mental health case manager

case manager

licensed vocational nurse

licensing specialist

community team leader

True Mental Health Services

This company is not even worth one star. CEO is extremely unprofessional (always cursing at people), controlling and has a bad temper (has thrown boxes at employees). For someone with a masters degree in social work you would think that he would have more empathy and better social skills. He is degrading towards employees, especially the directors. He does not respect work life balance and sees the clients as numbers and dollar signs. It was nice being able to help others and gain experience in the field but this experience was terrible for me and almost everyone I talk to that has worked for the company. People are quitting left and right but the CEO fails to see that it is his doing and he needs to make changes to his attitude towards staff and the way he runs the company. The company is ran in a way that is not efficient. Even the note system is not user friendly and has a complicated interface but employees are blamed for notes being done wrong. He will try to make you feel that his company is the best in the business and can not see that it is going down stream quickly. He will say that the people that are not strong enough to work there can leave but it is the strong minded people that realize there are better options out there and they do not have to put up with him. He has lost a lot of strong, reliable employees due to his attitude and sense of entitlement. The toxic work environment also trickles down to the clients and that is something that is not recognized. There has also been a lot of mistakes made with payroll and HR stuff since there is no one to actually look out for the employees (employees are not a priority). In meetings, your ideas and questions will not be heard and will be shut down because the CEO refuses to hear anyone out and sees them as a threat. It is a shame that this company has become such a terrible place because there is so much potential to help the people that need it and there are so many people that just want to help but cannot because they are constantly treated badly. In a good company you would be rewarded for being able to think out of the box or develop your own ideas but not here. You will quickly get on the CEO's bad side if you do not have the same ideas and thoughts. The last thing I am going to touch on is the fact that there is a lot of favoritism within the company. If you are looking to work here I would advise you to look somewhere else for your own sake and well-being. I would hope that things change in the future but Pat True has too much pride to recognize that he is the issue and that changes need to be made.

I feel this job could have been better. This is the first type of this job I have not done before, so I may not have all the knowledge. The clients are severely mentally ill and have been traumatized throughout thier whole lives. It's hard seeing how poor some people really are. You are supposed to work from 830-5. From 830 to about 930-1000 you debrief from the day before your last appointment in the field should end around 4. From 4-5 you write clinical notes, you are aloud to complete this at home. Writing these notes need to be written in accordance with medicade medicare standards. These notes take time, they would take me over an hour to complete, atleast for the first couple of weeks. They had to be completed by 830 the next day, I completed them the same night which is better. You are expected to meet with clients for 90, 15 min sessions a week. It is attainable, however sometimes the clients don't want to talk or hangout with you very long, which could make it difficult to achieve the 90 sessions ( the companycalls them units). If you don't make your goal that week you are expected to make it up the next week. If you keep on missing your goal every week,you are expected to make it up. I was asked to stay later, however this cuts into travel time as well as those notes that need to be completed. Sometimes i would not be done till 7pm. This didn't gel with me, here's why. I was asked how i managed to end a session exactly at 4pm, which wasn't every single day. I felt like thier was alot of pressure over units. Even though I had was tasked for other things, such as checking in on clients outside of my weekly schedule/ area. This caused me to loose a lot of time. Driving all around SATX is not fun either.

This company is great for beginners only which is what is mostly hired. However, I would put a fair warning if you have a lack of experience with severe mental health and substance abuse which is mostly what this job consists of regarding population. It does provide a personal car and cell phone, so that is a "perk." CEO says only work till 4 PM, but they pressure you to work well over. The general people who work there are young people who just graduated with their bachelor's degree. You don't spend any time in the office except a morning meeting at 8:30AM before meeting with clients. You're driving about 50%-60% of the job. You will be placed on one of six teams that consist of about nine case managers who share a list of 60-70 clients. Every week you're working on a different side of town with those specific clients who live in those areas. You are required to meet every client 2-3 times (at least) every week for about 2.5hrs daily having face to face contact with a client until 4 PM, there will be a conflict if you are not with a client until 4 PM. You can take an hour lunch, but then that means you work till five which means you're ending your day until six. You will be responsible mainly getting clients to/from doctors appts, grocery shopping, finding housing, and their medications. At the end of each day, you will need to write a note for every client you met with or tried to meet. Sometimes you meet client's at home, adult daycares, homeless shelters, or hotel rooms, just depends on where they're living. If you are looking for something to learn the ropes in mental health, this is definitely the slow pace you need.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best part is working with case managers that care about their clients and follow the treatment plan as outlined.  

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part about working with the company is the lack of accountability of company not providing case managers with standard procedures on working with clients with various mental health disorders.  Also, most of the case managers only have a college degree in mental health and no hands-on experience. The leadership is more concerned with getting the client's money than ensuring the clients are receiving quality care. The leadership does not hold the clients accountable for their aggressive behavior directed towards the case managers that are helping the client.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The culture and the work environment are not welcoming to building a strong bond with the employees.  The leadership wants you to work and have no concern on implementing team building activities nor activities that build strong work relationship with both leadership and case managers.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Typical day starts at 8:30 team meeting, make calls to clients to establish appointment times and availability for home visits. The day ends at 4:00 PM, if you have not met the minimum hours/units needed for the day then you will work extended time or you will get a disciplinary action.

My experience working for True Mental Health has restored my faith in employment opportunities. Before finding employment at True I had left four or five jobs within the year due to poor management and what felt like unfair wages given the economy we are currently experiencing. Since coming to True I have seen the positive impact that having a well thought out and planned ethical and logical business approach can have on an entire business, from the head of the company, down to the workers and finally the clients. The CEO truly cares about the mission of the company and accomplishing that task ethically and effectively across the board. This is probably the only company I have ever worked for that promotes individuals to management that are obviously and evidently dedicated to doing their jobs in the most caring, compassionate yet productive and efficient way possible. It makes sense why someone gets promoted, it’s because they work hard and follow the tenets of the company. The job is difficult and does require some behind the scenes work, such as notes and other paperwork and sometimes it seems downright impossible to hit the mark on their metrics. But at the end of the day my team and my team lead have never failed to offer support and advice on how to improve my performance, if that is what I so choose. Great foundation, great management, and great teamwork. Working for an awesome cause, and good pay and benefits. What’s not to love!

I’ve been with TMHS for years, and the experience has been nothing short of transformative. I’ve learned so much about the mental health field, especially about working with individuals living with serious mental illness. Honestly, I never thought I’d work with this population. I didn’t know what my career path would look like, but when the opportunity with TMHS came my way, I seized it, and it has paid off in more ways than I could have imagined. TMHS is like a teaching hospital. You don’t just learn clinical approaches for this population you absorb a philosophy that will serve you for life. Yes, there have been challenging times, but if you dedicate yourself, there is a clear pathway to succeed. Sit with the problem. Ask questions. Collaborate. Engage with flexibility. These skills will take you so far in this work. And let me tell you, leadership here wants case managers to succeed. We don’t just want this to be a job; we want it to be meaningful. When a group of people is united in purpose, they can be a force of nature. That culture starts with the people who create it and sustain it. There will always be problems, and on the other side of that, there will always be solutions. At TMHS, we want to find those solutions together, and we want to hear ideas for how to get there so we can grow and improve every day. This is meaning. This is TMHS.

A typical day at work consists of a morning meeting with your assigned team at 830 am MTWF. You will start in the field on Thursday, which is a good time to get quality face-to-face time with clients. You will see 4-6 clients a day as your schedule permits. Client sessions are different every day. You will be able to make a difference in many people's lives. If you enjoy experiencing diversity, this company and workspace offer that environment. No 2 days are the same, ever! Clients are amazing and engaging. They really enjoy our services and appreciate us helping them meet their recovery goals. Management is very understanding and supportive. One of the best qualities in a workspace is compassion. My personal experience with my lead has been that of great reward. This person is honest, compassionate, knowledgeable, and supportive as are the other leads. The director in particular has pulled me to the side for mental health check-ins with genuine concern for my wellbeing, it was much appreciated. This job can be overwhelming (as can any job) if you do not stay on top of your self-care, but with the support of your team and management, it is not hard to do, and the reward is far greater than any negative aspect. If you have a passion for helping and want to gain tremendous first-hand experience in this field this is the right place for you. 

Most of the people there truly seem to care about the Clients.  The problem is, the policies, rules, and expectations come from people who aren't out in the trenches daily.  They were at one point, so they think they can make expectations reasonable, but they are completely out of touch.  The focus isn't on the Clients, it's on getting your units.  If you get sick, that's on you because if you don't have the PTO to cover your illness, you can get written up for missing the unit expectation when you were sick. So, what's the solution?  Come to work sick, of course.  

The focus is punitive.  Everything is punishable.  And everything is the fault of the employee.  Doesn't matter if the Client was abusive, the CM handled it wrong.  In the eye of management, the case managers are expendable and always wrong.  

When you are interviewed they ask over and over if you are okay with working with the population.  The employees are all ok with working with the population.  That's why we applied!  When we leave, management insists it's because of the Clients, but 99.999% of the time, it's because we aren't treated well.  We aren't trusted, supported, compensated, or respected.  That is why we leave!  We stay for the Clients!



In my experience working at True Mental Health Services (TMHS), I have learned that this job is a marathon not a sprint. Each experience is an opportunity for growth in your personal and professional development. 
Working as a case manager required strong critical thinking, organizational, time management, communication and self-starter skills. 

TMHS offers a friendly welcoming environment. Case managers work independently in the field but Colleagues and Team Leads are readily available to offer supportive feedback and provide a reliable soundboard to problem solve issues and crisis. The support from TMHS staff is impeccable and much appreciated. Each team may run things differently, but the goal remains the same, helping individuals with mental health issues overcome barriers and learn coping skills. Working collaboratively with colleagues and team lead to problem solve crisis requires an empathetic and understanding mindset. Many time things do not go as planned and having the skills to adapt and adjust to changes is essential. With the support of team leads and colleagues embracing new challenges allows you to develop new skills, build resilience, and demonstrate your ability to adapt to different situations. 

 

This job is vastly different from any job I have had in the past and I am very happy about it! It is very easy to see how supportive everyone is. They really just want the best for you & the clients. I love the fact that we have morning meetings & that there is constant communication within your team because it allows everyone to be on the same page. Also, I appreciate how often we see the CEO because it's a reminder of the purpose of the company. 
Obviously, the job can be hard at times because you are in different parts of the city where many people are not in the best living conditions. However, that is also why this job is so important: many people do not have anyone who can guide them & this company helps people in many aspects to improve their daily lives. 
When you are first hired, the CEO mentions that this job is not for everyone & it is true. It's almost as if you have to be born for the job because you cannot be taught empathy or other qualities that are needed to be a case manager. 
The work day flies by because of the driving & communicating you do. If you are looking for a boring office job, look somewhere else! This job gets you moving & has taught me so much about different resources in the community & about the city I live in. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Mental health case manager 24 salaries reported	$41,875 per year
Case manager 9 salaries reported	$40,778 per year
Licensed vocational nurse 1 salary reported	$63,500 per year
Licensing specialist 3 salaries reported	$63,500 per year
Community team leader 1 salary reported	$59,500 per year

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