counselor

mental health therapist

substance abuse counselor

behavioral specialist

activities director

The Academy Schools

I worked for the summit academy schools of Herman, PA for 5 years and can assure you it is a Shady, unethical, poorly managed, and completely defeating place of employment.  You will be required to bend regulations for completion of paperwork, be given a caseload that is physically impossible to focus the amount of time on that you need to conduct private sessions while watching the rest of the unit but will be told to figure it out and sink or swim.  You WILL be placed in an EXTREMELY HOSTILE environment with multiple severe fights daily. Turn over is extremely high and most people don’t make it past a year which says a lot about the employment right there.  The building is absolutely one of the most disgusting places to be in and only gets cleaned for tours by judges and so forth.  Upper management is a joke and anything that’s is brought to their attention or even makes sense is shot down unless they think of it since they’re stuck in “old” ways and afraid to evolve.  Employees are treated as disposable pieces.  The place only cares about money instead of rehabilitating youth.  ABSOLUTELY, do not get injured on the job or you WILL be terminated like has been done to multiple previous employees.  The list of negatives can go on and on. I absolutely would not recommend working here to absolutely any one.  

I love the position, the hours are extremely inconvenient. They require a degree, but I didn't go to school to carry around a 20lb bag everywhere I walk, work in an environment with NO AC, and work second shift with mandatory overtime. You also get no breaks, no dinner leave (you have to eat with the kids) and you park pretty far away from the building, which is inconvenient when walking to your car at 11:00pm. It is evident that you are constantly being judged by the higher up employees you work with on your floor and it gives you no motivation for the job. I just have a difficult time justifying going to college and getting a degree to work in a place that forces you to dress up, sweat, and carry around your entire workplace. You also get zero sick days and zero vacation days until you've been there a year. You're also forced to work most holidays.

Mobile Therapist for a year. Staff slammed kids against walls and used profanity. Kids were taunted by staff. Complaints of abuse to management were ignored. No one supported actual therapy. MTs were used to complete house arrest checks and transport kids. Forced to work holidays in the units. No support for therapists. Staff ignored therapists recommended interventions. Teachers did not actually teach. kids slept colored and talked during classes. When restricted to the school for probation and school  violations kids sit for hours in silence staring at each other. No school work is completed. Abusive environment from the top down.No support of education. STAY FAR AWAY from this place. I resigned after a year because they promised change but it never happened. The entire Academy system, to  include the residential programs need shut down.

I have worked at The Academy Schools for about 4 years and I don't intend to leave any time soon. The company is always growing and advancing so it has been exciting to be a part of all of the changes. Not only do I really enjoy the population that we work with, but our Mental Health Department as a whole has strong group cohesion that I don't think that I would be able to find anywhere else. I took this job immediately after graduate school and I have learned so much in that amount of time.Management has allowed my coworkers and I to attend numerous trainings to make sure that we are competent and informed about relevant issues in the mental health world. This is a perfect job for a therapist who has recently completed their education and is looking to gain a lot of experience.

I have held several positions within the company and each position has been very rewarding.  You are truly able to make a difference in the students' lives.  It does take some time to get good at your job and the students can display challenging behavior, but seeing your students succeed makes it all worth it.  You are afforded opportunities to learn and implement the most effective teaching and counseling methods.  Co-workers are supportive and great to work with!  Management provides feedback so you are able to continuously learn and improve.

Things are never the same working there. Management never tells you anything until the last minute. I have been given a ton of paperwork and no time to complete it. Stay away from the Academy Schools. I recently gave my two weeks notice and one of the managers was ignorant enough to talk about it in front of the students. They never informed me that I could be driving 5 hours or more a day. They also never told me that during the holiday schedule that I could be working overnight in the Residential Units.

Teachers are meant to engage and motivate students though it seems a near impossible task. Class periods are long and class sizes can vary based on subject but tend to be larger for science courses.

Felt like many days were spent making sure rumored fights would not happen. Not enough staff to enforce discipline measures like detention, counseling. Students regularly roam the halls.

Administration has too much work attending court dates of students and moment-to-moment discipline to provide needed support.

Teachers have to work during the summer

What is the best part of working at the company?
Providing care for the students.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Policy and procedures that are inconsistent, lack of proper and professional training to perform duties as outlined.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Medical department calls themselves “family”, then talks about each other when not in office. Hostile and highly unprofessional.

While working with at-risk youth is very challenging, this organization offers tremendous opportunities to their students.  Staff members who are invested and develop relationships with the kids will also have opportunities to advance in the organization.  People looking for an easy work day should not apply.  But if you are willing to work hard and you understand the challenges facing all juvenile justice programs, this can be a great opportunity.  It has been for me for over 20 years.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Counselor 14 salaries reported	$39,400 per year
Mental health therapist 8 salaries reported	$59,688 per year
Substance abuse counselor 7 salaries reported	$52,286 per year
Behavioral specialist 4 salaries reported	$42,625 per year
Activities director 7 salaries reported	$37,714 per year

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