substance abuse counselor

counselor

licensed practical nurse

licensed vocational nurse

clinical supervisor

Pinnacle Treatment Centers

joined believing I’d found my forever workplace, only to enter chaos. Through endurance, healing came, culture improved, and I left. When I accepted my new position, I walked through the doors with
hope, excitement, and a vision for the future. The culture appeared
welcoming, the mission was meaningful, and the people seemed
dedicated to making a difference. I believed I had found a place where I
could plant roots, contribute my gifts, and perhaps even finish my
career. It felt like the kind of environment where relationships would
flourish, teamwork would thrive, and retirement would eventually
arrive with the satisfaction of a journey well spent.
But sometimes what appears peaceful from a distance is fighting battles
unseen.
It did not take long before I realized I had stepped into what felt like a
war zone.
The explosions were not always loud, but they were powerful. Silent
bombs were being launched throughout the organization. Tension
lingered in conversations. Frustration hid behind smiles. The effects of
restructuring had left many wounded, exhausted, and uncertain about
the future. Some employees carried the scars of change so deeply that
every new decision felt like another attack. Others were simply burned
out from carrying burdens that seemed never-ending.
At times, it felt as though doors were being kicked in—not only
physically, but emotionally. Disgruntled voices echoed through
hallways. Disrespect often appeared without warning. What should
have been healthy disagreement sometimes crossed into behavior that
felt like harassment and bullying. The atmosphere that may once have
felt like family was struggling to find its identity again.
The bleeding wouldn&#39;t stop.
New leadership found themselves in unfamiliar territory, patiently
awaiting guidance and direction while attempting to navigate emotional
landmines. The challenge was not simply managing processes or

productivity. The challenge was learning how to communicate
effectively during moments of conflict, confusion, and emotional
explosions. Every conversation required patience. Every interaction
demanded wisdom.
As I watched the chaos unfold around me, I found myself crying out for
order.
I wanted policies.
I wanted structure.
I wanted accountability.
I wanted consistency.
Not because I desired control, but because I understood that healthy
organizations require healthy boundaries. Without them, confusion
thrives. Without them, respect erodes. Without them, even the most
dedicated employees begin to lose hope.
The more I sought order amid the chaos, the more the chaos seemed to
notice me.
The battle became personal.
I faced harassment.
I faced bullying.
I faced moments that challenged my confidence and tested my resolve.
There were days when I questioned whether the effort was worth it.
Days when exhaustion whispered louder than purpose. Days when
discouragement attempted to convince me that silence would be easier
than standing firm.
Yet something inside of me refused to surrender.
I chose to stand on effective communication.

I chose professionalism over retaliation.
I chose respect when disrespect was offered.
I chose dignity when dignity was challenged.
I chose to speak from a place of love rather than anger.
Most importantly, I chose to use every available tool, every policy, every
resource, and every professional standard to help bring stability to an
environment that desperately needed it.
Slowly, things began to change.
Not overnight.
Not without resistance.
Not without sacrifice.
But change began.
Conversations improved.
Expectations became clearer.
Boundaries became stronger.
Accountability became more consistent.
And as the smoke began to clear, something remarkable happened.
The people I needed most appeared.
The support I had been praying for arrived.
The staff who believed in respect, teamwork, and patient care emerged
from the shadows of uncertainty. Their encouragement became fuel
during difficult days. Their professionalism became proof that healthy
workplace culture was still possible. Their commitment reminded me
why the fight for positive change mattered.

What I discovered was that beneath the frustration, beneath the conflict,
and beneath the pain were incredible people who wanted the same
thing I wanted—a workplace where employees felt valued, respected,
heard, and supported.
Today, Pinnacle Dayton stands as a testimony to what can happen when
people commit themselves to growth, patience, and restoration.
Through restructuring, challenges, and difficult conversations, a new
culture has continued to emerge—one rooted in love, respect, and
patience for both employees and patients.
The journey taught me lessons no classroom could teach.
I learned that leadership is not proven when everything is working well;
leadership is revealed when everything seems to be falling apart.
I learned that policies are not merely rules; they are tools that protect
dignity, fairness, and accountability.
I learned that effective communication can become a bridge over even
the deepest divisions.
I learned that courage is often quiet.
And perhaps most importantly, I learned the true meaning of
endurance.
Endurance is showing up when the environment feels impossible.
Endurance is choosing professionalism when emotions are high.
Endurance is believing change is possible when evidence is scarce.
Endurance is continuing to plant seeds of respect even when the soil
feels hard.
Looking back, I realize I did not walk into the organization I imagined on
my first day. Instead, I walked into a refining fire that challenged me,
strengthened me, and taught me lessons that will remain with me for
the rest of my career.
What once felt like a war zone became a classroom.
What once felt like chaos became a lesson.
What once felt like defeat became growth.
And through it all, I learned that sometimes the greatest victories are
not won by those who leave the battlefield, but by those who remain
long enough to help rebuild it.
What a lesson I learned on endurance 

The Mount Pocono facility has the potential to be great however, currently, due to a lack of effective leadership, the facility suffers. This in essesnce is the primary reason why employee morale is so low and employee turnover is so high. Currently, the present administration has begun to implement what seems to be an aggressive attempt to undo a few of the wrongs that the previous administration upheld. This, however, is at the expense of the counselor because administration now micromanages your cases and enforces needless policies. This is an issue because there is a considerable amount of chartwork to be done especially considering the fact that counselors inherit cases from other counselors as the resign. With every passing day, there seems to be a new expectation and being that Counselors are salaried, there will be no increases in pay (or overtime for that matter). Each counselor is expected to facilitate 3-4 groups per month starting 6:30am and ending 11:00am (yes, 5.5 hours straight) Counselors are also expected to facilitate the new Suboxone group that is set to be held twice per month (between the hours of 12:00pm- 2:00pm). Counselors are also expected to be readily available to conduct Urine Specimens and perform random drug and pregnancy exams. Every counselor is also expected to adhere to an intake schedule wherein counselors are expected to allot time to perform intake assessments with walk-in/ scheduled patients. Each counselor will also be expected to work rotating weekend shifts (Saturday 6:30am- 10:30 am) not to perform counseling duties but to ensure front desk coverage. Anticipate making yourself available for individual supervisions and group meetings (all this while behind the scenes your caseload increases). Percentages are important within the facility and reflect the patients adherence to group and individual sessions. If a patient does not attent a group or individual session, the counselors percentage will reflect this. Counselor's percentages are expected to be 90% or above monthly. Annual raises may or may not occur  and does not seem to coincide with performance. Be mindful that there is no commensurate with education (If you obtain higher education expect that your salary will remain the same). Counselors carry caseloads of 50 upward. Lunch breaks are 30 minutes and may be timed by management or corporate who frequently watch the cameras throughout the facility behind closed doors. The current supervisor is unseasoned and is concerned more with upholding status and being right than addressing pertinent issues. There are a plethora of unethical practices that occur within the facility on an ongoing basis (this includes the density of our caseloads and the penalties for patients who break rules/ policies that they are not aware exist). Patients are not aware of the rules because the facility fails to provide patients with updated company manuals that they are entitled to. Co-workers are very supportive however, the administration does not promote the fostering of employee relationships within the clinic and prefers to keep Counselors separate. The environment can feel cold and a bit impersonal at times (imagine a corporate environment at a small clinic). The current Supervisor encourages gossip and can be quite cunning. Active Supervisor also serves as the acting facility director and case management coordinator. Take this information as you will.

I was excited to work at Pinnacle after interviewing and reading up on the company, however, after just a few weeks it became apparent the counselor turnover was high for a reason. It is a money making for-profit organization that is not so much interested in recovery as maintaining a large number of patients so as to bill for methadone and counseling. 

The Bad:
Counselors regularly have a caseload of close to or exceeding 60 clients, and it is nearly impossible to actually see everyone for the required sessions monthly. Often when a counselor leaves (which is at least monthly), you are asked to oversee their caseload and intakes NEVER stop or slow. At least 2/3 of counselors aren’t credentialed, but rather, are “interns” (nothing wrong with this in and of itself!) which means there’s a lot of guidance and learning that should be happening but when leadership are asked by employees to formally train with things like how to run groups or handle patients who should be discharged to higher levels of care, the requests are ignored or pushed off as “being discussed”. Rarely, if ever, are concerns about clinical treatment ever looked into and resolved in a timely manner.

Most of your day is spent doing case management work- NOT counseling. You will most likely not further develop clinical skills at this facility but if you enjoy case management and can look beyond constant ethical dilemmas, you will probably thrive. 

The management/leadership is under qualified- disorganized at best and unethical at worst. You never seem to get an answer to very specific questions- everything is always being “looked into” and there is never follow up. Different people in leadership roles have drastically different answers and explanations for the same question/inquiry. The problems with this trickle down through every level of staff as you might imagine. 

The pay is below average for a starting position with a masters degree and licensure. Regular reviews for raises are not part of company policy. 

Bottom line:
It’s a lot of stress- especially if you are licensed. 

The good:
The hours are early and you will not work most weekends, giving you a good work life balance day to day. 

Counselors and nursing staff are generally friendly, work hard, work together well, and truly care. However, they are burnt out and exhausted leading to high turnover and frustration. 

Clients are generally friendly and happy to have counselors that care, but are also weary as many of them have had 5+ counselors in a year or two which leads to things falling through the cracks, makes them hesitant to engage with counselors, and hinders treatment. 

There’s very little training or support beyond the first week. The amount of work put on counselors is unattainable. Connecting with clients is fulfilling, but the culture of the company is disjointed and chaotic. Corporate is not grounded and is so far removed from client (and staff) needs which is shown through policy and procedures. The vast moral injury and compassion fatigue you will feel is insane—in part due to the company structure and culture and to the greater “system” as a whole. Client centered is a buzz word and not reflected in practices. And if you attempt to voice your thoughts—be prepared for silence. Everyone is so overworked due to caseload size/needs that asking for support is futile because that person is so tapped or pulled in different directions—never being fully present or intentional. Counselors are in survival mode, and attempting to walk alongside someone in their recovery journey while you are barely hanging on by a thread isn’t ethical. You are better off taking a pay cut and working for a nonprofit. At least the medical system won’t make you feel gross. Like you are feeding a machine that was never meant to or set up for people to succeed. 

If you take a position here, fair warning—be prepared to:
-feel like a failure
-confuse client stories because of caseload size 
-demonstrate the need for another support staff by being over burdened until budget season and then being burnt out because they can’t find anyone 
-micromanaging from corporate which trickles down to staff and, thus, clients. 
-realizes people have very different definitions of holistic and wrap around services 
-never have an in person meeting with people 
-complete a lot of cover-your-a** paperwork and then feel like a failure or get reprimanded for not doing it correctly or quickly enough
-deal with antiquated technology with ill-informed updates that makes your job harder
-training that is so generic it hurts
-be expected to know how to use a new form without receiving training or some sort of implementation plan
-not have enough time to do anything to the best of your ability but being expected to do more and more and more anyway
-shoulder the burden of the doctors decisions that don’t make sense and aren’t consistent
-unstandardized care for clients based on biases or beliefs of who is deserving of care 
-have panic attacks in a daily basis
-be too drained to have a life after work 
-be expected to see clients back to back to back (for 5 hours/day) because more client engagement=more $$$$ due to state-based incentive programs
-burn out 
-dissociate daily or numb out to survive 

If I had known what I know now, I would have never applied. 

This is one of the best companies I have ever worked for, and this is due to both the company and the location/specific facility. 

The have provided me the opportunity to develop my clinical skills with appropriate guidance and independence. They promote learning opportunities and allow you to explore the type of employee and counselor you would like to be. 

Management is supportive of clinical decision making and will intervene with knowledge of regulations when needed. There is an open door policy at this facility which allows for consultations and questions when needed. 

All opportunities at this facility have been filled by promoting within. The first executive director was promoted to the corporate office and was replaced by the clinical supervisor, who was replaced by a counselor. When the second supervisor left she was replaced by another counselor. There is room for growth within this company, which is great for current employees. 

This facility upholds the highest ethical standards and maintains fairness and accountability with work completion, quality, and positive client care. If I have struggled with documentation completion or difficult patients in the past my supervisors have stepped in to meet with these patients or assist me in paperwork completion. 

There is a great team atmosphere at this facility, but due to some disgruntled employees in the past, this is often overlooked. (There have been previous employees that have been upset they were not chosen for promotions, but the management selected the person to be promoted that was best for the clientele and facility.) If you do not become involved in this or other workplace drama, the team is fantastic and I truly felt as though my co-workers were my work family.

This facility is huge on community education and participation in community events. I had the pleasure to attend activities that I would not have had the opportunity to attend otherwise. My management team provided me with significant education throughout my time there that I was able to effectively educate the community and others I have encountered.

In summary, I was so proud to work at this facility. I would return to work for this company or management in the future without hesitation.

I will start by saying that I've worked my fair share of facilities within this field, and so far Pinnacle has been the best experience for me to date from the start.  During my interview, I was asked relevant questions about my experience in the field and understandings of core topics within the field.  It was a great thing to see interviewers that took an interest in what their employees should know.  Upon receiving my offer, Pinnacle's onboarding team assisted throughout the onboarding process to make the transition into their organization seamless, and the least expensive and time consuming out of previous positions.  With my training, while it was computer based for a majority of the trainings, the videos and activities were tailored to my actual work and the tools used day to day with trainings created by Pinnacle facilitated through Relias.  This helped with jumping in to the day to day functions at my job.

When it comes to the day to day things, management is awesome, understanding, and kind--not just with the staff but with the clients as well.  It's awesome working for a group of people that care about the mission that the company strives to achieve and the outcomes of the individuals served.  The work is different daily due to the nature of the business, the field, and how the program is designed so no two days are the same which is a benefit or a con depending on your personality.  The clients, by and large are grateful for their time in the program, though some may challenge you as they are actively working to better their lives, and aren't perfect (but who is?), so resiliency is sometimes necessary.  At the end of the day, the work being done is for a great purpose, is working to eliminate stigma in the field, and provide a positive source of support for the clients served.  It's work you can be proud of at the end of the day, and work done with a team of like-minded individuals who also just care.  Are there some cons? Of course, no job is perfect, the schedule is rough to adjust to, and again, patience is a requirement, but the positives definitely outweigh the negatives, and the negatives truly aren't that bad.

This company has so much going wrong for it that it is amazing it is still in business.  They claim to be a addiction rehab facility but they take any admission for any reason regardless if they can adequately help them or not because they only care about keeping their beds full and making money.  They accept psych patients that pose a safety risk to themselves, to other clients, and to staff and provide no safety precautions, training, or security and in fact when it is brought up to corporate you become the problem!  They do not like for people to speak up or question their processes.  Safety is a huge issue and complaint but they want that to stay quiet so the communities they are in do not realize what is going on so they can continue to expand their facilities and add more beds equaling more money for them.  They provide no training other than some computer education and even this does not accurately portray what they do.  Management is horrible about communication and getting back to you with questions or concerns unless it benefits them.  The pay and experience are sad.  They do not provide the services to clients they claim yet still charge insurance for them.  They do not have their staff's back and treat them as they are disposable and will hire anyone that applies regardless of experience or reputation just to fill positions as long as the stay quite and follow their shady practices.  Their HR is a complete joke.  They do about 10% of their job and you only hear from them when they want to cause problems which then they only do an investigation which benefits them.  HR does nothing they should such as training, evaluations, annual increases, or staff support and rarely gets back to staff when requested.  They also like to discuss personal matters with others that are not in a need to know position.  If you are in a directors position you are expected to always be available yet they do not offer to reimburse your phone bill or compensate for the on-call time.  Do not help with continuing education or tuition reimbursement.  If you care about your reputation, do not work here and have your name associated with this company!

● Work-life balance
Used to clean up the mess!!! Not a good place to work.  They don't follow GAAP rules and regulations.  Unethical!!!  Went to HR to complain about being mistreated by my manager and was retaliated against, with the help of HR and loss my job. Don't make no complaints or friends.  Long stressful work hours, no flexibility.  You come there new and your on your own.  Employee turnover rate is unstable In the Accounting department, the sad part it is not the workers its upper management I was definitely looking for another job while employed there.  They did me a favor.  They are blind to what the real problem is in there organization.  If they would shift some of there upper management. 
 Employees  would stay longer.  
Your hired for a manager position but asked to do your staff's work by your boss the whole time you are there.  Your boss has one of his staff doing the work you are supposed to be doing.  Then lie to HR and say your doing clerk work, when this is what you had me doing since I first started.  Used to clean up the mess and then was let go.

● Job security and advancement
No training, no help from upper management! No job security.

● Management
Poor Management, no guidance, had to do this goal thing one time and I put i wanted to finish getting my accounting and finance certs, manager shot that down as long as it doesn't interfere with your work.  So upper management is non-supportive if you are trying to advance.  Unethical practices.

● Overall
CEO is a great guy!  Worked at establishment for several months before let go.  GAAP rules and regulations are not followed.  Filed a complaint against my manager for mistreatment with HR.  In turn he retaliated against me with the help of HR and I was let go.  23 years of experience in a field I have worked all my life and this.  Not upset more of a relief.  Employees leave this place like running water.  No stability, no help, Upper management mistreating people especially if your new.  No support from anyone.

I worked at this organization long enough to witness the deep dysfunction that exists at the leadership level—particularly under the current Executive Director (ED). While the mission is important and the staff on the ground genuinely care, the work environment is toxic and unsustainable for anyone who values psychological safety, transparency, or growth.

There is intense micromanagement and an obvious pattern of favoritism, where certain staff are shielded while others are consistently undermined or excluded. The culture of fear is real—many employees are afraid to speak up or raise concerns because the ED has a track record of retaliating against anyone who questions her decisions. Firings appear to be personal, not performance-based, which contributes to high turnover and a sense of instability throughout the organization.

When I gave a professional two weeks’ notice, I received no acknowledgment. I was later told to leave immediately, without the chance to say goodbye to clients or colleagues. This felt like a petty and performative move to assert control rather than a legitimate business decision.

Despite the dysfunction, I take pride in how I showed up for my coworkers and the clients we served. The outpouring of support I received after leaving—co-workers even planning a going-away party on their own time—reinforced that the relationships I built were real and meaningful.

If you’re considering working here, be aware: the environment is emotionally draining, communication is poor, and leadership does not model the values the organization claims to stand for. Until there is accountability and meaningful change at the top, the problems will continue—no matter how passionate or skilled the frontline staff are.

People, don't seem to realize how bad this place can be, and often ask why there is a new group of employees hired every day after someone quit, leaves. Before, I became an employee, for this company.  I was excited and had high hopes for working for a company like Pinnacle Treatment Center-Recovery Works. I quickly learned local isn't always better as far as employer. They "clean house" once or twice a month and everyone become upset over the fact this company cannot keep good decent employees because of lack of good judgement. If you're willing to step on others necks, lie about the truth, then you'd make it here. If you're a decent human being who respects yourself and others around you and not willing to put up with management indecent behaviors, you're better off working elsewhere. This company keeps this place understaffed and over worked and under pay. You should never have to go to work, for a place feeling miserable and hate your job for the fact that you don't feel protected for telling the truth. And you shouldn't have to use co-workers as a stepping stool to advance in your position or gain another position. In time it will back fire on you and come back and hit you at the end. There seems to be a lot of IOU's, backstabbing, and blackmail. It's like high school, if you're not in the click, you're out. I have experienced these things in working for this company in a very short time. Benefits are way to high that you couldn't afford, and doesn't pay anything.  I’m glad very happy that I’ve left and I’m not looking back. This is very bad work places, but by far, is the worst.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Substance abuse counselor 32 salaries reported	$26.27 per hour
Counselor 1 salary reported	$65,000 per year
Licensed practical nurse 2 salaries reported	$31.00 per hour
Licensed vocational nurse 12 salaries reported	$27.13 per hour
Clinical supervisor 2 salaries reported	$66,960 per year

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