancy between pay among clinical trainees, upward of 10-15k difference. I only know this because we all talked about it. Staffing was also an issue. Always short behavior therapists and it was difficult to provide the best therapy possible with 2-1 ratios. 
The kids are absolutely amazing. If you love working with kids on the spectrum, this is a great entry level position. 

I absolutely LOVED my job and all of the children i worked with. Yes, being a behavior therapust was very hard work. It was also the single most rewarding job I ever had, and for that reason alone I stuck around several years. Things went downhill quickly following a significant change in management. The support and involvement the previous management had provided, was no longer there. The environment as a whole had declined, my career that I loved turned into dreaded 'work'. MAC needs to evaluate this issue. You have lost SO MANY dedicated employees because of upper management. It's NOT just that the job is hard. With the right support from leads and other management, the turnover would decrease significantly. Perhaps an ABC sheet should be used to determine the real cause?

Yes MAC can be stressful at times but think about it.. Don't you have stressful days at most jobs?....MAC has ups and downs but no matter whats going on you can bet that someone is gonna be right their to jump in and help you out give you a break if needed....The teamwork between the coworkers is awesome....You get what you put into it around there basically....so put 100% in and be successful......In regards to the entries about upper management
..they do truly understand life happens ....we are all human and not everyday is perfect....they may look as though they are having a rough day but don't we all at times ..but I have never had a negitive response when I've approached with a question or have gotten bad attitude  from a single upper staff.They are always more than willing to answer anything ...

Been with the company for over 3 years.  There is no support and promises of increased compensation never happen.  Staff is overworked and extremely underpaid for the work and hours that they do.  There is no understanding of what each levels responsibilities are, which causes a lot of issues between therapists and management/supervisors.  Lead therapists work 50 plus hours a week and have to take work home due the staffing issues.  Behavioral therapists that are hired make more than Lead Therapists and there is no appreciation for any level of employees.  With that being said, the main reason that I continue to stay where I am is the difference that is made with these clients and families.

I hate to say that this was hands down the worst work experience I've ever had. The training was minimal, the general approach towards treatment was lax, inconsistent and ineffective. Supervisors seemed unhappy/overworked, as did most employees. The best part was coworker BT's who really did know their stuff and were willing to help one another. The worst part was micromanagement of paperwork and other details, passive aggressive and petty superiors, as well as the general lack of communication. There was little emphasis on the greater goal of providing effective therapy for the children. Would not recommend working here unless you already have a background with ABA and challenging behaviors.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Behavioral therapist 75 salaries reported	$19.63 per hour
Psychiatric nurse practitioner 11 salaries reported	$18.45 per hour
Qualified professional 1 salary reported	$74,800 per year
Occupational therapist 6 salaries reported	$71,250 per year
Speech language pathologist 5 salaries reported	$71,900 per year

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