clinician

special education teacher

locator

therapist

school program staff

Walker-Therapeutic-&-Educational-Programs

i loved this job, it’s difficult work but it was very worth it.  i loved my kids so much and the people i directly worked with were amazing. 

the executive team is another story. they preach about caring about their workers but don’t hold up their end of the bargain in terms of “merit-based raises.”they preached about staff retention and longevity.  insteaddd, they said “never mind that,” to the clinicians, direct-care workers, teachers and all the important people that help keep that place afloat, and the exec team gave THEMSELVES, new letters to add to the end of their names, new titles, and wicked raises. wanna know what happened to the the rest of us? well, we got ~2% or less.  i got a 40 cent raise the second year i worked there. 

in massachusetts? 
$20.40 an hour is enough to make you homeless. 

it gave that workers are of abundance and expendable. it felt like a slap in the face  for all the work i was putting in to make the place the best it could be. when my supervisors asked HR what happened, they were brushed off and essentially told to get over it.  i’ve been told by many long-term staff that the exec team sees this kind of work as a stepping stone, therefore they aren’t going to invest in the pay to keep the staff. 

i loved my job, but it wasn’t worth the shoddy pay.  it caused the high school to lose good, i mean GOOD, staff. if it weren’t for that whole situation and the insulting pay, i can honestly and genuinely say that i would have stayed until i couldn’t anymore. 

sad, because i really believed in the place. if you’re looking for an intro to human services and behavioral health, it’s a great place to start. you learn a lot and it shapes you, but it isn’t a job that you stay for the long-term, which is what the kids need. they need stability and valuable relationships and in the end, they’re the ones who get screwed over. 

I work at the Walker Home and School which is a Residential Group Home for children with severe emotional and behavioral difficulties.  I help support children in time of crisis and manage their physical and emotional needs on a daily basis.  A typical day consists of assisting the children in the morning with the Activities of Daily Living (i.e showering, cleaning their rooms, brushing their teeth and completing a chore each morning).  The children are expected to read independently, with exceptions based on the child’s chronological and psychological age in which assistance is provided.  The children then participate in both planned group activities, and settled independent activities such as board games and arts and crafts.  The children eat lunch in the cafeteria and attend two hours of school which I assist the children with their school work.  The children end the day with recess which is contingent on the children’s behavior throughout the shift and weather that particular day.  The hardest part of the job is seeing a child in crisis so emotionally flooded that they are unable to accept help from those adults who are able and willing to help.  However, the most enjoyable part of this job, for me, is to see improvement with a child’s behavior.  It is very rewarding to see a child grow and learn from their past behaviors and experiences, while watching them successfully go home to their families.  Working at the Walker Home and School is a true learning experience in so many different aspects.  The Walker Home and School works individually with the children, along with incorporating and teaching the families how to support each child; this teaches the employees, including myself, how to individually work with each different family and the child.

Walker is a residential school for children with behavioral and emotional challenges. A normal day on campus may include a couple of Crisis and sometimes restraints.

Its a rewarding job if you enjoy assisting the youth and rolemodeling. Its not for everybody. Surely requires patience.
Walker is a good place to work if you want or need overtime. It's always available. Pay isn't well for this field in general.
Job can be physically and emotionally trying.
Great vacation benefits and health plans.
Opportunities to move up. 
Sadly they don't follow policy. Management seems to play favorites with promotions. Very high staff turnover rate.
It is not a boring job for sure! You can be moved based on Campus needs. So even if your hired for a specific program, you can be moved and schedule would be subject to change.
With low staff rate, rarely get breaks even for 14 hour shifts.

My work at Walker could be summarized by: long work hours, understaffed, emotionally taxing, but also rewarding. 

Kids need good people in their lives. It's important to provide children with positive examples of what an adult is and how they can be successful as they continue to grow. I wanted to work at Walker for this exact reason, but overtime the cracks in our state custody system became incredibly obvious. The kids who come through Walker often end up over-mediated, and the infrastructure is not conducive to actual therapeutic intervention. I left that job absolutely drained and confused of how to be a positive role model to children who need more support than anyone. The teaching aspect was wonderful in many ways, and I learned how to act quickly in high stress environments, but there were many days where I felt like I was just a pawn in a big game with no end. The pay was inadequate, the hours were long, and there was a lot of misguidance from my superiors. Many mixed messages. I will not be returning to this line of work.

Walker Home and School is a great place to get your foot in the door of the mental health field. The job is extremely unpredictable, but a great learning experience for those interested in psychology/social work. There are politics just like any other work environment, but I genuinely feel as if my word matters and makes a difference in the way the organization is run. There is room for growth, and the benefit package is amazing. If you can handle this job, then you can handle anything that life throws at you. You will be making a huge difference in the lives of children from a variety of backgrounds, and while some days you may leave without your whits, the job is genuinely fulfilling. All direct care jobs are underpaid, which is absolute bullsh*t and a crux in the corruption of this nation, but if you have heart and passion, apply for this job. You will learn more about yourself than you could ever imagine.

A typical day at work would Include arriving for your shift (especially on weekends ) and being short staffed or placed with (Bodies)

At walker there are few teaching opportunities and  Expectations are dropped a lot especially with clients that can manage they're behavior
Hardest part of the job is the atmosphere.

 Walker does not appreciate their staff and the staff that actually work hard and are dependable are overlooked and unappreciated. You have to be liked by the right people to move up.

The best part of the Job is the children and ability to access the community with the clients and opportunities Walker provides for them to access the community

Job expects you to be flexible with their needs but shows little flexibility with yours (depending on your status)

Little confidentiality Between supervisors and Regular staff

This job is definitely not for everyone. You must be very passionate and invested in helping children with very severe wellness issues from all types of backgrounds. You will be very physically, emotionally and psychologically stressed from this type of job and that is something you should seriously consider before applying or accepting a job here. It is not something to take lightly-you will be working with clients whose stories will break you at times and you have to have the knowledge and professionalism to deal with these situations properly. Please also consider your experience and background in working with children, especially trauma work with children. You will be constantly in the middle of crisis that you will be required to respond to at all times in all types of situations whether physical or emotional.

In general the school is a great place to intern and learn how to work in this types of settings. It is fast paced and very different each day. You will be able to have a sense of your skills as a clinician and as case manager. However, structure is not clear. administration expects that therapist implement rules and this can become a strain to your therapeutic relationship with your clients. Supervision is fine, if you get a good supervisor. If this is a career path you are interested in, I would recommend applying here. Could it be better managed? sure, but I think there's worse agencies and this one does a pretty great job to meet the students needs. 
The culture of the place is good, you will probably won't make long lasting friendships (as intern at least), but sure you will have good professional relationships and feel comfortable with them to have peer review of cases.  

One of the most pleasant and highest quality environments I have worked in, for treating children with psychiatric disorders in a continuum of care setting including CBAT, residential treatment, therapeutic school, and group home care.

Staff are well trained professionals with a good sense of humor, who take pride in their work.  Environment is pleasant New England style cottages and buildings on acres of land with lawns, woods, gardens and playground.  

Management is available and responsive.   Opportunities for ongoing continuing education provided to staff.  

Highly recommended as a place to work.

This company experiences a high turn over rate because staff members are not properly supported by supervisors and managers. Often would work my shifts with different staff members that I  never met before. The inconsistency made it difficult for the kids to cooperate and respect staff members. Kids were rowdy and disrespectful  because there would not be any real lasting consequences for their defiant behaviors. As a direct care worker i did everything from being a cleaning person, cook and counselor. Would feel bad for the kids because of what they’d have to eat (or there lack of). Work environment resembles a place with multiple chickens (kids and workers) running around with their heads chopped off. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Clinician 4 salaries reported	$67,750 per year
Special education teacher 9 salaries reported	$66,256 per year
Locator 18 salaries reported	$75,000 per year
Therapist 9 salaries reported	$75,667 per year
School program staff 9 salaries reported	$70,811 per year

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