residential counselor

clinician

occupational therapist

program director

family support partner

Wayside Youth & Family Support Network

I have worked for Wayside since 2004 and, having held a variety of positions, I'm a testament to the commitment the agency has to supporting staff. In my case it was via continuing education, additional training, and internal advancement but that is not a comprehensive list. Wayside supported my as a residential counselor just starting out and has continued to support me, both through adjusting my schedule and providing tuition and testing reimbursement as I secured first one, then two, then three licenses through DESE and returned to school for my masters degree. Wayside is an organization that also holds true to their principles on their core mission- supporting youth and families. In the service of this, staff are held to high standards and between regular training, group supervision, and individual supervision, staff are provided the ability to receive the guidance needed to do their jobs well  and develop a sense of pride and ownership in their part of their program and the agency as a whole. Wayside also expresses ongoing commitment to their DEI principles as well and differences are celebrated. Opportunities for engagement with difficult and nuanced conversations within that space are commonplace and the concepts presented in any training or task group are incorporated into the DNA of the place rather than living as just a training to be sat in and passively experienced.

For those of us who have a calling to do community-based mental health work with the most vulnerable populations, this is the place to be. 
I feel a huge sense of purpose in my work here and I feel like Wayside's admin team and overall mission is also in line with this purpose. As a counselor I feel like I am doing really important work on a micro basis with individual people and families to help them address mental health and heal from trauma. But ALSO I feel like Wayside as an agency is doing really important maco-level work to address the structural issues that perpetuate intergenerational trauma. It feels like we're not only doing the daily work but also trying to impact our world as a whole.
Also, Wayside is really pretty responsive to employees feedback (ie yearly online anonymous surveys as well as a yearly "town hall" with the CEO). It feels like we are being valued and heard by having more frequent bonuses/raises and love that they are doing it with an "equity lens" (bigger bonus to the employees that have lower salaries)!
I love being an in-home counselor, seeing whole family dynamics and doing so many different types of therapeutic interventions. My work is ALWAYS interesting and changing, as I have so many different cases including both insurance-based IHT cases as well as DCF-funded cases. 
However, one of the downsides is that your schedule is always changing depending on the availability the families on your caseload. It's not really possible to only work 9-5. For example, I might have to start my day at 9am for a meeting but then not have any sessions scheduled until 3pm. Then go home in between sessions and head back out for a 5pm-7pm session.

Senior Leadership in the Young Adult services department has a criminal Justice background- not a social work background and it shows. The job titles and roles for young adult case managers and residential staff are made up and the quality of service delivery was very poor due to the lack of direction or program mission. There was no one qualified to sign off on treatment plans and there was a devastating lack of understanding for the policies and agreements with the contracted agencies which was evidence by a very low census. 

Wayside expects you to complete approximately 5-10hrs of online training in onboarding but you will not be compensated despite these being required annual trainings. “People and Culture” made it clear all employment is at will and you can be terminated without notice at any time. They also beg you not to leave and want you to feel like family so that you will go above and beyond in your role knowing they can’t compensate you for it. There are opportunities for bonuses to supplement hourly income but nothing reliable. 

Working for Wayside, after walking through the doors, I immediately felt welcomed. Management is beyond helpful and encouraging, staff want to help and are super supportive, and you are valued and appreciated from day 1 even from the pre-employment process. Working in this field can be stressful and exhausting at times; however, management is super supportive on making sure you are also taking care of you! The best part of a role in case management is the flexibility. I can accommodate my own family needs around my client family needs, which helps balance work and home life (being less stressful). Having the flexibility to schedule with families around my schedule helps improve my ability to organize and structure my days as well. This has helped improve my organizational skills and time management skills. Also, Wayside offers a multitude of trainings and training opportunities in so many areas for any need or want of extended knowledge. 

I found working at Wayside, they do not promote higher education. Despite being one of the longest employed clinicians (in a role ridden by turnover) at a particular site, furthering my education, management was not flexible nor supportive. I was promised a summer schedule months in advanced that fit with my education and work, I was then told I would only be getting one shift a week. Management related this directly to my graduate studies. They then had me train my replacement and asked me to stay and support when I ultimately gave my two weeks. Management gets away with micromanaging, lying about being at work, and they care more about numbers than actual patient outcomes. On numerous occasions HR complaints by myself and numerous others were not taken seriously as management had a relationship with HR. They promote “wayside culture” then use it against you. I have worked at various mental health companies, none as poorly managed or less supportive than wayside. 

A typical day for me starts with making sure coffee is made, getting the faxes and mail into mailboxes, and checking the desk phone voicemails. Then it is phone calls, packages, pick-ups, supply lists, and any other projects that admin or anyone else has. I like that there is something different every day. I am so lucky to get to work with the people here at Wayside. Everyone is very nice and understanding. They don't put any pressure on you to learn the job at a fast pace and always willing to help if you ask. 
For me the hardest part of this job was learning people's names, job titles, and what they do in the company. It is a very big company with hundreds of people across all their properties and I'm not great with names.
The most enjoyable part is helping other people. Whether it's a little laminating task or a longer-term project, whoever I help always makes me feel appreciated. That is what makes me love my job here and want to do my best for them whenever I can. 

The workload given is a reasonable amount which allows me to progress my career and also focus on work-life balance with hobbies that I have outside of my work hours. My supervisor, director, and co-workers have been welcoming and helpful in any questions or concerns that I may have at any given time. My supervision meetings are consistent weekly and provide me with the guidance for progressing my work in a positive and productive direction. Getting through to my client's takes patience, and I feel like the trainings at Wayside provide me with the tools to continue to connect with and get through to my assigned clients. I love making a break-through with my clients and I love how welcoming and caring the team has been at the Waltham office. 

The staff are lovely. I feel super supported by management, whether around work-life balance, ensuring my own safety, or career advancement.
In the in-home, community-based role that I have, I have a lot of scheduling flexibility, which can be really great. Though it does require a lot of late evenings and a lot of driving, which are great for some folks but can be difficult for me.
I've super appreciated how the agency is always striving to better itself - for staff, for clients, and for the community at large.

Wayside is a wonderful youth and family support agency, committed to serving the needs of families and youth.  I have significant experience with Wayside over many years. I have experienced the management and staff to be caring and compassionate in providing services to those in need.  They believe in doing the right thing.  Wayside truly values staff and are committed and passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion.  They are finding ways to recruit staff of color and once hired they are committed to supporting them to stay.  They walk the talk to make the organization diverse while being inclusive and promoting equity.   I recommend Wayside as a wonderful organization to work for or to receive services.

Since I started working at Wayside it has been such a great experience. I was a little nervous to start because it was a place I went to when I was younger. I currently work at Tempo as a peer mentor and have been loving every moment of it. I have staff who encourage me to challenge myself to be more successful. I am learning so many new things in each training I am in and feel very fortunate to have a job like this. In previous job locations it was very hard for me to balance my personal life with my job but since working at wayside I work alongside people who are understanding and help support me in any way that I need. I have recommended wayside to my friends, and I definitely recommend wayside for anyone who is interested in the mental health field or who enjoys helping others. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Residential counselor 196 salaries reported	$20.30 per hour
Clinician 131 salaries reported	$67,500 per year
Occupational therapist 100 salaries reported	$49,000 per year
Program director 82 salaries reported	$62,652 per year
Family support partner 107 salaries reported	$23.36 per hour

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