residential counselor

counselor

program coordinator

clinician

registered nurse

Open-Sky-Community-Services

My typical day at work was being talked down to by co-workers almost on a DAILY basis,try to Speak with management about Rudeness, Hostilely towards Clients .Rude and hostile actions towards  co-workers being told what to do never asking for any in-put. No work ethic at all. Nothing is done or said to these employees. No verbal or written warnings to co-workers that are constantly rude, (workers) are given, not asking clients what they would like most of  the time just assuming what the client wants/needs will be.
The MAP certification isn't as Fool proof as the company thinks it is and  can be manipulated to show no MOR's.

 Also Human Resources Department is an ABSOLUTE JOKE.  Human Resources don't even give workers time to come up with a plan for their (employees health treatment) to make appointments and follow-ups with doctors...constantly calling  to get up-dates and follow-ups. Also always reminding the employees of procedures and protocol.
 The work place culture is if you "go along with" the team" you won't have any problems". If you don't then you will definitely get an attitude. Also management plays favorites, it was sickening at best.The hardest part of the job was how much work needed to be done daily and that it was NEVER a group effort. The pay doesn't match the work load. The most enjoyable part of the job was being able(most of the time if it was in the clients best interest and not too much of a hassle for employees) to be helpful to the clients and seeing how much they appreciate the time that some employees give them. MOST APPRECIATED. Remember it's the clients house not the employees house.

I worked in many departments for this company so its hard to give a general overview. Overall you are underpaid for your work but most people in this field are. To some managers if I brought up things that I thought were concerning, they completely ignored me and didn't do anything about it. Upper management also had no idea what our day to day life was like in the employment program and therefore they imposed a lot of rules that didn't make any sense - we were supposed to do documentation for 30 individuals and yet we were not paid overtime, so no one could complete the documentation. This was an impossible task given all the other things we were required to do during the day on a specific schedule. The understaffing got so bad at one point that female staff could not use the bathroom, if they were with an individual who required eyes on (someone with him all the time). It was to the point where female staff menstruating would have to change their clothes later -  this was absolutely unacceptable to me and I couldn't believe this was actually happening in the workplace. Some of the programs are good and management is ok, but others are not. It's really a gamble. I've had good experiences and also bad. There are also sometimes delays in getting paid and there were multiple times when I had to call and threaten to contact a lawyer unless they paid me my normal paycheck...if you are working for a company you should not have to worry about receiving your normal weekly paycheck on time.
In my opinion this company is fine if you are part time or a college student in the summer. But full time - don't do it. It's not worth it and you'll be asked to take on more responsibilities for little compensation.

A typical day for a Residential Counselor at The Bridge includes assisting individuals with basic expectations such as time management, hygiene, attending treatment and medical related appointments, medication management, facilitating therapeutic groups such as DBT and IMR, teaching life and social skills, and documenting all of the mentioned in daily treatment notes and periodic reviews. I've learned that a person needs a lot of patience to work in this field; due to its often slow progressing nature. Management is usually fair and accommodating; although I had a couple of pay related issues I had to fight them for. I can't speak for the entire company's employees as I only worked in a specific program; but I found my co-workers to be mostly pleasant, professional, and fun to work with, and at other times unfair and stubborn without reason. The hardest part of the job for me personally was long periods of stress due to how emotionally taxing the job can be (individuals being rude and uncooperative, seeming lack of treatment progress). Also, compared to other agencies in the state, The Bridge offers a relatively low pay rate. The part I enjoyed most about working here was witnessing a measurable amount of progress in the individuals lives and knowing that I helped to make that happen. All in all, I would recommend working for The Bridge.

I have been working for the Bridge for nearly 2 years as a residential counselor at various group homes.  It's relatively easy to get a job as a residential counselor, though the pay is a little less than similar jobs offered at other companies.  I somewhat enjoy being part time or full time at a home where I have formed good connections with the residents and other staff.  I work at a high intensity home, so I deal with a lot of mental health crises, such as self-destructive behavior and homicidal threats (the residents very rarely ever assault anyone, but it is possible).  Administration is friendly, albeit not all are competent.  When I worked as relief staff (picking up shifts at various group homes), there was a lot of miscommunication between management and the homes I'd work at about what shifts I agreed to work, which resulted in a lot of calls for me to come in on a day I did not schedule myself to work or coming into work and being sent back home.  When I spoke up about it to administration, they did not apologize and tried to schedule me at homes that were very far away instead of the homes close to me.  I then went to work part time at the home I currently work at full time.  I am looking for another job, and will be both sad and glad to leave this job, this company, and especially the residents.

A typical day for a Residential Counselor at The Bridge includes assisting individuals with basic expectations such as time management, hygiene, attending treatment and medical related appointments, and teaching life and social skills. I've learned that a person needs a lot of patience to work in this field; due to its often slow progressing nature. Management is usually fair and accommodating; although I had a couple of pay related issues I had to fight them for. I can't speak for the entire company's employees as I only worked in a specific program; but I found my co-workers to be mostly pleasant, professional, and fun to work with, and at other times unfair and stubborn without reason. The hardest part of the job for me personally was long periods of stress due to how emotionally taxing the job can be (individuals being rude and uncooperative, seeming lack of treatment progress). Also, compared to other agencies in the state, The Bridge offers a relatively low pay rate. The part I enjoyed most about working here was witnessing a measurable amount of progress in the individuals lives and knowing that I helped to make that happen. All in all, I would recommend working for The Bridge.

I enjoyed almost every aspect of my job at the Bridge. I learned a lot and the paid trainings are awesome. The Bridge also pays for CPR, First Aid, and MAP certifications which are requirements of employment. My coworkers and supervisors were genuinely wonderful people and I miss them.
It was a struggle trying to keep the program clean as some individuals struggle with cleanliness more than others. We all worked together to try to fix communication between shifts but it never quite seemed to work. I know that human services is pretty low on the pay scale but I couldn't even afford a studio apartment in MA especially after taxes and benefits were taken out. I was there for 3 years and I never got a merit based raise which was frustrating. I also found it frustrating that the individual's served receive housing subsidies, which is great, but I couldn't afford a place to live. It didn't seem right and I wish I had asked the C.E.O. about that.
I was physically assaulted by an individual but I did work in the highest intensity Bridge program. I learned so much working at the Bridge and I met and helped so many people. During my time at the program I saw at least 4 individuals who were able to step down into assisted living apartments.

If you're looking to get your foot in the door with human services, I feel like this might be a good starting point.

The good:
- You accrue PTO quickly, and the more seniority you have, the faster it builds
- Somewhat flexible hours/scheduling
- Direct care experience working with the individuals we serve
- Certification training such as MAP and SOLVE
- Sense of purpose in improving the lives of others and helping guide them on the road to recovery
- If you're a Residential Counselor, there's decent work/life balance
- Team environment, as well as collaboration with nursing and clinicians to form a sturdy support network for both staff and individuals served

Not-so-good:
- Pay/benefits aren't great
- The paperwork can be tedious and feel unnecessary
- After switching from CBFS to ACCS, much of the decision-making process for individuals placements were put into the hands of DMH, which honestly hasn't been great
- There isn't really a company culture
- The folks we serve can be unpredictable and stressful at times
- Staffing ratios are inconsistent
- Your annual raises will not been in alignment with inflation no matter how well you perform

Control behavior and discipline residents
Escort residents to activities
Educate residents on hygiene issues
Maintain data of residents in the computer system
Assist residents in daily-living activities
Plan and encourage residents to participate in recreational activities
Provide group and individual counseling to residents
Draft weekly and monthly program reports
Maintain and order needed supplies for the facility
Offer personalized care for residents with special needs
Provide transportation of individuals to scheduled appointments or social activities.
Provided on-call coverage.
Ordered all Medications from pharmacy
Conducted house weekly house meetings
Help develop diet plans, as needed, to promote wellness to clients with underlying medical conditions.
Knowledge in fire safety, OSHA, and human rights.
Maintain files for clients.
Updated C Files (health and dental) for all clients when needed.
Participated in all staff meetings

Like all paranoia based management styles, The Bridge tends to solve problems by overlaying rules and regulations over existing rules and regulations; creating an layered management scheme that is difficult, if not impossible, to accurately follow.

For instance, after an incident at the Bridge video cameras were placed to protect both staff and clients but this was not considered enough. To prevent inappropriate behavior a system of movement was used to supposedly interrupt and or make impossible certain behaviors. this system of staff movement conflicted with certain duties of the staff making it impossible to follow the rules by following the rules. Rules conflicted with one another and more rules were created to deal with this which, of course, led to more conflicting rules.

And so it goes . . 

But, on a positive note, the clients are not abused or mistreated but NOT because of the management system.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best part of working at Open Sky was the environment and staff you worked with, aside from a few here and there. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Some of the staff in particular were difficult to work with. There were only a few, but most people were kind and fun to work with. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
They claim to be Trauma-Informed but how they treated some of their staff at the end begs to differ. I thoroughly enjoyed the years I spent at Open Sky, the staff, the individuals, and what I did.... but the way they handle certain things. HR does what's best for the company, not the staff.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I'd come into work in the morning and say my hellos to everyone in my department that's in. Settle down into my office and start working. I will admit I had it fairly easy compared to those in the residential programs. I was able to provide myself with a reason, as part of my job, to step out and take a break for a few minutes on what I was doing.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Residential counselor 202 salaries reported	$20.53 per hour
Counselor 68 salaries reported	$20.81 per hour
Program coordinator 42 salaries reported	$25.13 per hour
Clinician 12 salaries reported	$41.79 per hour
Registered nurse 7 salaries reported	$40.95 per hour

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