behavior technician

registered nurse

licensed practical nurse

dietary cook

therapist

Village-Behavioral-Health

I worked at the village for 5 months. In that 5 months, I was working well over 100 hours every two weeks and my paychecks did not show that. You are by law suppose to receive 2 15 minute breaks and 1 30 minute break because you are working "12 hour" shifts. That RARELY ever happens, and when you don't take your 30 minute breaks because you don't have anyone to relieve you, then you will get written up and they will take it from your check anyway. I was also single staffed almost every day. For those who do not know, the law requires a ratio of 1 staff per 8 children, here you will have 1 staff per 12 children. It does not matter if you are a female working on the boys side they will single staff you. When you call for backup in an emergency situation no one is ever in a hurry to get there. There are 8 cabins total on this campus, and most days we would have 5-6 staff show up total. You are suppose to have at least two people in every cabin. These kids have access to drugs, and tools to self harm because other patients are able to sneak them onto campus. The children are able to call home every night, however most times they are unsupervised and that is when they are able to call people on the outside to bring stuff in. Several horrible accidents and events have been covered up by the professional building here on campus. They talk about the "school" that they have on campus for the kids which is two trailers, and the kids do whatever they want. There are no consequences for actions here. As I do understand that it is a learning facility, the children run the show here and they know it. The management pick their favorite kids and it shows. The coworkers, if they do not like you, will make your job horrible. The coworkers have several boundary issues with the children oversharing their personal life and causing issues between staff. I have seen several children come in for one issues and leave with several others that did not exist before. I have seen children lose their innocence here. The age gap here is 13-17, which developmentally is night and day. The 13 year olds will be placed in cabins with 16-17 year olds, and if those kids do not like them they will get bullied. The only good thing about this place was the therapists. They do love these kids and many do put their heart and soul into each one. Please do your research before sending your child here. If you intend to work here, you better have a tough skin and not enjoy sleep, or support from your job and staff.

With purpose in mind, Village Behavioral Health is great. They exist as a place to provide therapeutic care for teens who are struggling with mental illness, substance abuse, behavioral issues, etc  in an outdoorsy setting that is different from your typical facility. 

Based on my experience there, I feel that the problem lies primarily in the highest levels of management. It appeared to me that the decision-makers generally saw direct service staff as easily replaceable warm bodies. In reality, those direct service workers are extremely important, as they are the ones spending most of the time with and developing relationships with the clients. In recent years the village has made major improvements; however, some of the same problematic bricks have been used to rebuild it and are continuing to be seen as the true cracks in the new foundation. 

The Village would be able to hire better, train better, and retain better employees if they placed a higher value on direct service staff and compensated them more appropriately. Additionally, they direct service staff should receive more training and recognition. They do very difficult work and should be treated as such. There is little to none when it comes to the communication between individuals from the higher up jobs to the people who are directly working with the kids. Supervisors are also extremely hard to get ahold of- granted they are just as overworked and underpaid, but there is also lot of favoritism between the children and managers, and more often than not the supervisors  forget how to treat these kids with compassion and not like they are broken or little criminals. 

The youth placed at the village have absolutely experienced trauma (removal from their home and placement in a facility, if not much more) and are at a crucial time in their development. It is exceedingly important that the individuals working with them day-to-day are consistent and capable, which cannot happen when there is a high rate of turnover like there is currently at the Village. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Taking care and seeing a change in the kids growth and development while under my care. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part of the job is the lack of consistency in staff. The communication amongst staff and management is not there at all. Management allows one staff member to take care of up to 15 kids on a daily basis with no break. The environment is extremely stressful when you are dealing with trauma, suicidal children by yourself. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment could be so much more fun if we had staff to maintain a structured environment and schedule for the children.  I have never worked for a company where I have seen so much turn over in employees. The work environment is highly stressful and the staff takes it out on the children and the other staff members as well. The culture is the one thing I love about the job and the environment because every  kid is from different places in United States and they all have different back grounds. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day at the company is stressful because you never know what is going to happen minute to minute. The children can fine one second and the next not. In order to do this job you have to realize and understand patience and have a huge knowledge in knowing how to care for children in a crisis emergency situation.

You may have read reviews about how horrible it is to work at Village Behavioral Health. Yes, it is a difficult job. It is even more difficult when employees make it about themselves and not about the kids. The majority of team that I have worked with at Village Behavioral Health for the past 10 plus years are dedicated to the patients and for that reason they have remained in a job that is at times thankless. Changing lives includes discomfort because comfort and change do not coexist. Helping guide teens through this process is not just a job, it is a dedicated mission. Helping patients make necessary changes in their lives is filled with discomfort. Comfort and change do not coexist. Employees that are not able to navigate this type of ability in their own lives often find this job difficult and do not understand the process. Village Behavioral Health is a place for healing, hope, and change. The absolute best part of my job is seeing the patients grow throughout their treatment and contact me with updates of how they are doing after discharge. Unfortunately, not all patients are ready for the change process to occur. As an agent of change, I know it is possible when they are ready. The same is true for some employees, as for me I know that this is a difficult line of work. It is truly rewarding work that is made easier by having an incredible team to rely on. 

This place is failing from top to bottom. They admit patients that we're not equipped to handle; which only disrupts the treatment of other patients due to extensive fire fighting with the patient whom needs higher level of care. There's BHTs that have boundary issues, that cant manage their cabin, and whom make it harder for the strong BHTs to maintain a therapeutic environment. The current leads spend more time socializing with each other than actually being present in their cabins, training and building strong staff. The administration or pro people have no clue of what the milieu has become. They spend minutes with us and think they can tell us how to manage the milieu or how to do the job. They had a BHT Christmas party where the leads were instructed to go to the cabin so that BHT morale could be boosted, yet pro won approximately 80% of the raffle prizes. Didn't boost morale but instead created more resentments. They're very clicky and if you don't fit their bubbles you have no chance of recognition or advancement.  There have been several patients who wrote me personally discharge letters saying that they wouldn't have got the help they did without me, so that's the rewards here. Seeing a patient do a turn around tells you, you're making a difference.  There are so many liabilities here and nothing changes if nothing changes. I once said I was gonna be the change but have since realized that it's a failure from top to bottom and 1 person isn't changing it.

The Village is a world of its own. When you are there, you feel like you are in a whole new state or something. You build your own family there with the staff and the patients. It is long days, and some are frustrating, but when you build those friendships and see the changes in the patients, it all becomes worth it. You are always chasing that feeling of being a part of a positive change in a patient life. This job is not for everyone. Most of the staff are not there for the money. It absolutely has to be in your heart, and you have to be a kind and caring individual to reap the benefits and joy of working here. There is a lot of change but that's expected as the world evolves, and the patients enter with new mental health challenges. A typical day involves a lot of walking and can be emotionally draining. You hear the patient's life stories that are full of abuse and neglect and then you have to be prepared to be the person they take their anger out on because you're the only one there for them in that moment. There is a lot of learning, emotion, friendship, and joy in this company. 

First things first, this is a psych position. You either love it or you hate it; there’s no gray area. It’s not your everyday 9-5, routine, cookie cutter job. Every day is different, you don’t get bored and you’re not confined inside 8-12 hours.... And that is absolutely why I love it!

Teenagers are difficult sometimes. Trauma, abuse, anger and depression do not make going through puberty easier. Ultimately, the kids are here because they have issues....They need help. If you can filter through the rough exterior & bad attitudes, this job can be so rewarding!!!

I have been at VBH for over 2 years. I’ve saw many changes for the better being  implemented in the last 2 years. Change is a process, not without bumps along the way, and progress takes time. VBH is not perfect, but no job is. It is, however, WAY better than when I first started and that is a good direction to be heading!!!

 At the end of the day my coworkers are my family. My boss is my friend. And we support each other unconditionally. This is something I’ve never had at any other job and a HUGE reason I work here!

I worked here for about two years as a BHT and there is little to be positively said about my experience. The children face no consequences for their actions, the positive reinforcement system is inherently broken, and the admin does not care about the quality of life of either the workers or the children. 

At an adolescent behavioral health facility, it goes without saying that teens are difficult to work with - to put it lightly. But the kids aren't the problem. Its the staff. The work environment is so incredibly toxic. Most have no knowledge or educational background in this line of work, many foist their problems on more qualified staff, many don't show up to work, many have more personal issues than the patients themselves. The list goes on. Don't work here if you value your own happiness and mental health.

Working at Village Behavioral Health is unlike anywhere else.  The goal is a positive culture where each member is valued and works together for a common goal: helping change the lives of adolescents.  While there are days it is more challenging than not, there has not been a time where I have dreaded coming in to work.  This is a departure from other agencies I have worked at in the past.  Each person has a role in the facility and works with others to accomplish the same goal.  

Sure, the job is stressful at times and things are constantly changing, but that is the nature of this field.  The culture has changed in the 2 plus years I have been here from one of negativity and punitive actions to one of positivity that embraces teamwork, promotes collaboration, and encourages positive goals for the adolescents receiving treatment.

Long story short, give it a shot.  The field isn't for everyone, but this is a great place to find out if you can change a child's life.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Great supervisors and a lot of the techs truly care for and want the best for the kids.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Long shifts with some intense behaviors. I had to be moved from cabin to cabin so frequently it made it difficult to build strong rapport with the kids which in turn made them much harder to manage.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The supervisors and most of the techs were great! The higher up management who make the important day to day decisions were awful. Most decisions didnt make sense for the kids and only caused the employees who actually spend every day with them so much unnecessary stress. The upper management doesn't know what it is really like everyday in the cabins and could really benefit from having required shifts every so often as a tech to make better informed decisions not just ones that may look good on paper.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Behavior technician 25 salaries reported	$17.15 per hour
Registered nurse 1 salary reported	$29.00 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 1 salary reported	$26.00 per hour
Dietary cook 16 salaries reported	$15.00 per hour
Therapist 9 salaries reported	$56,828 per year

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