resident counselor

case coordinator

care manager

housing specialist

service coordinator

Rehabilitation Support Services, Inc.

A typical day at work demands emotional availability for 10 - 14 clients, who at any point may be suffering from severe psychosis, suicidal ideation, substance abuse issues, etc. Despite that, the clients are the best part of my day, generally speaking. Despite have solidarity with my co-workers, who routinely offer help and are reliable for the most part, there is a suffocating feeling of powerlessness and helplessness when one is struggling with emotional output, deadlines, and time management stressors. 

For a program that services for mental health of several of the most vulnerable and volatile of populations in New York State, there is an utter lack of proactive care for employees. The for-profit nonprofit model is heightened to an extreme. If you search the company's 909 form online, you will find that they have been making increasing profits (totaling at least $60 million since 2020) year after year while operating at below the minimum for staffing, with further suggestions on how to reduce staffing even more. A manager there once told me that when they had started, there were three program coordinators for the program's most profitable department. Nowadays, there are 2, with contemplations of reducing that further to just one (for a total caseload of about 150 clients with unique and ever-changing needs). Sustainability, health, and professional advancement are not values shared by upper management, and this is the most frustrating part of the entire work experience. Suggestions on how to improve are ignored or otherwise dismissed publicly, and the expectation for ideas on how to improve the work climate are place on the already overburdened. 

The saving grace of this position is that the clients' lives are improved by the few that stick around because they care. If seeing a client improve and become slowly more motivated in all areas of life and functioning is not invigorating for you, I would strongly discourage you from applying. Furthermore, the position touts itself as being entry-level, with little experience needed; take it from me, but having little to no experience will result in an intensively stressful transition at the start of your employment here. Prospective employees should be screened for their ability to show empathy, to handle themselves under stressful situations, to defer to experts in the event of a crisis, and overall English literacy skills and computer literacy skills. They're not. RSS will take anyone because their retention (surprise!) is abysmally low. 

Our country, our city, and our community's frontline mental health caretakers deserve the best possible treatment from their managers. Perhaps naively, I am almost hoping that upper management will come across this review and that this review may catalyze some serious and critical change in the professional culture of this essential program. The talent of these "entry level" staff is the lifeblood of this program, and the engine by which their administration grossly and increasingly profits off of. 

For anyone considering applying, due caution has been given. Hopefully, if you apply anyways, your passion for helping others will carry you through the needless stress recklessly piled upon by the agency. I recommend having a strong support system, powerful emotional regulation skills, and excellent professional boundaries for any prospective applicants. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Overworked and under appreciated should be the RSS tag line. Supervisors show favoritism, god help you if you are not part of theirs. Staff retention is extremely low and training is subpar. You may be given a client work load of 11 or more on your first day. Keep your ears open and trust very few if given a job here. Parking is a nightmare. Not enough spots in the actual parking lot, and parking on the street behind the building is just as bed. You will frequently see used needles and human feces right outside the entrance door. The company is not in a safe area. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
It’s all stress full. Given too much to do within a month’s time. If you are late with work, they will make you feel less than, and supervisors will embarrass you in front of your coworkers and/or clients if you are behind. There are several higher ups that offer assistance though. Just be wary of immediate supervisors. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
RSS is very clicky. Either you are in on the joke, or you are not given the time of day, unless you have done something wrong, then all eyes on you. It’s a typical office environment. Some offices have windows and light, others are dark and you feel tired all the time. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Going out to see clients and do service goals with them. Helping clients is the only good part of this job. When you are out in the field, you matter and most clients are grateful to you. It’s when you have to go back to office that your day will suck.

I have worked for RSS in their Behavioral Health Resource Center (BHRC) program for a little over a year now, but will be leaving soon due to another opportunity. I loved my time with RSS. I worked as a school based social worker so my job allowed for great work life balance, as things slowed down during school breaks, holidays, and over the summer. Within this role I also got to create my own schedule, which provided me with a lot of flexibility. My supervisors are great. They are very understanding and always willing to find ways to accommodate their employees unique situations. This was my first post-graduate job and I learned so much from this role and I would not have traded this experience for the world, as it helped me to become the clinician I am today. 

One of the cons to this jobs is compensation. Despite the flexibility, you are handling a lot in terms of clients, their families, and multiple staff, as clinicians are split between 2 schools. This can make the work you do complicated, as you are working with a multitude of varying perspectives. Thus, it may be beneficial to better compensate employees for this type or amount of work. Another con is having to conduct home visits. As part of my job, I am required to conduct home visits if families identify it as a need. That being said, these schools are in rural areas with little to no cell phone reception. Due to this I would find that I would not have service on some of my visits, which posed safety concerns. 

My program director is unfit for the role, displaying unethical behavior and poor leadership. Staff are severely undertrained and expected to learn everything in two weeks, only to be handed full caseloads with little to no support. After just two weeks of shadowing, you're expected to manage clients on your own. The expectations are far too high, and when things go wrong, the director resorts to verbal tirades and constantly changes their mind without providing proper instruction or support.
The program managers tried their best to help, but they were just as undertrained and overwhelmed as we were. The problem starts from the top, and the entire system is broken and resistant to change. Upper management often dismisses concerns by claiming the program has "just always been a messy program." In less than a year, three managers left, but upper management refuses to acknowledge the connection to the director's incompetence.
Clients suffer as a result, relying heavily on staff due to the director’s lack of education and leadership. The job is mentally exhausting and takes a toll on your well-being. The only benefit is the experience, as you gain valuable skills while working with some truly great coworkers and clients. But ultimately, it's a stepping stone to leave as quickly as possible. I wouldn’t recommend working here unless you want to feel like you’re on the brink of becoming a client yourself.

Work-life balance
Weird schedules that for most people involve working some evenings, weekend shifts, and at least one 12+ hour shift per week.

Pay & benefits
My pay and benefits at Rehabilitation Support Services are inadequate. The pay is far too low in my opinion. It pays less than a dollar over NYS minimum wage.

Management
The current house manager is fine. The director is just awful. She bullies her staff, is dismissive of the concerns of clients and staff (including legitimate concerns about safety), and she intentionally works weird hours so she doesn't have to deal with anyone.

Culture
Collaboration with my colleagues at Rehabilitation Support Services is fine. I liked all my coworkers.

Overall
This is a frustrating, low-wage, dead end job. Staff time is monopolized by "services" that have no real concrete benefit to the clients. It is not at all rare for a client to be admitted who isn't really appropriate for the program, creating extra work and stress for everybody. If there is a client who makes people feel unsafe they have to basically wait for that person to actually assault someone before they can get the person out of the residence. I recognize that this has more to do with laws/regulations than the agency itself, but it's still a major reason why I wouldn't recommend working here.

This job  was a routine job, such as giving clients their medications, morning, noon, and night. Shopping weekly, cooking daily, cleaning and assisting clients with daily household chores. Clients were taken to their jobs, doctors appointments, and the store daily.
I've learned about each individuals conditions and how to administer  their medications according to their mental or physical condition. I also learned the importance of writing reports in third person.
The workplace culture was great. I loved the support staff had for one another. I love the fact staff work together and each shift had the same work ethic and we worked together well. 
The hardest part of the job was when a client and or family member   passed away and supporting the clients who had difficulty coping with the lost. 
The most enjoyable part of the job, was taking clients on trips that was recreational and enjoying some down time with them.

Management at the adolescent residence promote an abusive working atmosphere based on blame and holding others accountable. Staff meetings are for dictating at nauseum how to do simple tasks, and they have placed themselves in the perfect environment because they also exercise their need to control the adolescent residents, which is sad. There is a lot of hypocrisy too as they reprimand the kids for not making the bed while both of their offices are odorous stys of rotting food and other filth. They have an 8 to 4 weekday while everyone else works awkward shifts, and they go home when the ratio is thrown off by someone calling in, while other staff has to stay, often pulling more than 12 hour shifts to cover. State investigations of abuse by staff are manipulated too, and the staff who follow the agency chain of command and report to superiors are kept in the dark. If you value your soul and your sanity, don't even apply to a RSS job in Oneonta - it's too far away from corporate hq down state so there will never be adequate leadership.

It is a good place to start right out of college, but they will stick you with a caseload of over 30 people which is near impossible to take care of every month. My immediate supervisor is fantastic while upper management has zero integrity; they have lied to employees faces as well as my own on multiple occasions. After I believe 90 days you receive a SMALL “raise”, I have heard more than one co worker state that even after working a year that they are still being paid their starting rate of pay and when brought to managements attention management basically bullied many people and people were not being paid what they were owed nor did their pay rate ever change even though they have legitimate paperwork which states how much they should be making. They do provide a lot of trainings which is nice but I see no room for advancement at this organization. They are short staffed which puts more stress on the staff here and god forbid your paperwork isn’t in on time even though you are working 2 peoples caseloads. 

Rehabilitation Support Services is a great place to work for the first 3 months until your supervisor shows their true colors. Do not expect much support from management about your caseload, or family emergencies. RSS is a mental health agency that does not practice what they stand for, and they let their employee's mental health suffer. RSS offers great paid time off, but it is not acceptable to use it in their eyes. The office environment is also very toxic, and if there are issues no one likes to directly discuss them with you.  A lot of the times, issues will be talked about behind your back but never addressed to you in person. When issues are addressed in person, it is by your supervisor in a group staff meeting to embarrass you and make you feel worthless even when you work very hard. The clients are the only great part about this job, and a lot of them are very nice and easy to talk to. I do not recommend working here unless you want your own mental health to deteriorate.

Meeting with clients on a daily basis in their apartment. Reviewed and discussed their service plans and goals. Provided resources and training in various areas of living on their own in the community. Provided transportation to appointments and grocery shopping when needed and other daily living skills. 
We were provided with continuous learning in our job duties which I enjoyed learning new ideas of every part of my job. 
There was a large turnover in management while I was there, which was difficult to a degree. 
I enjoyed working with my coworkers as we helped each other out when needed.  
The hardest part of my job was seeing people needing to go back to a hospital to get much needed medical help. 
The most enjoyable part was when I was able to help the people learn something that they thought was impossible because of their illness. When they succeeded in paying their own bills and living on their own. This was very gratifying for me to have been a part of.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Resident counselor 52 salaries reported	$19.30 per hour
Case coordinator 28 salaries reported	$18.50 per hour
Care manager 22 salaries reported	$23.29 per hour
Housing specialist 30 salaries reported	$18.89 per hour
Service coordinator 3 salaries reported	$17.77 per hour

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