clinician

partner

program supervisor

mental health technician

mental health therapist

South Coast Community Services

The thing I value most about my time  at South Coast is that the agency fosters a culture of advancement from within. If you are willing and able to work hard, be flexible, adapt to the ever changing nature of our industry and meet the high standards set for all employees there is room for advancement. A large majority of our management team has worked in non-management positions prior to promotion. Depending on your position/program a day at work looks different for everyone. There are opportunities to be community based or clinic based, to hold a clinical, semi-clinical or non-clinical position, and all roles and positions are valued. In my experience job satisfaction at SCCS is highly influenced by who your program supervisor and program director is and what their leadership philosophy is. Leadership styles and strategies differ between programs. Having diversity in leadership styles means there is likely a leader/mentor on staff who matches with your work style. The hardest part of the job for most people is keeping up with changes in systems. SCCS is often looking for opportunities to improve processes and this means a lot of change. Additionally the standards for clinical and non-clinical work directly with Client's are set high. Seeing Client's and families and providing a high quality service is first and foremost. This is measured by a productivity standard as well as an efficiency standard that ensures services are ethically documented in an appropriate turn around time. Because most schedules are flexible and self organized many staff struggle with this piece of the job and find it to be a stressful component of their jobs. It is the Management team's role to support staff on how to be strategic, plan, and become successful at these aspects of their jobs. It is each individuals role to be pro-active, creative, flexible and adaptive in meeting these demands. As in any job it is important to advocate for yourself and ask for the training and guidance needed to succeed in meeting the demands of any position. Overall I think your experience at SCCS is highly determined by your leadership team, your ability to advocate for what you need, and your ability to adapt to the changes often introduced for the purpose of improving processes. A career with SCCS offers a diverse range of opportunities and room for advancement if you understand, connect with and embrace the company culture. As with all places of employment SCCS is not for everyone. Determining if it is a good fit for you means being an active participant in the interview process. Come prepared with questions and seek clarification about your role.

I have no idea what the other reviewers are talking about. I worked during the same period that they worked. I knew most of them. It's unfortunate that they said such negative things. They didn't list the reasons that they were unsuccessful at SCCS, like the lack of time mgt skills and inability to write good notes. 

I never met the CEO, but I heard he is a nice man. I hope to meet him one day. Everyone I work with, truly enjoys their job. I work with some very smart people. I make my job what I want. I make it positive, fun and challenging.As for advancement, there are only so many positions, let alone management positions. It takes time, effort, leadership skills, knowledge etc. to get promoted. This is not a very large company. Time is not the only factor. My manager and director are very capable, knowledgeable, approachable and supportive. They both have great leadership skills. They are also assertive and want me to succeed. They challenge me and they support me. I truly enjoy working here.

I have been here for a short while (1.5years ) and I learned in 6 months what other companies take 3-5 years to teach. The learning is endless. I have access to en vivo, e-learning and experiential learning from managers. I found a place to call home. Management is extremely supportive and knowledgeable. Work culture is FUN, exciting, friendly, and supportive. A real TEAM work environment. There are diff. programs. Some are low pressure others are very high. That's the nature of this profession. In the SF, WRAP and TBS programs, every day is a different day with different challenges. I get to practice REAL therapy. The only down side is the amount of electronic record keeping. It's easy once you get the hang of it. You must be a good note writer to be successful. The most enjoyable part is the REAL work that I do; sense of accomplishment, intelligent team members and very capable and knowledgeable managers that are supportive. I turned down 6 County jobs and 2 other non-profits, I made the very best choice. 
I wont list too many clues about who I am, but disregard my start date and position.

I have been with SCCS for over 10 years. I love the environment and the people I work with. In fact I love my team so much I often contemplate retiring here. SCCS is focused on providing services to those who are at need and who may lack many other resources to have been given a proper fighting chance in important areas of their lives. It is really cool to be part of a program that exists to help those people. It is cool to feel like I am contributing to lifting others up, even if indirectly. 

My favorite part of this job: from the day I started management noticed that I was able to self-direct, and they let me run with it. That trust has evolved into a position that I own. Even though we work as a team, I am trusted to do my job and in my own way - and that working relationship has resulted in high levels of success which I am proud of. Having that autonomy has literally made this one of the best career investments I could have made, and has made it a pleasure to come into work. I look forward to work - I cant remember the last time I didn't look forward to it. 

The hardest part of the job is trying to fund a retirement as there is no 401k/matching. You're on your own there, which makes it hard to rationalize staying at times because I am essentially leveraging my current state of work happiness against my future self having a comfortable retirement. Also, the family healthcare options financially out of reach. To cover my family with even a modest HMO costs more than I make, so my entire family is on MediCal. And the wages do not meet the cost of living in Orange County. In the 10 years working here I have never shaken this worry in the back of my mind that if I were to lose my job I would have literally nothing to show for it and be starting from zero. 

That being said, some things are more important than money. I am happier here than I have been with any other company. If SCCS had a benefits package that was competitive to that of its industry peers it is no question that I would work here until I retire - and I am holding out hope that those days are to come.

South Coast offers Supervision hours and tons of support to Clinicians looking to become licensed. Support from Clinical supervisors is amazing and co-workers truly embrace the teamwork mentality. These are a few of the great things about South Coast! BUT.... There are some things that I wish would have changed. South Coast is a very busy and sometimes understaffed environment. Productivity IS EVERYTHING... South Coast is San Bernardino County contracted which means that they push pretty hard for you to meet your productivity goals (80 hours) which can be quite draining and often brings down employee morale. Case Loads are also very high with 25-35 clients per clinician. South Coast also has this knack for changing things constantly. This makes the learning curve quite steep, and instead of encouraging clinicians to work smarter and not harder, South Coast makes it harder by constantly adding more documentation and paperwork. Positions as clinicians are salaried which has its pro's and con's 

Pros: Fairly flexible schedule, Scheduling your own clients, Starting and ending your day at the time that works best for you. 

Cons: Advertised 40 hours a week but you really work 40-50+ hours a week, expected that you complete all of your work before you go home which is sometimes quite difficult.

The CEO of this company is a tyrant. He makes sure spotlight is on him and loves to be glorified. He makes irrational demands and is very impulsive. From one day to the next he makes irrational changes with the common "as of immediately". He creates high stress in which is no wonder most people don't last. This is a high turn over place from clinicians to supervisors etc. He really has little regard for clinicians as he himself has never stepped in the life of one before, but is also not interested in hearing about it. He may come out and pretend he cares but a person that cares actually tries to make the environment more positive and also appealing for new staff. He enforces micromanagement and expects this of supervisors too. Everyone is afraid to stand up to him for he who does is fired pretty soon after. This place also has caps on wages and no opportunity for increase as he claims this place starts at the highest wage. Make your research before I'm sure you will find other places that pay more. Also there is no such thing as bereavement or sick time as a stand alone for it all comes out of your vacation time. Good luck with that. Don't expect things to get better around there any time soon but if you want to join the zoo.... be my guest.

When I stated working for south coast I began with a typical case load of 25 clients to see weekly or bi-weekly. The management doesn't care  how many clients you have at one point I had 32 clients and could not service them properly and was over whelmed and stressed. Which each client you see them, call care givers, do notes, and if you have an assessment you have to complete all that paperwork. I had good time management skill and could complete it but I knew many co-workers weren't able to. The pay is low for how much work you have to do. Upper management can't seem to figure out that if you overwork your employees they will leave and this is why South Coast has such a high turn around rate. I just learned from an old co-worker that some programs within south coast have to carry a minimum case load of 35 clients. 

If you are looking for hours this is the place you will get them quickly but that is about all its good for and the medical paperwork practice. Other than that if you want to be over worked and underpaid this is the place for you.

I highly recommend South Coast Community Services to all professionals with various educational backgrounds and experience in coaching, social services, administrative, management, mental health, and community-based services. I also encourage those with limited experience in these fields to apply because they are willing to train and they facilitate their training with a high learning curve. I had a great interview experience with everyone I came in contact with and was extremely pleased to receive my job offer the same day of my onsite interview. I was welcomed aboard and immediately felt a part of their team. I totally appreciate the opportunities and continued support they are providing for me to learn and grow as a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. In conclusion, I absolutely love the team building events and on the job training courses that keep us connected, boost morale, and enhance our skills. I am forever grateful.

Working at South Coast has been a very positive experience for me. The work culture is amazing, everyone is very welcoming and helpful. After your probation period you have the option to work a 9/80 schedule which is a plus! You will learn alot here and there's alot of room for growth. Cases can sometimes be difficult and stressful but it's expected when working in the mental health field. The pro is that depending on your supervisor, they make themselves available and are always willing to help and guide you. Driving can be alot as well. We serve all of SB County, so expect to have cases anwhere from Ontario to Victorville. All in all, its been a great experience and I believe the pros outweigh the cons. 

Tough but rewarding work. Clients are difficult but with good support staff, job is manageable. Not the best time management in terms of follow through for support for staff, but high turnover rate because of the nature of the job makes it difficult to get to stability. Learned to work with at-risk foster youth, and work independently. Do have to do restraints and may get assaulted, but if you are tough, the relationships and breakthroughs with the residents are worth it. If you are looking for experience before working as a social worker or social services, this is a great place for you!.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Flexible hours (which are necessary), lots of training, working with kiddos.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Massive documentation (necessary notes for funding), people hired just because they have a Bachelor's degree, no experience and tendency to be punitive. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Predominately very good!  However, people who can't handle their biases should be put on a 90 trial to evaluate if this type of job is for them.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
This is a hybrid job--takes you out in the field most days to visit families and assist them where they are at emotionally and help them grow from there.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Clinician 32 salaries reported	$84,583 per year
Partner 12 salaries reported	$23.52 per hour
Program supervisor 7 salaries reported	$90,843 per year
Mental health technician 6 salaries reported	$22.67 per hour
Mental health therapist 2 salaries reported	$69,700 per year

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