addiction counselor

specialist

residential specialist

crisis response specialist

recovery specialist

Rosecrance

I came into my position at Rosecrance with next to no experience whatsoever in the mental health field. During my interview, I was told that the Mobile Crisis position was a great pick for first-time clinicians looking to get their foot in the door in the field of psychology. With my time with Rosecrance soon coming to a close, I can confidently say that I got exactly what I was sold on when I applied. I've learned so much and grown a lot not just as a professional, but also frankly as a person during my time with this company. 

On the crisis team, you work in an often unpredictable, fast-paced environment that can be totally different day-to-day. On one day, you may scarcely have one or two assessments to attend to; a few days later, you may not have time to sit down your whole shift! It can honestly sometimes be a pretty anxiety-inducing job with how much variation there can be between days, but I can speak from experience that you absolutely learn to adapt to that kind of pace the longer you stay in the position. I know for a fact that comparing some of my busier shifts now compared to when I first started, I've learned to handle that kind of stress and anxiety so much better now and feel confident that I can transfer that confidence wherever I go next.

For me, the best part of this job is easily the people. Working on the crisis team, you really get a sense that everyone looks out for each other and collaborates to meet the demands of the community as best we can. Even on my worst days, I always look forward to coming into the office and seeing all the kind faces of my coworkers and leaders. I can't speak for everyone, of course, but I know that during my time with this company I've genuinely felt very heard by leadership when I come to them with my worries and concerns, and I trust going to them completely if I need guidance, a second opinion, or honestly just a shoulder to lean on when I'm struggling. It's a very unique strength of this team that I have to acknowledge is not just something you can find anywhere, so I'm very thankful to have found that here!

Finally, there's the real point of this job: working with the community. In Crisis, I tend to find that my feelings towards our assessments go one of two ways. On one hand, you will end up learning very quickly that unfortunately, Crisis tends to have some repeat clients that come through very often. It can absolutely be frustrating if not somewhat defeating, to be frank! You will have moments where you question how much you're even doing for some people when you see them come in over and over with the same presenting problem, and it can start to wear you down when you try to rack your brain for answers as to why we can't seem to make any progress on what ails them. But on the other hand, there is a very unique sense of accomplishment when you make some serious headway with a client, and find a solution to their problem that really clicks well with them. When a client thanks you for helping them for the first time, or gives you a big grin at the end of your time with them in Crisis, you can always count on the gratifying feeling when you realize that YOU did that for them! It's thanks to your efforts that they're smiling like that, when mere hours before then they may well have been having one of the worst days of their life up to that point. That kind of genuine accomplishment, for all the hardships that a job like this may offer, make the whole experience worth it in my eyes. 

In summary, working at Rosecrance, and in Crisis in particular, certainly has its ups and downs just like any job. The job can be fairly demanding at times, and by the very nature of working not only in mental health but in EMERGENCY mental health, there are days where you are just completely drained by the end of your shift. But for all the hardship we endure, I know I've seen real change in both myself and my peers I've worked with during my time here. I know that I'm proud of the kind of growth that I've achieved here with this team, and it's thanks to the support of the awesome folks around me here at Rosecrance that I had the strength and courage to see things through past those intimidating first steps into the field. I'm proud of the kind of person I've become thanks to working this job, and I know I'd be more than happy to return to this company down the road if our paths happened to cross again. If you're looking to find your start in mental health or social work and you don't know where to go, I'd absolutely recommend Rosecrance as a way to start your journey.

Working with this company was my first job out of college, intimidated by the work-world I was super nervous about my first job out of college. Rosecrance was an amazing organization from start to finish. 
The company itself had great morals and overall you feel connected to the company you work with. I was immediately welcomed by the small office team that I worked with and the supervisor was extremely understanding about giving me as much time that I felt necessary for training, by no means was I "thrown in on the deep-end." The whole team made sure I was extremely comfortable before having to achieve any tasks on my own. The office I worked in was super supportive and we really all did feel like a team. I genuinely would get the biggest smile on my face when it came close to when second shift would come into work because that meant that I got to see some of my favorite people for the day. I often found myself staying over my shift just to be able to chat longer with my co-workers and help my clients. 
 The training videos the company provides are genuinely interesting and engaging! I found myself actually very intrigued by the training videos, they answered questions that I actually would have myself when working with my clients. The clients themselves also provide a huge factor as to why I loved the job so much. Again, having this be my first job out of college, I really had no experience with substance abuse and I was worried that the clients would disregard me due to my lack of knowledge in that area, BUT I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH. I have learned so much about addiction from my co-workers, clients and company training videos, it  was entirely amazing how much I have learned. (and no my clients were never disrespectful to me nor did they ever disregard my knowledge or help.)
 I took the job knowing it would be temporary but ended up wishing it was forever. I couldn't stay with the company because I had to start building my career in a different direction, but for anyone looking for some great in-depth work experience in the field of psychology, social work, or mental health/health care fields... definitely consider Rosecrance. I worked directly out of a recovery home and can't speak on the other parts of the company but from my experience I had an amazing time (and from co-workers that had left the company while I worked there also only had great things to say about the company. ) I mean every word of this review!! 

I forgot to mention I recieved a significant pay raise only after a few months of working there! (and they offer great employee benefits even to part-time employees). 

I feel like my review seems fake but I promise every word of this review is extremely genuine.

The hardest part of the job is also the greatest part of the job. The hardest part is maybe dealing with a super aggitated client who's had a bad day, but getting to sit with that client and make sure the rest of their day goes much better is extremely rewarding.  


Working with the clients is hard work but so rewarding. I love everything I do with them. The company as a whole is not setup for your success or well being. It’s set up to line the big wigs pockets. It’s not even setup to provide quality services to the clients. Everything they get is low quality, it’s embarrassing. 

The whole not being able to switch shifts, get promoted, or switch positions for 6 months at a time is so arbitrary and capricious. They claim it’s to keep people who are serious about a long term career, but all they’re doing is causing people to leave for better opportunities at other companies because they’re tired of being stuck. 

They don’t pay people based on how well they do the job, how long they’ve been doing the job, their reliability, or their passion for the work they do. You’re paid simply based off whatever degree you do or don’t have. That’s it. You could be a 2 year employee making the same as someone freshly hired because you both have your bachelors. HR will tell you too bad, you’re making as much as you can. It’s insulting and ignorant. If you’re still working on your associates you’re expected to do the exact same work as a MSW student for significantly less money. Ultimately what sense does that make?

Administration will tell you how great you are but do little to nothing to actually put action behind that petty praise. They assume if they just compliment you enough into feeling like they care, you’ll keep pushing through the lack of support and resources and skeleton staffing because you’ll feel guilty if you don’t. It works a lot of the time, too. But eventually people end up quitting in waves and they restart the cycle all over again with new staff. They’re always so baffled that they can’t keep anyone, though. It’s like they’re intentionally trying to be clueless so they don’t have to hold themselves accountable. Their favorite line is “well I don’t control that so don’t bring it up to me”. If you want a job where upper management genuinely cares about you and fights for you, you’re in the wrong place. They care about themselves and their significantly larger checks. Not the people who depend on them and do the grunt work to line their pockets. 

I’ve made some great connections here, and I’ve learned some great skills. I gained some solid experience working with the clients while here. However, time and time again it’s been proven to me that they company will not invest in me as much as I invest in them. That’s just not something that serves me or my purpose. People deserve better. 

Working at Rosecrance as a Mobile Crisis Responder was one of the most conflicting experiences I’ve had. The job itself was amazing. The clients were the highlight of my experience — showing up for people in crisis and being a light in some of their darkest moments was deeply rewarding and meaningful work. My frustrations were never about the actual role or the individuals we served.

Unfortunately, everything surrounding the job — the culture, the leadership, and the overall environment — made it nearly impossible to thrive.

Clinicians are severely overworked and expected to live, breathe, and sleep MCR. Taking a mental health day — which is ironic considering the nature of the work — is met with passive aggression or outright guilt-tripping. If you have personal obligations outside of your job, you’re seen as “less committed,” regardless of how hard you work.

The environment is both toxic and hostile. Upper management fails to respond to concerns with empathy, and any feedback is typically dismissed or ignored. Supervisors (particularly mine) often crossed professional boundaries — frequently making inappropriate comments and creating uncomfortable dialogue with their staff. Rather than leading, they delegate their responsibilities to staff and expect unrealistic levels of commitment and availability, often acting as if they are doing you a favor. This person is a textbook narcissist who will smile to your face and gossip behind your back — often to your own coworkers — creating a culture of distrust and tension.

There’s no real support, no gratitude, and no meaningful recognition for the difficult work clinicians do every single day. It’s a mentally and emotionally exhausting position made worse by leadership that demands everything from you and gives almost nothing in return.

The only reason many staff stay longer than they should is because of the amazing coworkers who become your lifeline in a deeply broken system.

Rosecrance brands itself as a mental health organization, but it fails to prioritize the mental health of its own Mobile Crisis Responders. Until there are major changes in leadership and culture, the high turnover rate will continue — and for good reason.

If you’re passionate about crisis work, know that the clients make it worthwhile. But be prepared to fight for your own well-being every step of the way.

I started with Rosecrance In Iowa when it was still Jackson Recovery Centers. I have now been with the company nearly six years, and have moved up in both positions and pay. I admit the first few years I spent as a tech in inpatient was difficult due to taking a lot of hours and responsibility early on, but in that time I learned a lot about addiction and how to help clients with hands on experience. In that time I also reached out to the EAP program for mental health support and they were very fast and reliable in getting me fully covered sessions with a mental health provider minutes from my home. I was able to use my time working as a tech to gain my CADC certification, and was hired as a therapist (title changed to Addiction Counselor later) within the company. My current supervisor is the best I've ever had, and I truly believe her role is to help me to do my job as well as possible while still accommodating my personal needs. I am currently pregnant and HR has been very forthcoming and helpful for setting up my leave, and the process of taking a day off when I need it is as simple as reaching by text. Recently they implemented an employee compensation program and systematically raised wages all across the board based on matching other centers in our state, and also took experience and dedication into account. Frankly the hardest part of the job is being someone who can connect to addiction, if not through some personal experience than at least with enough empathy to have patience as they help clients through a very difficult disease. If you worry you do not know enough to help yet I would still encourage you to apply, there are often free trainings offered by the company to help you know more about current research in the field. I genuinely like my job, and the few issues that were here when I started have been systematically worked on over the last several years. 

I have worked for this company for over 10 years and for the past 2-3 years this program at RGW has gone downhill significantly. The management is HORRIBLE!!!!! A complete lack of professionalism and lack of management skills. A person can request PTO months in advance and the manager will deny a few days before the scheduled PTO (after lots of reminder emails have been sent) Supervisors will roll their eyes at you and walk away along with lie directly to your face and to HR. Supervisors do not respond to e-mails or voicemails and there is no support for clinical staff. Employees are scared to talk to supervisors as supervisors are write up happy. Supervisors engage in gossip with each other and operate on personal likes and dislikes vs. what is best for the employee and the clients. There are minimal opportunities for trainings and professional growth is laughable. Employee retention is extremely low and this has been mainly due to the issues of poor supervisors. A masters degree position for a company as large as this should not be starting off at $36,000 salary! The CEO makes around $400,000 annually and other board of directors make gradually a bit less for each position. Go to guidestar.org (The 990) to check out the ratio of those big wigs salary to how much money Rosecrance makes a year...At least if you are not going to pay your employees well, at least treat them with respect! This is an unfortunately poor review; however, it is true. This company used to respect the employees, now everyone who does not act like a puppet gets discriminated against and they will be thrown into the pit of what they call disposable employees.

HORRIBLE WAGES
THIRD RATE BENEFITS
SEVERELY UNDERSTAFFED
UNPROFESSIONAL ADMINISTRATION
OVERALL LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY
HIGH TURNOVER RATE
NO ADVANCEMENT

  As a longtime supporter of this organization, I was offered a position counseling adolescent substance abuse patients. I entered into this arrangement with nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for Rosecrance Health Network. Little did I know, I was signing up for the worst employment experience of my life!

  When they first told me that I would be making literally pennies over minimum wage, my first thought was that I would do my best and advance through the ranks. Rosecrance had long been a staple in the Rockford community with strong ties to local government, so it must be doing something right with plenty of room for advancement. After only a few weeks, I began to realize just what I had gotten myself into
. 
  This place is a quagmire of problems due to the pathetic wages, poor benefits, lack of professionalism, and severe understaffing. Employees walk out the door in droves, only to be replaced by yet another unskilled and unsuspecting college student. The level of patient care is astounding!!! To think that someone would actually trust Rosecrance with the care and safety of their child is ridiculous. From the moment of entry, they are fed a cocktail of medications to keep them comatose long enough to bilk the insurance companies out of tens of thousands of dollars. All to pay their employees little or no compensation for their hard work and effort. BUT HEY...IT'S NON-PROFIT RIGHT? That's why this organization is buying up property and expanding like it's going out of style.

  DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND GO FLIP BURGERS!    YOU WILL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO MAKE A BETTER LIVING AND NOT GET USED IN THE PROCESS.

Rosecrance has a decent pay structure and benefit package compared to many similar community health companies. You will be met with intensive Rosecrance trainings and seemingly set up for success with their new hire process. After time, you'll likely see there are immense gaps and systemic problems in staffing, managerial and directorship training, and the bulk of work is passed onto the lower level employees to figure it out when systems collapse or the rotating door of employees continuously stays open.  Rosecrance puts the organizational needs well above their employees needs and uses passive and direct manipulation to get you into the role expeditiously.  Once hired, they pile on responsibilities and non-discussed job duties or make them up as they go.  Directors who will trash talk their employees and lead with their emotions is never ideal in mental health.  If you were hired quickly and the process seemed very easy, there's going to be a catch.  In my brief time I endured new, made up job responsibilities, my superiors emotional lability and gaslighting, and saw how little managerial training she had other than growing into roles based on being a company Kool-Aide girl.  Creating a hostile work environment and promoting the exact opposite of what you claim in interviews is alarming.  Deliberating worsening the mental health of the employees underneath you without a contingency plan will continue to fail if you lead from a model of authority only.  

Highly discourage working here. They cannot retain staff to save their life. The staff normally have the absolute best intentions for helping their clients,  but the administration put such an incredible amount of stress on billing hours, it took away from the passion we all had. I didn't know not one co-worker who was happy working there. Often staying late off the clock to get work done out of fear of being punished. I was even encouraged to meet with people who didn't need anything, simply to increase my productivity hours to make the company more money. However, we were worked so hard yet received hardly any pay for a Bachelors degree. After 3 years, I barely made 14/hr which is not a livable wage AT ALL after taxes and insurance. Literally some of us would cry in our offices we felt so much pressure to achieve these unattainable goals, that basically no one ever consistently met. Barely any time off for holidays. Supervisors/team leaders were simply hired to fill a seat or were friends with the director. My supervisor knew very little about the job she was to fill and I often had to train her. You'll 100% get hired, because no one wants to stay here. Leaving this job was the best thing I could ever do for myself and I will never suggest anyone work here if you want to keep your sanity. I wish I had left sooner. The people who leave nice reviews, are most likely those who had a higher position in the company, who actually had some respect, and didn't have direct service productivity hours. The ones doing the actual direct service work were not treated well.

this job is definitely not for the weak. during the school year, call volume is unbelievably high, with 2nd shift being the busiest of all the available shifts. with each case comes a hefty amount of paperwork, and then uploading your documents and additional information to the EHR. you’re expected to do this within one week, but it’s extremely easy to fall behind in paperwork. we have a 90 minute response time, but we cover 5 counties, so you can easily become overwhelmed when you have to finish a referral and attempt to begin placement, but you have another case to go on. there are days where the job can become mentally and emotionally draining, especially as there are so many repeat clients who abuse the system. the job involves working alongside hospital staff and other hospitals’ admissions staff, and it kind of seems like everyone hates us (crisis team), so it’s very exhausting to maintain a professional and respectful demeanor when every other person we have to interact with is rude. you need tough skin to be able to endure crisis, and that’s why turnover is so high; so think twice before you apply. the team itself is super supportive, albeit there can be drama sometimes, you just have to align yourself with the right people. there are skills and certifications you gain along the way that are extremely helpful if you wish to continue pursuing a career in the mental health and social work field so that’s a plus. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Addiction counselor 37 salaries reported	$26.29 per hour
Specialist 114 salaries reported	$18.81 per hour
Residential specialist 40 salaries reported	$18.98 per hour
Crisis response specialist 36 salaries reported	$26.79 per hour
Recovery specialist 36 salaries reported	$19.88 per hour

Working at Rosecrance: Company Overview and Reviews

Rosecrance

Rosecrance Ratings

Popular jobs at Rosecrance

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected