counselor

peer counselor

house manager

employment specialist

surgical technician

Trilogy Behavioral Healthcare

I came to work here during a heavy COVID time and there's been a lot of adjustments to going back to doing mostly in person stuff. I'm in the office 3 days a week, and also working in the community - we're a Community Mental Health organization!

The work can be hard, and documentation is difficult for me to keep up with, but I've been given a lot of support from the training team and management to help me get more caught up. 

There's quite a bit of advancement opportunity for folks here. I think twice a year there's a new cohort of Team Leaders being trained. 

Speaking of training, there's a lot of support for CEUs and getting the CRSS and CADC credentials. I'm looking into them. 

The best part of the job is seeing clients succeed in their goals, though. It keeps me energized. Another good part was that last year we got a couple raises. Community Mental Health doesn't pay as much as other industries but I think we're reasonably compensated at Trilogy. I also have the best health insurance I've ever had in my life. 

Something I don't like as much, and it's a problem throughout all of community mental health, is the turnover of staff. I'd like to see people stay for years. I've been here for over 2 years now, though, and I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. 

Also a lot of the teams seem understaffed which increases job stress. 

There's also a new Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion director who seems to really be committed to helping increase retention and support for employees, and a few Employee Resource Groups for Black employees, Peer Staff, and LGBTQIA+ employees. There's a lot of ways to get involved in helping make Trilogy an even better place to work. I love my job.

Unfortunately Trilogy's level of commitment to the betterment of its clients and its loss of perspective regarding the main focus of its mission has led what was once a highly respected organization into a complete downward spiral. Due to rapid expansion and little regard for its employees, several highly skilled long-term staff members have vacated, leaving 20-somethings with no supervisory experience running all of its departments. Apart from the competitive insurance benefits offered, I would see no reason to want to join this organization unless you are willing to sell your soul for the false promise of helping the community and seeking career advancement. They do provide "supervision" for clinical licenses, however the supervisors have no experience and no idea how to foster the growth of future leaders or workers in this profession. Most of the direct service workers are too afraid to stand up to the "Executive Team" and upper management, although the most recent staff satisfaction survey (anonymous, of course) did reflect complete dissatisfaction with the organization. There is a new focus on "productivity" (as if our clients should be treated as "products" and not viewed as individuals in need of assistance), and one remains in constant fear of termination should they not raise more than double their salary in revenue for the company each year. If one is looking for opportunities for total exploitation, constant stress and abuse, and enjoys watching management violate Federal Labor Laws, then this is the place for you!

This job had the potential to be meaningful, but the overall experience was extremely discouraging. Caseloads were unrealistic and it was common to take work home. While management talked a lot about self-care, the environment made it nearly impossible to actually care for yourself. There was a stronger emphasis on billing and productivity than on the clients’ needs or outcomes.

Clients frequently demanded far more than the role allowed, and management failed to set clear boundaries or communicate expectations. I was harassed by clients and ultimately blamed instead of supported. Workplace bullying among staff was also tolerated and never addressed.

Management was generally disengaged and unprofessional. The supervisor was often on their phone, rude to both clients and staff, and lacked accountability. Meanwhile, the assistant supervisor genuinely cared and worked very hard, but was overworked and not given the authority or support to make real improvements.

The pay did not match the workload or emotional demands of the job. While there are some rewarding moments, the lack of support, boundaries, and professionalism outweighed them.

This experience ultimately made me not want to work in a community setting again. I hope the organization improves its leadership, structure, and support for both staff and clients in the future.


I’ve been working for this company for five months now as an Employment Specialist and I love the flexibility. They have a lot of really good benefits, and I would say that the pay is very good. My position is hybrid and most of the positions there are hybrid, except for certain administrative roles. I think the downside is with current legislative changes to Medicaid. There have been a few times where I was worried about the stability of my job, but overall it’s reasonable expectations that you set yourself since you get the time to schedule your clients to your liking. Another con is the liability insurance can be very expensive. They only give you a stipend twice a year, which I wish they would give us that stipend every quarter. Also, with engaging with clients a lot of times you have to get reimbursed when you buy them things and that can add up very quickly. I wish that they just had a system where they gave everybody the cash card, since it’s a requirement to be in the community and meet at coffee shops for at least 60% of your work week. My management team is very good. No drama and I love that.

Team Leader job is extremely stressful! Unless you enjoy constant chaos, you should find a job more structured to work.  The workload is unbearable and sets you up for failure. Expect to break down in tears soon after finishing training or possibly have an anxiety attack altogether. Expect to receive tons of emails from various departments asking for requests which increases your already intense workload. TL’s are tasked to perform dual roles of RC and TL. That said, it’s nearly impossible to support your team due to attending to everything else (notes, crisis, emails, tasks you know nothing about, etc) During the interview phase, the position was presented as simply scheduling and supporting a team but that’s inaccurate. The clients are extremely ill, actively using and in crisis most days making it impossible to do the million administrative tasks you’re required to do. There are no true plans in place for high risk clients and you’re made to hold on to clients for the sake of billing even though they need higher level care. 

Working at Trilogy was very rewarding because of the opportunities to work with individuals who had serious disabilities and limited opportunities to succeed.  Assisting them to become oriented and hopeful about their lives served great satisfaction. Behavior Health is a great place to find fulfillment in a job career.  I admired very much the effort that people with disabilities put into helping themselves to live a more satisfying life.  The staff was very caring and eager to help and to learn more about the population and how they could be more helpful.  Supervising was a delight and most staff that I hired were excellent workers and people.  The monetary rewards can not compare with the corporate world but the rewards are many.  I enjoyed my years working there and Trilogy continues to provide a valuable service to mental health.

The demands are chaotic and constantly shifting, there is never enough time to do your job, but the standards you are held to are always the same. You very well may be put into no win situations with no support or guidance other than "deal with it." You pay be expected to go into dangerous situations. Vicarious trauma and the triggering of your own MI symptoms are a very real possibility that you will get little adequate support to address, because the number one concern of your bosses is their bottom line. Those bosses will let you vent to make you feel heard and give the appearance of care, but many of them are incompetent. The upside of this weakness is that you will have the opportunity to grow your own leadership and crisis management skills as you wither on the vine--or you won't make it. The trade off is not worth it and there are more healthy ways to learn.

What is the best part of working at the company?
This company is trash. They treat employees like they’re expendable. Over-worked. Under-paid. Under-appreciated. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Unrealistic productivity quotas and poor work-life balance. Constantly having to take work home with you. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Stress. Stress. And more stress. Just get it done might as well be their motto. They preach about self-care but harass you about your work when you need to put the pen down to do it. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Commuting around the city seeing program participants providing services during your standard work day so that you can meet at productivity, but then using your after work hours to complete all the corresponding documentation.

Trilogy is not a good company if you plan on staying for more than two years. I strongly suggest if you're recent graduate student and need licensing hours, Trilogy is a great company to work for. The unrealistic expectation from upper management makes the tedious and stressful. Trilogy is a company that's growing and they'll do anything to make more money. That means management does not care about social workers well being and health. Like I said it's great company if your only getting your licensing hours, but it's not a career job. You could for the company for two years and still not get a pay increase, that's frustrating. And buy into fact that Trilogy is a top place to work in Chicago.

I enjoyed parts of this job, like working with the clients, and I had good co workers. That said, when I worked there several years ago, management was a nightmare and looking back there is no way I wouldn't have taken that job if I wasn't new to the field and didn't have other jobs to compare it to. Pay was very low and management was disorganized, petty, and punitive towards lower staff members. It felt like as a new employee without much experience and in a lower position, I was thrown under the bus in many situations so that higher ups could protect themselves from the inherent liability of working with a high-risk population.  Dealing with management grew very stressful and eventually turned me away from the field. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Counselor 37 salaries reported	$24.95 per hour
Peer counselor 19 salaries reported	$24.92 per hour
House manager 20 salaries reported	$25.34 per hour
Employment specialist 15 salaries reported	$25.00 per hour
Surgical technician 50 salaries reported	$24.96 per hour

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