senior counselor

direct support professional ii

crisis counselor

registered nurse

recovery specialist

Mount Rogers Community Services Board

While I would recommend hourly positions, I would not recommend accepting a salary position with MRCSB. I was a salary employee and my manager created their own definition of a "salary" position. They only wanted us to flex our time if it was done in the evenings. If we needed some time off, their first comment was usually something like, "Request PTO," no matter if we had already worked 50 hours and it was only Thursday. Their "salary" definition was essentially hourly, exempt, and any time worked over 40 hours (or their standard 37.5 "yeah, right" work week) do not count as flex time unless they say it does. 

The workload for my position was unreachable. I left with more emails than I had at the beginning of most days, even after clearing out 150. If someone asked me (and this is solely why they offered), yes, they "attempted to work with me" but would not give me any additional assistance, be it personnel or technology because they "were not in the budget." They wanted my suggestions for what would make the position feasible but every single one was turned down. I am not one to walk out of a place, especially with no notice, but MRCS was affecting both my mental and physical health. Ironically, this mental health facility does not care about the mental health of its own employees. 

That being said, I cannot speak for the medical side and it may operate smoother; I am solely speaking from my experience on the Admin side. If you are considering working for MRCS, be aware that salary positions on the Admin side come with an unwritten commitment of minimal work-life balance. I would not advise accepting a salary position unless you are on the medical side. It is not a bad work environment but the salary-level expectations are much higher than the pay or physical capacity for one person to handle in certain departments.

Mount Rogers Community Services is a toxic work environment. Adminstrative staff does not respect and does not value individual work experience and this is reflected in the condeacending, emasculating, and classist language and attitudes delivered to employees from the top down. I worked my way from a part time job to becoming a licensed clinician and I am talked to like I am garbage by administrative staff at least weekly. You may ask questions about policy and procedure but IF someone does give you an answer, there is a 99% chance that answer will either conflict information you have been given elsewhere or is unethical. I have never been so depressed at a job and there have been times I have definitely thought about killing myself simply because the attitude of the administration makes me feel worthless and hopeless. I would never let anyone whom I care for pally here. If you do decide to work here, talk to as many non-supervisory employees as you are able. I PROMISE the feedback will discourage you from accepting the position unless you really need a job.

My experience working here has been challenging due to a lack of consistent support from leadership. The Chief Officer overseeing I/DD homes has demonstrated a concerning disregard for both the individuals in care and the staff. On multiple occasions, staff have belittled clients, and these actions were met with laughter rather than corrective guidance.

The work environment is highly influenced by favoritism, which impacts fair treatment and opportunities for employees. Policies regarding attendance, wellness, and PTO are applied inconsistently; requests may be denied or result in a written warning depending on whether leadership favors the dates requested.

While there are moments of collaboration with supportive colleagues, the overall culture at this location makes it difficult to provide the level of care and professionalism that clients deserve.

the best part of the job is genuinely the individuals.

The Wytheville clinic serves two of the five counties served by the Mount Rogers CSB. Many of the clients served there have been with the agency for many years. For this reason, a typical day at work includes seeing many familiar faces, some of them neighbors and friends.    
The staff of the CSB represent a diverse demographic and have many interests' outside of their work roles. This enriches the lives of staff and clients as they bring their talents into the workplace, such as their music and other entertainment.
Staff work together to see that client and agency goals are met. 
The most difficult part of the job is working within the parameters of the funding sources, as they determine to a large extent how and if services are delivered.  
The most enjoyable part of the job is when a client returns with feedback or other evidence indicating that they have applied the coping skills taught to them sometime prior.

I have family that worked here for years and they all loved it. By the time I started things had changed a lot and it’s a very unhappy place. Supervisors have clear favorites and gossip with them constantly. I felt set up to fail because of the training not being helpful and just being thrown into things without any kind of heads up. The pay and insurance are decent and they have plenty of bonuses every year that help a bit. But it’s a very shady place to work as well. I was given cases and told to go back and fudge the paperwork that was never completed and lie to Medicaid so that the agency wouldnt get in trouble. They do not care about helping their clients, they just want money and want to keep them in services for as long as possible so that they get paid.

There were several instances that directly affected me or someone I knew in which the HR department was not willing to pay or support an employee the way they should. Each situation was unique in their own way but in each instance I didn’t feel the HR department had the employee’s back at all. In most cases, direct supervisors of different programs are great, but it’s difficult to succeed and grow when you are up against an HR department that controls such important parts of the job- like your paycheck. There is only so much your own department head can do in most cases and having a good supervisor isn’t enough. You and your boss shouldn’t have to go to battle for you against your own company over every little thing. 

But that was just my experience. 

Crisis Services can be fast paced and unpredictable, every day is different.  I enjoy meeting and interacting with others,  and I learn something new every day.  Co-workers are easy to get along with and a cohesive group.  Most are willing to help out when needed, and cover shifts for one another if an emergency arises. The paper work can be cumbersome, but in crisis services it must be completed before the contact/ service ends with the individual is over.  The hardest part is seeing the toll that mental illness, substance abuse, physical/ emotional abuse, and/or intellectual disabilities have on an individual and their loved ones and the difficulty that occurs at times trying to connect them to the limited resources available in our communities.

What is the best part of working at the company?
There wasn’t a best part. They never give raises, the management doesn’t care about you, and if you work at the Wytheville office, good luck with the office staff.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Coworkers in the front office was the most stressful part of the job. There’s a reason for the high turnover rate there.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The environment there is toxic and if you ask the manager for help, they will make it worse for you.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Answering phones and scheduling appointments. The job itself isn’t hard. It’s the people that you have to work with that make it unbearable.

Sadly, this used to be a place where employees mattered and keeping good folks was important.  Not only does the agency seem to not notice that people are leaving in droves due to feeling unsupported and unappreciated, the agency also does not seem to care about the impact that the low salaries has on current employees.  When seasoned people leave, there is no one to guide the new ones, and the quality of care goes down.  The separation between admin and the worker bees seems to be an ever widening gulf without a bridge.  Everyone feels unnoticed, and now that the insurance premiums are skyrocketing for health insurance, it's likely more will leave.  So sad, when this agency is full of great employees.  

I'm required to be in the office 5 days/week; whereas my preference would be a hybrid schedule.  The pay isn't great and negotiations were limited, and PTO is only 20 days/year.

All of that said, I have thoroughly enjoyed working for MRCS.  My co-workers are friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and all seem to truly love their jobs.  We're all working for the same mission and believe in bettering our communities.  

The workload is manageable and doesn't offer much stress.  Also, the hours are 37.5/week instead of 40, which is kind of nice; I just really wish there was more schedule flexibility.  

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Senior counselor 92 salaries reported	$49,266 per year
Direct support professional ii 48 salaries reported	$16.42 per hour
Crisis counselor 104 salaries reported	$52,470 per year
Registered nurse 56 salaries reported	$56,902 per year
Recovery specialist 66 salaries reported	$33,673 per year

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