residential advisor

clinician

certified peer specialist

counselor

social worker

Project Transition

There is a lot of flexibility in the day to day job. You will see many big hearts and a lot of energy to change lives for the better.

This company is run with an attitude of a small family business trying to go big, and though that has a negative vibe, and they are really in that mode currently, you will see many big hearts and a lot of positive energy with their minds in the right place-changing lives for the better.

The small business feel allows for a different and person centered approach to mental health management. 
You will work in a team of professionals that are focused on bringing bio-psycho-social change to a member's life, helping their many services function, (such as MCO, DIDD, ISC, PCP, Psychiatrists, Therapists, Dentists, etc) in a better way, and then transitioning out. This service has never been done before. I am proud to have had the opportunity to work with this company and make a difference in a unique way.

The SOS program began with DIDD and MCO's coming together, building this idea, and Project Transition winning the bid and then taking on the opportunity to run this program. We help get many systems of support around the members with IDD, co-occurring substance abuse, and serious mental illness to have a more fulfilling life. The work is good, and it is showing great progress in reaching these goals. 

The tough part for employees (as I have seen) is in the lack of adequate communication from owners and higher management surrounding spur changes, developments to the lower employee.
Also a lack of initial training in the beginning. This has produced a lot of turnover at the beginning, and led to an overall moral downer. BUT this can be overcome and is showing improvement through quality effort made from the now Director of TN, who has a strong heart for the ,members, employees and the company, and through much effort from the program developer as well, who is very knowledgeable and focused on the member best outcomes with her whole heart.
These two are the backbone of the company in TN. 
As well, there is leadership training from the founder. The company owner and CEO state that they hope the employees will make PT their career home, lifelong. 

Additionally, there is a on-call rotation. This consists of a week long, Monday morning to Monday morning shift where you have your caseload to manage normally during the week and in addition have a work phone with the hotline connected to it where you receive calls from members in crisis. Crisis calls can vary in intensity and time of day, 24/7. In-person response is required for non phone deescalated crises. This is the most intense part of the job and the reason for the work/life balance low rating. 

On off-call weeks, the job is 8-5 and you manage your meetings with a lot of freedom. Your caseload consists of 15-20 depending on staffing. 15 is preferred and aimed for as the max. There are face to face, weekly meetings with members, and a lot of travel. Mileage is compensated once a month. Salary pay is bi-weekly. 

The most enjoyable part of this job for me was the autonomy to maintain my own schedule, but primarily the members. Seeing positive change in a person's life, who has trouble speaking for themselves, is priceless.

Since joining the Clinical Team at Project Transition I have been given many opportunities for supervision, collaboration, and clinical skill set development. Highlights: Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), DBT for the Eating Disordered Client, DBT Prolonged Exposure Protocol for PTSD, SMART Recovery, ASAM Criteria, and Person Centered Thinking trainings. I've been supported with participation in professional conferences and recognized for career milestones, such as receiving licensure. My strengths have awarded me a promotion that has allowed me to travel, onboard new clinical hires, as well as work closer with our VP of Clinical Services on program development etc.

As a clinician I am very happy working at PT. The schedule is tight: meetings, sessions, groups, documentation. Adjusting your routine for an unplanned meeting or to respond to a crisis situation can increase your stress that day but it is possible. If you can keep up there is little micromanagement. I'm part of a tenured team and coming to the office is enjoyable. I love working with my members. When you remember why you're here, why you got started in this field, and are able to disengage from the politics/negativity (which is at every employer) the outcome is worth it.

Working with experienced and innovative professionals is highly desired especially when providing treatment to individuals with such significant needs. Our CEO regularly talks about our mission and it's critical that employees who work here are not just looking for a job but are actually invested "To enable each person who has Serious Mental Illness, Dual Diagnosis Substance Use Disorder or I/DD and Behavioral Health conditions to live a life that is meaningful to the individual in the community on terms they define for themselves."

Providing individual training/counseling for assigned members
• Monitoring member self-administration of medication
• Consulting with primary care physicians, psychiatrists, therapists for assigned members
• Preparing weekly and daily DAP notes
• Preparing skills group and workshop notes
• Preparing and presenting case review to managed care organizations, insurance companies/payors as
requested
• Conduct weekly case management meetings for assigned members
• Attending Team meetings and staff meetings
• Each PRC is assigned an area of the program enthusiasm to coordinate. This is managed at a company
level for some areas, and supervised by a Department Head or Director
• Planning and conducting group therapy, life skills workshops and other groups as assigned
• Attending at least 25 hours of continuing education annually
• Responsible for other duties as assigned by Program Director
• Conduct daily morning meetings
• Organizing record keeping for:
• Forms
• Charts
• Med logs
• Lab reports
• Records and resources
• Coordinating, ordering and stocking of medications
• Treatment planning with assigned members
• Back up support to program director
• Responsible for all medical appointments for members

During my interview, I was told that my primary job would be to "act as a mentor" to the members of the program.  At no point was I told that my actual primary responsibility was to go to each member's apartment and give them their medication.  That was never discussed.  I was very surprised during my onsite orientation (after the general orientation) that I was responsible for managing members' medications.  And even though in the job responsibilities "observing members taking their medication" is mentioned, it does not mention that as an RA you are responsible for carrying members' medications to their apartments, opening their pill bottles/blister packs and handing the medications to each member.  I was VERY uncomfortable handing medications to members without the appropriate level of training.  These medications were often generic with names that are 4 or 5 syllables long.  Additionally, the font on each medication was so terribly small, I had to purchase reading glasses and carry a magnifying glass to make sure I was giving the correct medication to each member. Finally, there was not enough time to complete the documentation requirements while at work for this position.  I had to come home each night and spend an additional 2 hours or more completing online documentation for each member.  I was not paid for the time outside of the office to complete all of the documentation.  Do not be misled...  This job is about giving complex medications to members of the program.  You will not have time to do anything else, especially if you are working part-time.

Working for PT is in comparison to getting through a gauntlet. You have maybe 2 or 3 days of training by another clinician. The programs on the PC are difficult, exhausting, and it's ALWAYS changing.  After a 3 day "training" you can call other clinicians to get help. But, hands on is a much better approach. They have spread themselves so thin that you need to be up in running ASAP! Endless conference calls. Worry some on Tuesdays. LOS on Wednesdays, and on Thursday is all the clinicians discussing issues and other areas  making them try to make you feel better about yourself and members. You have individual therapies, group therapies, evaluations of prospective members and this must be submitted in 2 days. Then, you send your info to a seasoned clinician and wait to get it back to revise changes, wordings and it's never ending. Management is consisted of a Psychologist, yet, if you have a concern or issue, she will state that this is a lead clinician issue. They are punitive if you speak out.  
PT wants to expand to another state. North Carolina Yet, they can barely handle what they have in PA and TN. It's all about keeping the members in those beds. That's how they get paid. Over 350.00 dollars a day. So, as you can see, this is a cash cow.  Very high turnover in the clinician field. If you are not organized, work 24/7, bring home work, you are buried and already in the hole.  They need comprehensive training to their software. 
Expectations are high. So, if you are a OCD individual, can handle just about anything then this is the job for you. In my opinion life is to short to be that stressed.

Working at Project Transition was an incredibly frustrating and demoralizing experience due to the poisonous environment created by the management. The constant criticism, undermining of roles, micromanagement and dismissive attitude toward employee input made it impossible to effectively provide the services I was hired to do. The hostile atmosphere not only affected my overall job satisfaction and mental well-being, but began wearing on my sense of self-efficacy in both the job and in my career.  I would caution anyone considering employment with this company to think twice before joining, as the toxic management culture severely hinders professional growth and job performance.
The unethical behavior and corruption within the leadership team not only eroded trust, as it became clear that management prioritized their own interest over those of both the clients and of their staff; but also compromised the safety, well-being and treatment progress of the clients. It was heartbreaking to witness a company that should have been dedicated to serving its clients, instead engaging in practices that belittled them and undermined the very principles it claimed to uphold. Working under such circumstances was not only morally distressing but more importantly detrimental to the community that they claimed to serve.

Outside of wanting to genuinely help the Members in their daily activities and having them realize that they "Really Do Matter" and you are not just there for the paycheck, there is a true feeling at the end of the day by staff that you really got through and made a difference whether big or small.  The immediate staff at my site were very professional (outside of one person) and always went above and beyond their job descriptions.

As far as Management - Everyone is a # including staff and there is no hesitation in removing the wrong people for fabricated reasons and keeping the "Click".   You must be "IN" with the the Powers that Be, or be prepared to be cut loose at any time.  You will never advance because they don't keep people long enough. You are told you come first as well as your mental and physical health and as long as you have NO ISSUES in your life you'll last at least a year or two.

To have staff turnovers every year or two should say a lot and there is no appreciation for staff who go above and beyond.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best thing about working for this company was providing services to the mental health population it was initially designed to help.   

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I worked for this company for a decade and watched the relentless decline in professionalism, professional ethics, quality of services, the revolving door in staffing, and of understaffing. The mentality and change in ownership from father to son were detached from the compassion of the previous owner.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The friendships among coworkers helped to make the work environment manageable.  The work values, goals, and practices of the company were chaotic for many years under the change in ownership from father to son.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day was a challenge working with a diverse mental health population where most of the clients were resistant to making proactive mental health self-care and lifestyle changes.

Working with clients is great- you learn a lot. 
The work day can be rewarding, but it can be stressful. At any given time you can face hostile environments, which is expected. However, I do not feel that certain situations are taken seriously. I also have felt that sometime staff members' safety is not taken seriously. 

The management could use some work. Sometimes, things get so hectic that staff requests go unnoticed. Staff meetings did not take place and the staff can often times go without pertinent information to adequately do their job. A ton of responsibility is placed on staff, and it can become overwhelming. If you ask questions or request information in regards to information regarding you (ie: one-on-one meetings, adavancing in the company, raises, PTO, etc.) the requests can go unanswered. And you have to re-ask and that can take more time to get answered or it will not be answered completely. 

The staff can be close knit, but there are times when you work with others that do not adequately handle their responsibilities. This can make it harder for staff to do their shift adequately.

I am expected to be to arrive in the office at 8am and 1pm on my late day. I have learned so much about the mental health system and dealing with different kinds of diagnosis. I am very organized and able to handle my intense case load of 6 but the management for this company is poor to say the least. Everyday we walk on egg shells because so many people have been laid off or quit. The hardest part of the job balancing your time between paperwork and being with your clients. Paperwork is so demanding and sometimes its hard to tell clients no to fulfill paperwork obligations. The mist enjoyable part of my job is when some one transitions to independent living which is the goal of everyone here. I'm said to see them go but happy in the same breath because they work the program.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Residential advisor 47 salaries reported	$17.18 per hour
Clinician 34 salaries reported	$67,794 per year
Certified peer specialist 18 salaries reported	$17.38 per hour
Counselor 4 salaries reported	$19.31 per hour
Social worker 8 salaries reported	$43,375 per year

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