residential counselor

counselor

records coordinator

health information technician

director of social services

SMA Healthcare

Working here has been a mix of rewarding experiences and significant challenges. The most meaningful part of the job is the opportunity to help people with mental illness remain stable, educate them on managing their health, and support them in becoming productive members of society. Knowing that I make a positive difference in my patients’ lives is what keeps me motivated.

There are a few benefits that I genuinely appreciate. Having a company car is a major advantage, and I like being able to schedule my own patient visits. There is also some flexibility in the work schedule, although I would prefer more options, especially the ability to work 12-hour shifts.

Unfortunately, there are several issues that make it difficult to see this as a long-term career. Employee turnover is very high, which appears to be driven by excessive micromanagement and compensation that is among the lowest in psychiatric nursing. The health insurance is also expensive and does not provide enough value for the cost.

Another concern is the lack of clear role separation between nurses and case managers. Much of the work overlaps, when medical and case management responsibilities should be more clearly defined. Teamwork could also be improved, as coworkers do not always work together in the best interest of the patient.

Staff safety is another area that needs attention. Employees are sometimes placed in potentially dangerous situations by entering high-risk patients’ homes, yet not everyone qualifies for the company’s life insurance benefits, which is concerning given the nature of the job.

This organization has the potential to be an excellent place to work. If leadership reduced micromanagement, increased pay to be more competitive, offered 12-hour shift options, strengthened collaboration among coworkers, and prioritized employee safety, this could become a workplace where people would genuinely want to build a long-term career and eventually retire.

I could easily give this company a bad review, but I won't because the people in the office I worked with were amazing. They supported me, we were a team, a family. The problem for me came because I worked in one of the outer counties an hour away from the main campus. You didn't always get the help you needed and had to make decisions that were not always supported by the higher ups. I wasn't a good fit for the job because I didn't believe in some of the practices that the company had in place and voiced this opinion to my supervisors. On May 27, my supervisor comes to my office for what I think is a supervision meeting and terminates me from my job. I was floored, but I had already started looking for another job so I was okay with it to a point. Now here is why I can't give them a better score. In my termination papers, instead of just putting I was not a good fit for the position, they tore my self-esteem to shreds with things that were untrue and vindictive and all came from my main supervisor. She knew the struggles I was having at that point in time (PTSD triggers, flashbacks, and nightmares) and that I was working through them the best way I could, but she labeled them as excuses not to do my work and being disrespectful to her. As I said, I wasn't a good fit for the company's idea of what the job should be, but my client's never lacked due to my care and that's all that really mattered to me anyway. The pay is good for the work you do. You really don't get into this type of work for the money, and this is a good stepping stone to other jobs. Don't get behind in your notes and document everything, that's the only way you will survive this job.

The hardest part of the job as with most social service positions is that "you can't save everyone", there never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done, and the pay scale could be adjusted up. That being said, I have found my co-workers and managers to be very supportive, flexible, and helpful. The company as a whole strives for a positive and supportive workplace where each individual, no matter what position they hold, feel not only welcomed but also a productive, valued, and integral part of the team. It is a work in process and not perfect as I have observed some individuals underachieving and placing a higher burden on others bringing down moral, but I find I like coming in each day. The relationships I have built with my co-workers, not only within my program but in others as well, assist in; building my knowledge base, overcoming disappointment and frustration when I do not achieve the results I was hoping for, and share in the best part of my job - when an individual or family that I am assisting are successful! After all, it "Takes a Village to Raise a Child" and I feel at SMA we are becoming that Village.

A typical day is coming in and reviewing schedule, responding to emails, and serving clients.  The culture is dependent on whether or not people are talking bad about each other or supporting each other.  There are people who just have a negative attitude about life and spew their negativity all over the place and unfortunately others fall into the gossip and drama. When this person leaves for one reason or another things seem to balance out for awhile.  I guess you can't see a person's true colors in an interview so management tries to make the best hiring decisions based on their work history and attitude during an interview and whether or not they are truly the ideal team player but anyone can put on a good front for an hour.  It's not until you see behind the curtain of a persons true personality do you know whether or not they've made a good hire.  I've been here a long time and we have had great teams along the way but then we get a bad apple that causes chaos and drama and upsets the apple cart until it is put back right.  Admin really has a difficult job having to manage all of this and they really do the best they can to build a positive team.  If everyone would just come to work to help the clients we could really make an impact.  

In the time I was with SMA, I was assigned to Putnam County, a rural county in central Florida.  I was housed in the detox and rehabilitation center as well as spending time in the behavioral health building.  This organization could not have been a better learning experience.  They allowed me several opportunities and I was able to have the V.P. of operations as my observing supervisor. I did drug abuse intakes; I was assigned to run groups and individual counseling to the overnight rehab clients and those in the detox center.  I worked with family groups for the drug court program as well as running Saturday drug court groups for drug offenders.  My supervisor entrusted me with co-facilitating a predator group of about 20 males that were court ordered offenders on probation.  I was also assigned several cases that were court ordered DUI charges and child protective cases.  In one spousal abuse case, I worked with Neighbors, Friends and Family to counsel the abusers as a probationary measure.  I feel my experiences were rich and gave me a good depth of knowledge to work with going forward.

Management- qualifications for the positions is contingent upon the ability to lack independent judgment.  Workplace culture- each programs , works to provide a sense of unity,

Terrible was up until recently our program was forced to share 8×10 office space with 3 to a room , while upper management had office space (20×40) to them selves this was done during the pandemic deviating from the 6ft social distancing. 
Too many CHIEFS  many with made up titles or positions, with higher salaries,  that should be pass on to the field level staff.  
Hardest part of the job is the inability of the field or lower level staff,  to be heard by the powers that be !
Enjoyable part of the job is the unity of the lower level staff.
What I learned: I am content in remaing as a field staff as I enjoy interacting with the clients, also my integrity and self esteem will not allow me to be a puppeteer (a qualifications look for in management) for this agency.






Typically your day begins by reviewing the client screening assigned to you for an assessment. The next step would be to begin gathering pertinent educational handouts and necessary paperwork to enroll the client into the program.
The appointments are scheduled in the home or other convenient area for the client which could entail traveling in a 60 mile radius. The face to face assessment is about an hour depending on the needs of the family. The assessment is completed in an informal dialogue setting which involves being able to engage the client to provide in depth personal information which will be documented within 2 hours for supervisory review. 
Great team to work with, supportive staff and supervisors.

I learned a lot about people...all kinds of people from various walks of life during my 7 1/2 years working at SMA Behavioral Healthcare. Because of my experience there I can say that I was able to improve my "people skills" while expanding my work experience and my skill set. Overall I can say that my work associates were kind and friendly. The management & supervisors were demanding at times, but overall they were patient with me. The hardest part of the job was when the supervisors would give me multiple tasks all at once that were all time consuming! The most enjoyable part of the job for me was the festive atmosphere during holiday times and the multiple healthy luncheons they provided!

I ran an in-prison Reentry Program focused on close-custody, high-risk, male inmates. It was very rewarding but required that all staff be very confident and assertive as well as compassionate. I learned  the finer points of managing difficult clients and working with a sometimes resistant Security staff. My supervisor was 150 miles away, and trusted me to do my job, which was greatly appreciated. The hardest part of my job was working with Security staff who did not believe in rehabilitation. The most enjoyable/rewarding part was seeing staff grow and learn while also seeing client-inmates achieve success after release.

The good part is working with community mental health and substance abuse is mainly what is dealt with. Working with the community it is a great place to learn! You see everything especially if working in crisis. There are different departments for the Ocala campus but my experience was that changes were made and it was not always communicated to employees or it was deflected by giving a general “we are working on it.” Nurses are treated well and paid well, but unfortunately techs are not as treasured and counselors are not as cared for and are very underpaid leading to burnout and resentment across the board. The people you work with are great but sometimes the power trips of management just tend to be too much. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Residential counselor 2 salaries reported	$65,520 per year
Counselor 2 salaries reported	$65,520 per year
Records coordinator 1 salary reported	$26.00 per hour
Health information technician 1 salary reported	$48,940 per year
Director of social services 1 salary reported	$65,520 per year

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