substance abuse counselor

licensed practical nurse

nurse

patient coordinator

chemical technician

New-Season

I worked for Colonial for nearly 9 years. I started as a counselor and worked my way up mastering every level between that job and the Regional Director position I was ultimately fired from. I traveled all over Florida at the drop of a dime and did everything this company asked me to do because in spite of some negative interactions over the years I had faith in this company. I built relationships that benefited the company and passed every inspection I was tasked with and I didn’t complain because I thought I was working for a company that would have my back the way I’ve always had theirs. Last year in March after I got promoted to an RD position I spoke to the Zone Director that hired me and asked what the policy was about family being hired and she said that as long as they didn’t directly report to me it wasn’t an issue. So I handled the interview and etc the way I’ve always handled it when I wanted to hire some which was sent the resume to the recruiter to get the interview set up but because it was a family member I didn’t participate and left the decision to the clinical supervisor. It was the same entry level counselor position that I worked my way up from. Anyway they agreed to give her a shot so I submitted what I needed to for her to be hired which she was in June 2017. 15 months later I get called into a meeting with my boss and the director HR who asked if this was my family member. I said yes because I had nothing to hide, it was never a secret, and it had been over a year. Well clearly it was a problem... all of the sudden. I was asked why I didn’t tell anyone or who I told like I could remember in that moment who I spoke to 15-17 months ago and I’m on the hot seat feeling like I’m getting fired and not understanding why. Now looking at their policy after the fact, I was wrong, and rather than asking someone I should have looked for myself but at the time I was in a new role, wearing multiple leadership hats, with little to no training because it was assumed that I “knew this stuff,” and didn’t really have people I could talk to or trust other than the ZD that hired me that left the company shortly after starting because she didn’t feel supported. But even when I looked at the policy, no where did it say it was grounds for termination. I worked really hard, long hours, and I was really really good at my job and after nearly 9 years of working for this company I’ve never even had a verbal warning meaning NO disciplinary actions on my record ever. To me common sense would suggest that had I known it was against the rules I would have never done it. Why would I jeaopardize my job for a position even for a family member that was a 1/4 of my salary??? They could have wrote me up or demoted me but the company that I worked hard and tirelessly for didn’t see my worth past one mistake in 9 years. I don’t believe the company as a whole is bad but I think that there are people in leadership that give the company a bad name that are intimidated but those with a great work ethic, hold grudges for years and years, and are just mean that give this company a bad name and unfortunately they are in HR and upper management. I believe that if I was liked more by certain people it wouldn’t have ended this way. I could throw stones about things I know about leadership or the management that I worked under but that’s not who I am, I’ll just say if you choose to work here get the experience you need, don’t climb the ladder, play nice with people, cover your butt, and get out because the higher you move up the more you make yourself a target especially if you are young, work hard, and are liked. The counselor position is good for those fresh out of school because it gives you the experience you can’t get other places so I recommend them for that. But don’t beccome a PD or higher because things will be your fault when they shouldn’t me and there will be some keeling a ledger of every mistep your ever made and holding on to it to use it at just the right moment. I’m well credentialed and have a lot of experience so I’ll be fine but imagine this happening to someone new not just to the company but relocated to a new state..

What is the best part of working at the company?
I loved helping people overcome addiction, being part of their recovery and then have them thank me for helping to save/salvage their life. I loved rapport building with patients and helping them navigate the morass that is methadone treatment.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The constant pressure to increase productivity. Management is clueless so you get little support from the corporate team, in fact, it almost seems like the corporate end of the company has no care about you as one of their workers only as a unit for production. When this happens, middle managers start micromanaging to try and squeeze out every last bit of profit they can with no overall thought to patients and employees. They are greedy and the stressful part is essentially trying to keep up with their greed. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
My co-workers and my immediate supervisors when I first started working there it was a great, fantastic office environment and work culture, we worked as a team and got the work done. Then when my initial bosses left the company for various reasons as did a number of long term employees, everything kind of went downhill. We got a new manager who was very capable and personable. She was unable to protect us from the idiotic decisions from the middle management boss. Once middle management took over the culture went downhill fast.  They have no concept of running the clinic day to day and frankly, they don't care. So we went from a culture of teamwork and camaraderie to a culture of fear and uncertainty. The ultimate victims of the declining work culture are not just employees but the patients we are supposed to serve. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
It used to be that you could come in at 4:30, set up for the day. and start seeing patients around 5am. However, and one of the reasons I left, was that because of micromanaging, you couldn't get all your work done in a day because of the ridiculous extra tasks. So come 5am you were still doing nonsense from the day before and were not prepared for the patients you had to see. This became an endless cycle with each new micromanaging decision putting you further behind and lowering your productivity, yet the same passive aggressive response form middle management; your email box was filled with spreadsheets and statistics about productivity down to the individual counselor, each center etc. Sometimes it took the entire 4:30 to 5:00 time reading stupid emails. When you finally get to see patients at a time they are available, the job can be very rewarding, you are a trusted person and the patients tell you some of the most intimate details of their lives mostly because they often dont have anyone else to talk to it about. This is an important and overlooked strategy for helping people overcome addiction that again, a productivity based employee management paradigm, simply does not support. Once you have seen the patient you have to write up a note about your encounter. Productivity wise they feel you should be able to write that note with the patient, but it doesnt work that way, you cant give your patient your full attention when you are trying to type. At 1pm when methadone dosing ends, you get to go home.

A typical day working as a "counselor" consisted of nothing other than writing "notes" (falsifying notes had been encouraged by Colonial Management Group administrators when I was employed with the company, e.g. "window dressing notes") and seeing patients for no more than a few minutes at a time (state law requires weekly 30 minute sessions for new patients, which was impossible due to high caseload numbers and consistent/chronic low staffing). Florida state law caps counselor patient caseloads to a "state value" of 32 patients at the maximum-- at any given time during my employment with Colonial Management Group, counselors regularly carried caseloads at twice the number of that set by state law. "Patient care" under Colonial Management Group's model consisted of the practice of bringing in as many patients as possible, regardless of background, need for services or the amount of staff available to manage their needs that the patient stated at time of intake--just as long as the patient had CASH money (literally) in hand. The Florida clinic where I was employed had an excellent physician/Medical Director with true regard and the utmost concern for patient care. However, Colonial Management Group seemed to only pursue the intake of patients with no regard to the quality of care, only to the quantity of intakes.
As the previous reviewer stated, Colonial Management Group has employed many qualified professionals that held high regard for patient care as well as holding high ethical and professional standards in their respected positions. Unfortunately, Colonial Management Group holds little respect for them, just as they hold little respect for the patients that they serve. In turn, the company will continue to have high turnover of staff and low quality of patient care due to their practice of cutting HUGE corners to collect the highest profits possible. Given the easily seen factual evidence of the observant, Colonial Management Group's rating is less than zero for both patients and employees and an inevitable investigation into their patient "services" and practices is sure to prove the blatant unethical business model that the company continues to employ.

I would not go back to this company if it was the last job on Earth!!! Where do I even start, its just awful. First of all, you will be micro-managed and treated like a child by a manager who likely has less qualifications and experience than you do.  The caseloads are so far out of compliance with state regs its not even funny -and they will claim its a temporary thing - but in all my years there my caseload was way over the limit most of the time. And when you can't keep up with all the paperwork for70, 80, or 90 patients Corporate tries to blame you. If your goal is to truly help someone, its unlikely to happen here because there is no way to care for the number of patients they want you to manage.  Even being short staffed they continued to admit patients until the state stepped in and made them stop - because, while they claim the mission is to help, the actual goal is money. Some of the patients are really trying, but some are clearly not interested in recovery but CMG just keeps on giving them methadone. Its nearly impossible to discharge a patient even when they continue to use and refuse to participate in treatment - no accountability!  On site staff are not trusted to make good decisions so almost anything you do requires approval from one or more managers several states away with no direct knowledge of your patient. Over the past several years this Corporate office has grown top heavy, so many managers and not enough counselors! So you won't only have one boss - you'll have more like 50 bosses! Not to mention the Corporate structure changes from the top down every couple years and this trickles down to you - and not in a good way! Raises are a joke and goals to earn a bonus are almost impossible to reach!  No matter what you do you will be made to feel its not enough!!! This is a toxic and horrible place to work!!! Oh did I mention the hours - you will start at 5am - and don't even be a minute late because the micro managers will notice.  I have worked with some really great counselors at this treatment center but no one stays for long! There are some great patients there as well and the lack of real help they are getting is heartbreaking! Do yourself a favor and just look elsewhere for a job!!!

I worked there for just under a year and that was enough time to see how things are truly ran here and at various locations under Colonial Management Group. Good place to get experience in the field of substance abuse and mental health as a masters student studying mental health counseling with little experience required. Don't stay for more than a year because you will be in danger of burning out because of lack of support and resources for counselors.

Everything else, terrible leadership constantly throwing other staff under the bus. Counselors are extremely over-burdened with paperwork and mindless tasks. Program director did not value staff input and regularly discredited and attempted to intimidate employees. No team cohesion and everyone was out for themselves. No value of each staff member and pay was so little for all that was required with high caseloads (70 to 1 staff) at times without proper supervision. Overall negative environment feeling like you are walking on egg shells on a regular basis. Would not recommend anyone work here if you can help it but if you are a counseling masters student take the opportunity to learn a bit but DON't STAY FOR MORE THAN A YEAR I WARN YOU FOR YOUR SANITY!!!!

Program director should be better managed from higher ups to make sure that they are an effective leader and not simply bullying their employees to bend to their will. I would suggest massive amounts of retraining and continuing education to better assist the PD on better serving their staff and ensuring that compliance is in working order. In addition, fighting for additional compensation for the high amount of work that is done as well. Lastly, recognize and acknowledge outstanding team members that are going above and beyond the call of duty as a little bit really can go a long way and boost team morale. Lastly, stop fracturing the team and putting the younger new counselors against the older ones as that does nothing but hurt the team, working environment, and patients overall.

Horrible. Management prefers to mess with things that are not important while they ignore HUGE problems. Employees, specifically counselors, are treated terribly. Work day starts at 5am. Employees are not treated fairly. Rules are only enforced for some employees and not for others. If you get a good Program Director, things go okay, but corporate will get rid of them and send you another one soon. This company makes money hand over fist while the employees are the lowest paid around for same position. They lie to you about how much time you will get for PTO- you find out the truth when you've been there a year. Employees way overworked, caseloads way too high. Patients are mistreated. If you truly care about others and want to be a counselor, look for other companies. If you just want a paycheck and don't care at all about counseling or substance abuse treatment/ patients, go here and milk it as long as you can get away with it- if you are a major suck- up you can probably get away with it for a while. Management often knows far less than employees do about counseling. Don't waste your education and your sanity here. It is really not worth the grief it will bring you. Also, no one else will hire you once they know you've worked here, unless you've already managed to get your license, then they might. This company has a reputation of being a pathetic company that does not do what it should, a drug mill basically. The state DCF that is over these programs will tell you this company has a horrible reputation. Nurses are allowed to treat counselors horribly because the company cannot dispense pills without nurses. Patients always in horrible moods because they wait 3 hours in line outside in the hot sun many days, so they are really angry (understandably) by the time they get inside the building. They can't even keep the toilets working in this place. 

They talk a really good game, DON'T FALL FOR IT.

     A typical day at work is showing up and getting ready for patients.  I am a drug counselor.  My boss doesn't let me get overtime (company policy) and also doesn't let me work off the clock (because he cares about our work/life balance).
     I've learned how to be a good drug counselor, I think.
     Management seems to be good, but again, I think it starts with a program director.  My program director is good.
     Workplace culture is supportive and caring.  People genuinely care here.
     The hardest part of the job is dealing with patients who don't seem to care about their sobriety.  But also the hardest part of the job is that so many cities don't have adequate support services in place for people who are addicted.
     The most enjoyable part of the job is my patients.  Seeing people grow and get better with time is very rewarding.
     One major con is that my company isn't leveraging technology very well.  So many patient forms could be accomplished via Adobe PDF (i.e. email to patient, have them digitally sign), the forms that aren't super important.  But they won't let us or simply don't have anything in place.  We could also be having patients do computer based training for addiction and we're not.  We could also improve the intake process by having patients watch a video on how it works instead of trying to get them to read tons of pages of intake documents.  As is, we're pressured to breeze through intake documents as fast as possible.
     Another major con is that the company doesn't advertise enough.  There's no budget for, and no one who is working social media, it seems, to advertise.  They don't send representatives to enough conferences.  Seriously, it's annoying because we could be helping so much more people.
     Then as a drug counselor, there's no informed consent document specific to a counselor.  They need to know, in writing, the limits to confidentiality and my theoretical alignment.  I can tell them once at the beginning, but will they remember?  It should be mandatory to make them sign an informed consent.

Corporate does not care about employees at all. Can you guess what they care about? They care about money. They hire staff that is not qualified, and do not provide the resources to ensure that counselors can be successful at their jobs. If you are qualified, good luck getting a decent salary! Counselors who start at the same time will have different qualifications and it's happened multiple times that males, with lower qualifications, make more than females who are qualified! If you don't have a degree in psychology or social work, be aware that you will receive minimal training in counseling techniques, if your supervisor has time to train you at all! As such, you will not be equipped to help your patients learn how to overcome addiction. This is a disservice to the patients and the industry.

Because staff is underpaid, overworked, and not supported, so many of the patient stay addicted to the Methadone, and validate the stigma associated with medical maintenance. There is no protocol in place to assist patients in lowering their dose; it's all about patient choice. Rather than invest in their clinics, they choose to keep the money in the hands of corporate personnel. The clinic was not maintained and the supervisory staff above the TSC level was incompetent at best, and in many cases downright rude and antagonistic. Often, staff are treated like children. The staff turnover is so high, that patients couldn't get help if they wanted it! Not to mention the fights! As a staff member, expect to be cussed at and intimidated by patients. Your vehicle and your personal integrity will not be respected by patients. As far as ethics and morals go, be prepared to compromise what you stand for if you stay with the company for more than a month. 

You will have some opportunity to help others, but you will also be given a high caseload. Odds are, the cases you get will have so much overdue paperwork, it's a miracle that this company has maintained accreditation.

The team I was exposed to was phenomenal, to say the least.  Kind and respectful.  No abusive language, which I found to be a plus!  I was placed in the second building of the Jacksonville Clinic.  That was a true blessing, indeed.  The Regional Director, no longer with the company was truly a fine leader and knew how to take care of her team.  
Any questions I may have had regarding the nuances of administration would be remedied by simply walking to my colleague's office: asked and received.  She too was a beautiful gem of a lady!  Readily available to assist and had a protective demeanor over me as I did her. 
 
To this end, having served honorably in the military and now a retired combat officer, my tolerance of LIARS was reinforced while employed at that location.  To no end, their lot in life is to deceive, lie, and whisper in the ear of the program manager.  Morale was not good at all.  I know of 4 liars who had the project director's (PD) ear.  The PD lacked maturity, discernment, differentiation, and presented in [a] pseudo-self comportment.  Frankly, I would not trust her with any of my family let alone children.
My objective in any work setting is "Cooperation without Compromise."  I will cooperate to the nth degree but do not ask me to compromise.  Once that has been violated, my structural integrity would be worth nothing.  Finally, "How can I work with questionable leadership?"  I have wanted to inform Corporate, and as I learned quickly, doing so would lead to further misery in that someone from corporate would inform the PD and in turn, she would pull-out her whip and slash the team.  She demanded to know who called corporate.  She induced fear among many of the employees.  All I could see were countless violations, and harassment laws broken.  Great leadership, isn't it?  Question. "Who does that?"

A typical morning @ work was like, being the new kid on the block. Unprepared for the negative comment/ reactions/ remarks, (constant confict)! I learned, tht we are responsible for wht we do, no matter or age, or how we feel, about people. And maturity has more to do w/ wht types of experiences, we've had and wht we've learned from them. As for the 2 Managers @ the Facility. They could give two cent, as to wht takes place there. The (Facility Man.) was suppose to assist me w/ a transfer, but, he created "many" negative situations/issues. ( I've learned tht credentials on a persons wall, don't make them a decent human being.) My transfer NEVER happen! The (Asst. Man.), embarrassed/humiliated/ twisted conversations, me/him had privately, in front of Clients/Staff, by cursing/yelling. While there, I met a few nice Nurses there, but there were 2, (one w/ a gap in her front tooth/ the other,  a heavy set loud (bully) hatian). OMG, those two women, made my life, a living "hell", to be there age. The hardest part of my Job was, going to work. I became more depressed/angry! Depression/stress, became my  full-time Job. I was humiliated/paralyed by grief. It all, turned into frustration, and tht's when I started to cry! The more I tried to stop crying, the faster the tears fell and the more furiuos, I became. Grief had replaced my smile. I new then, it was time for me to resign, and move on.  I can say, the most enjoyable part of my job, as a Counselor was. My obligation to my Clients. And there determination, to do and get better! 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Substance abuse counselor 1 salary reported	$57,500 per year
Licensed practical nurse 210 salaries reported	$26.98 per hour
Nurse 49 salaries reported	$26.54 per hour
Patient coordinator 38 salaries reported	$17.67 per hour
Chemical technician 23 salaries reported	$17.26 per hour

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