mental health therapist

therapist

psychiatric nurse practitioner

licensed clinical social worker

psychiatrist

Valera Health

A lot of contradicting information and the company is non transparent.
Increase of pay was begged for and it was only 3% across the board; even for employees who are not preforming necessary requirements (completing notes within 24-48 hours). So for those who go above and beyond do not get compensated or recognized except for if you get over the required appointments, which means you are burnt out to the max. That is not keeping up with inflation as they say they were going to do.
They have benefits which is nice however there was a significant increase in the contribution the employee has to make, hard to find MDs and specialists locally that accept the insurances and are accepting new patients.
Offer of 20 days PTO is nice however you do not get points needed to make you monthly quota for 9 paid holidays, so now you stress to make up for those (in this case they are pointless). When you speak to management about this you are told in a demeaning way- "this is fair", "better than bah bah bah companies", "speak to X if you feel this way as they said it is how it is and it is generous". The way the CEO speaks is very condescending and uncomfortable. Valera always comments back to reviews saying to speak to HR or management, but they do not provide a welcoming attitude and it is a you are in the wrong attitude or we hear you (and nothing gets done).
There is lots of miscommunication, lack of communication, and lack of support from the care coordinators (leads to therapists having to take on more than they are supposed to).
Valera takes on clients they should not and should refer out when they meet to discuss being scheduled with a provider. It is understandable that Valera is a company that takes on SMI clients, however that should be to an extent.
The health coaches who meet initially (for under 5 minute usually do not have any requirements to have a mental health license or certification). 
The turnover rate of therapists and supervisors is extremely high, which is disruptive as the transition process to a new supervisor is not smooth. The quality of supervision is not great, most supervisors are PT and either way are over worked, stressed, just as lost about what is going on as the supervisees, and speak about the company in a negative light.
No administrative time! Many of us were hired an told you will be scheduled 30-32 clients and then months in they say 34-35; when already told you will get admin time.
The new mini town halls they have quarterly or monthly (not sure since my supervisor does not know either as they are not transparent) are now mandatory. Which is fine and good to have to discuss these issues, but when asked what about scheduled clients and when will they be there are no answers. It is understandable this is a startup and is growing, but what is Valera doing to make this a company worth growing with. The CEO just says better than the leading companies and exact words are "bah bah bah" is not good enough and the ones he is bah bah bahing over are ones that pay higher, better benefits, etc.
There are so many more things to go on about. All these things are brought up often and typically nothing is being done and only talk happens.

As a clinician, the experience often feels mechanized, with the company's primary focus on maximizing client throughput rather than ensuring quality care. The scheduling team’s sole responsibility is to monitor cancellations and quickly fill those slots with new clients, leaving no room for a breather between sessions. Many of these clients are transfers from therapists who have left the company, which reflects the company's high turnover rate—it's rare to see anyone stay beyond a few months.

On top of that, the company imposes rigid metrics to track the number of clients seen each week. There's no leniency for being out sick or needing time off. If you miss the target, you're immediately reprimanded, regardless of circumstances. This creates an atmosphere where clinician well-being is secondary to meeting arbitrary numbers.

The leadership further exacerbates this toxic environment. Management seems disorganized, and it's common to receive contradictory instructions or outright misinformation. To protect yourself, it’s essential to document all communications, as some managers, eager to avoid accountability, are quick to shift blame onto clinicians when things go wrong. This creates a culture of distrust, where it feels like every person is scrambling to save themselves, much like crabs in a barrel pulling each other down.

Please read the reviews before accepting a position at this company. People take the time to write lengthy reviews because things are getting that bad. It had a good start, however, they became deceptive about the numbers clients you would be seeing. 35 clients is NOT industry standard so please do not add a HR automative response to undermine this review. 35 clients is burn out levels for clinicians and reduces the quality of care for clients and mental health care for clinicians. The CEO has come off as unprofessional in his interactions with staff and seems to lack knowledge about basic standard and practices for therapeutic clinics.  The supervisors seem overwhelmed and are continuously peddling a convulated point system that do not have reasonable targets to reach ( as you shouldn't if you care the quality care for your clients). The benefits are not good as there is no 401k, no adequate system for stipends for continuing education ( which degrades the professional development for clinicians). You only get 20 days PTO a year, no roll over and you must use your PTO if you get covid. They encourage to take off time yet it takes weeks for a supervisor to approve time. The app is constantly crashing with clients and clinicans are encourage to use Google meets. The clinical is supoort is lacking because they pack your schedule to the brim and you don't even have time to think let alone engage with other staff members for assistance.

1.Expected to see a minimum of 34 patients a week at minimum when initially they told most 30 maximum. Keep in mind this is your every moment of the day providing psychotherapy with no time to process or seek out help or consult with a colleague. 
2. They operate on a system of threats from HR in an attempt to control for their own mistakes and control for people wanting to leave — you’llbe threatened with ‘abandonment’ of your clients and a license report without a minimum of 30 days termination — 2 weeks is standard and appropriate. 
3. Limited pto that includes sick — if you are someone with health issues and happen to get sick with covid 19 you will rapidly lose your pto 
4. Glitchy chart system that frequently has errors that you’ll be responsible for. 
5. Promotion of a bonus system rather than a good work environment 
6. Patients are poorly of at all screened and many are inappropriate for a telehealth setting —further, there’s no screening of patients having basic technology and internet capable of telehealth
7.Consistent billing issues making clients leave.
8. There is massive turn-over-- people are constantly quitting. They're quitting a SALARIED job for LMSW-- keep in mind how rare that is and how astounding how many are leaving. 




Company is constantly changing their policies for therapists. Most have not been here a year at this point because of extreme turnover. People who worked at this company before summer 2022 really worked at a whole different place, whole different culture. They've now gone back and forced renegotiations of contracts. They'll tell you one thing, then flip the script on you. Our "bonus" point system is now productivity standards, so it's become a punitive environment. There's a lot of talk of them getting rid of health insurance and forcing full time people into a contractor status. All of this has terrible impacts on patient care- it's constant turnover, glitches that send patients panicking and are left for therapists to mop up. All while they give the tech employees more benefits. They say all the right things publicly but they don't at all follow that in the actual workplace. It's all quantity over quality at this point. We're just numbers to them and a profit center for them to fund their expansion. I would not have applied for this job if they were honest from the beginning and I'd advise everyone to steer clear. They're well aware of these issues, but are only interested in sending us self-care newsletters as if we're the problem here.

Typical in them wanting to make as much money off of you as possible, and not encouraging work/ life balance. Burnout factory. Easy to dismiss workers opinions  due to work being remote, workers don’t get to know each other to support each other and have a voice. “Town hall ” is solely to disseminate information without any time/time left for workers input.  Terrible HR department. Terrible company at being supportive of staff who are going through personal crisis. Seeing us, as mental health professionals, solely bringing in more income for company.  This company epitomizes what is wrong in our profession, prioritizing money and devaluing the professional’s bringing in that money. 

Poor communication/disorganization from the beginning, no personal touch and, no clear directions from management.  It's a non-supportive environment, tech is disorganized and overwhelmed with their new EMR system, the billing department and  clinical supervisors cannot explain or understand it.  A lot of time is wasted trying to navigate EMR to  document notes and evaluations.  Clients are frustrated at having to wait hours to talk to billing/health connector and are threatening to leave as simple problems are not addressed on a timely basis. As a seasoned professional,  I clearly saw the key problems during the first month of being there and, knew my stay would be short lived.

Overall, I have had a positive experience working for Valera. Yes, it is a startup organization which require a lot of change as it evolves. I am very confident in the trajectory and improvements Valera Health has made as an organization from the end of 2022 into 2023. They have responded constructively and with dignity to the feedback/concerns voiced by employees. Their overall company benefits are improving to include a 401k, reasonable health insurance options, life insurance, etc. I feel supported by my team and have great rapport with co-workers. There's always areas for improvement, and I am looking forward to see the changes come to fruition. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Remote work,  base salary, supportive supervisor, welcoming environment 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Metrics, low salary for masters level work,  minimal autonomy with scheduling 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The company still has a lot of work to do in creating a culture, however within my group it's welcoming and supportive. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Virtually provide counseling to set number of clients, sometimes back to back.  Complete case notes and manage scheduling of clients.

Administration of this company does not value their employees. While I understand the importance of productivity, it is demeaning to increase emphasis on productivity and simultaneously reduce company benefits. The tone of this company gets worse rather than improving. I don’t recommend working for this company in a full time capacity. If you with here as a contractor and don’t need full time hours or benefits, you can avoid the negativity. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Mental health therapist 7 salaries reported	$76,268 per year
Therapist 3 salaries reported	$59,167 per year
Psychiatric nurse practitioner 58 salaries reported	$119 per hour
Licensed clinical social worker 41 salaries reported	$62.16 per hour
Psychiatrist 9 salaries reported	$245 per hour

Working at Valera Health: Company Overview and Reviews

Valera Health

Valera Health Ratings

Popular jobs at Valera Health

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected