residential counselor

teacher

substance abuse counselor

registered nurse

mental health technician

Youth-For-Tomorrow

I’ve worked in the UIM program for several years, and a lot has changed during that time, mostly for the better. When I first started, recognition felt limited, but now there’s a Culture Committee, longevity awards, appreciation lunches, and an annual awards ceremony that began in 2020. At that event, case managers, clinicians, QA staff, and case aides are celebrated, and many departments also choose Employees of the Month. On top of that, the organization puts out a monthly newsletter that highlights achievements, welcomes new hires, and congratulates staff on life milestones like birthdays and new babies. For an organization of more than 500 employees, these efforts have created a stronger sense of connection and recognition across many different programs.

Pay and benefits have improved as well. Therapists in the UIM program have seen around a 36% wage increase over the last six years, with licensed therapists seeing even more, which has made salaries competitive. Staff now receive two personal days and seven holidays, and the CEO often encourages non-residential staff to leave early when possible. Of course, not every role in a 24/7 program can take advantage of that, but it reflects a genuine effort to support work-life balance in a field that can be very demanding. These changes, combined with stronger recognition efforts, show that leadership is putting more thought into valuing employees and making it possible for them to thrive while still meeting the needs of the program.

Some structural changes have also made a big difference in retention and staffing. The shift to 12-hour weekend shifts was difficult for many at first, but it has helped stabilize schedules and retain staff for several years now, which is something that had been a challenge before. Residential vacancies are at historic lows, with fewer than five open positions, which I had never seen in the past. That’s due in large part to the focus on hiring compassionate workers and giving them real support once they are here. While the work is still demanding, there is a stronger sense that staff are being set up for success, and that consistency ultimately benefits the kids who depend on us most.

Systems and resources have also improved, cutting down on unnecessary stress and freeing up more time for direct work. A new electronic health record replaced three older systems, which has reduced documentation time significantly, even though UIM staff still use the government portal as required. Nursing has expanded to include QA and support staff, easing the pressure on nurses and allowing them to focus more on clinical care. A dedicated team now manages the critical incident reporting system, which has taken a major burden off residential staff, teachers, and nurses who previously had to manage it on top of everything else. Training has also expanded, and Youth Mental Health First Aid is now required for everyone in the UIM program, so even non-clinical staff have the skills to intervene during a crisis and support youth effectively.

The culture overall feels much healthier and more collaborative than it did in the past. Departments work together more often, and leadership has made an effort to invest in staff so that we can give our best to the kids. Many leaders maintain an open-door policy and are approachable when problems come up, and some even take time to pray with staff or encourage them directly, which reflects the faith-based mission of the organization. These gestures may sound small, but they go a long way in creating a sense of belonging and purpose, especially in an environment where the work is never easy. It feels like leadership understands that when staff are cared for, the kids are ultimately cared for better as well.

The work itself remains challenging, with high expectations and responsibilities, but it continues to be deeply meaningful. This is a nonprofit organization, so resources will never be unlimited, but the mission to help kids reintegrate into the community and to share the Christian faith is being carried out in ways that feel real and impactful. Even small benefits, like meals provided on campus, make a difference for families like mine and show an understanding of practical needs. At the same time, there are still areas for improvement. Not every role benefits equally from flexibility, benefits can feel expensive for families, and some managers still seem out of touch with the realities of parenting or the cost of living, even though there has been progress in recent years.

Looking ahead, the organization appears committed to continuing its progress and building on the foundation that has been created over the last six years. Competitive wages, stronger recognition, more efficient systems, and leadership that actively invests in staff have made this a healthier workplace than it used to be. The nonprofit context means trade-offs will always exist, but I’ve seen leadership get more creative about finding ways to support staff while keeping the mission central. From the shift to 12-hour weekend schedules, to the adoption of a streamlined EHR system, to a stronger culture of recognition and encouragement, there are clear signs that decisions are being made with both staff and children in mind. For me, the biggest takeaway is that while the work is not easy, it is purposeful, and the UIM program has become a place where staff can grow, feel valued, and make a lasting impact on the lives of kids.

I love my job as a TDT specialist at YFT.  Being a TDT specialist is a unique job. You get a lot of good clinical experience if you are working towards your license (complete assessments, diagnose, do social skills groups, etc). You also get a lot of the benefits of working in the school setting, without being part of the school. YFT is contracted to work in the public schools in Northern Virginia.  I really enjoy working with the schools and making a difference in the lives of the children and families that we serve.  It's the most amazing feeling to see a child graduate from the TDT program and reflect on how far they have come.

The paperwork is the hardest part.  There are daily progress notes that must be completed within 24 hours.  You will have anywhere from 5-8 kids on your caseload when you are at your school, and the school expects you to respond to each crisis as they are happening.  Schools also think that you are a miracle worker and can become annoyed if a child is not making enough progress. It is up to the TDT specialist and the TDT supervisors to let the schools know that change takes time.  The TDT specialist also needs to set boundaries with their schools so that the TDT specialist can have time during the workday to write notes.  As long as you can set those boundaries you are fine.  Even there there are a lot of notes, it's comparable to to other social services jobs.

You will do well in this job if you are organized, do well with responding to crisis situations, and can work independently since you will be the only one from YFT at your school. I do feel supported by the TDT supervisors.  They always make themselves available to me if I have questions or need to talk about a case. This has been my favorite job.  In addition, YFT will pay for you to go back to school and if you want to move up in the company or switch to another job in the company, it is very easy to do so.

YFT will not pay you as much as somewhere like the CSB, but that is because they are a nonprofit organization.  If you have a masters and can do assessments, you get paid more in this job. I will gladly get paid less to work at a company like YFT. The pros outweigh the cons for me.  I get a lot of school holidays off, personal leave, sick time, as well as supportive supervisors. Every job will have their issues, but this is one where the issues are minimal.

If I could redo my work experience with this company, I’d reverse time like it never existed. First off, I was the only person of color on my team so it felt like I was only there to meet a certain “quota”. I never felt welcomed by upper management. Supervisors made it known to your face that they would have never hired you if they knew you had a disability (who says that?!). The licensed social workers didn’t follow the ethical standards in which they’re supposed to adhere to by law (I should’ve reported them). Supervisors also didn’t review your drafts in a timely manner in order for you to add corrections to your reports by their due date. A hot mess!!! I thought maybe it was just me who had a hard time, but several coworkers on my team alone complained about the work/life balance while I was employed there. I’ll never forget having to work from 11am Friday-11am Saturday one time just to get paperwork done (no compensation or flexed hours for that whatsoever). Stress was so high I lost 2 pants sizes while working there. One time I put in vacation PTO just to be told the day OF the start of my leave that I would be approved to take it. I was also told to my face that I’d be fired months before it happened which caused more harm than good. I was placed on unpaid leave due to medical reasons just to return back for work after being medically cleared then terminated shortly after. Working for them caused me to not receive mileage reimbursement checks I was owed on time or not at all because supervisor would let them pile up for several months at a time, fall behind on finances, and ultimately made me homeless. If I ever had the opportunity to redo working here another year or another year of COVID, I’d choose COVID. By far, the worst job I’ve ever had. 

Don’t get trained at all, drug test is done with everyone lined up by the bathroom and you bring your cup out (very uncomfortable in front of everyone) the people that work there are usually very nice and help you as much as they can but most of management is very inconsiderate and unrealistic. They want you to stay whenever they need you (which is almost everyday)They make sure you’re working at 200% all the time, which is very stressful to not be able to take 5 minutes away from a computer. There’s no way to finish the work in a 40 hour work week. They expect you to do everything even if it’s not your job and if they feel like you need to help in entirely different program they will move you (not for a week but for months on end) even if it’s not the job you were hired for and have no experience doing it. Their insurance is almost $200 PER PAYCHECK FOR ONE PERSON. That’s ridiculous and it’s not even that good and I got the highest  coverage. They lie a lot at their interview and you’re left to handle the false promises. I loved the kids and would’ve stayed just for them but they need better management and accountability of management. The principle is the best one there, very supportive and cares about her employees. Some management in other programs are very nice and try to help but get reprimanded for trying to get involved in a program that’s not theirs. One of management was verbally abusive and would insult everyone in the room, insulting them to their faces (while the director listened and did nothing). Their superiors were informed and everything was brushed under the rug. They try to cover to many things up by just ignoring them or minimizing them.

Learned a lot to communicate with the kids. You must like to work with teenagers from the get go without knowing them. Some managers were great but some just wanted to start arguments, start and spread rumors.  They say this company is based off supporting each other and teamwork.  No true.  Especially working with the therapist or case workers, they treated the kids as babies and when actual staff that was around them 24/7 and not just see them once a week or once in blue moon like the case managers and therapist, the kids would be treated as any other kids in talking about them and the case managers/and or therapist would look at you like if you were stupid in why are you talking to the TEENAGERS about life outside the program.  We wanted to let the residents to go on and study and be careful of the world outside the program walls and the therapist/and or social worker would look at you and give you a face in why are you telling them is? Did they want to keep the kids in their own little world? I treated the kids as any other teenager and letting them know what's wrong and right in what they are doing and felt super judge by the therapist or social worker.  They felt like they could get you in trouble for no reason!

YFT’s mission is great, don’t get me wrong. When I started, everything was great but then it hit me like a bus; this place is toxic. Not the kids, but the staff. They walk around with their miserable lives and take it out in you… but behind your back. Completely unprofessional. There is no communication whatsoever so whenever you’re getting feedback, it’s pretty much a kid telling you what they heard about you. Management and supervisors only talk to those in their cliques and then get them to relay messages to you. You never know what’s going on but always seems to be doing something wrong and never right. You can’t take anything to upper management because they’re a part of the seniority clique and will always “have your back” but again, only if you’re in the clique. Most of the time you’re short staffed and left working alone with a full house and are expected to have a smooth shift as if nobody will pop off. Also, no time for mental breaks when you’re the only one on shift. And they expect you to volunteer yourself to work OT. You’re never appreciated for anything you do. You do the work of 3 people but get paid for 1. There’s just a lot of toxic energy and it runs everyone dry. They don’t care about you; they just care about getting their money. 

A typical work day involved checking in and then immediately interacting with the residents to capture their mood or 'attitude' on any given day. Although I knew there were troubled teens and teens with dysfunctional home lives, working directly with such youths gives one better insight to just how difficult it is for many youths. It changes your perspective from being a casual observer to an implementer for change in helping other deal with deeply personal and painful issues. Management at the organization seemed a bit removed from the residents and, at times, did not fully recognize what counselors went though to keep youth residents grounded and in control. My co-workers were wonderful because many of us became vested in the residents and often collaborated to better work with them for successful outcomes. The hardest part of the job was when the residents were completely out of control, especially during spring and summer. The best part was seeing residents in the program achieve success and go on to high learning institutions.

I worked as an outpatient therapist. I enjoyed working as a therapist. Honestly, the push to meet a number every week can seem stressful however, I never had much of a problem as I developed great rapport with clients (which makes them look forward to the session). 

YFT definitely gave me my wings and I enjoyed working as an outpatient therapist. Supervision is top tier compared to other places. I enjoyed how the company worked with me when I had a lot going on (I also ensured I was doing my job).

One of the downsides is sometimes dealing with difficult clients and the mundane nature of the work and of course documentation.

I do think the program is growing and I will likely be back I just needed a break for a bit. The ONLY company I’ve ever stayed for over 3 months. I enjoyed it. They gave me my wings and I will forever be grateful for this company. 

The environment could be pleasant but the leadership team makes it stressful.There’s favoritism nepotism. This company tends to throw employees under the bus . They are suppose to be a faith based organization but are far from faith only their profits/revenues. They tend to fudge or are not truthful in their documentation especially when licensing are concerns . They tend to hire people who are not qualified and are not trained to lead employees. House Coordinators or Leads are mostly just puppets or placed in positions to do the dirty work of Residential supervisors. Leadership will lie to cover their lack of professionalism. Licensing should pay close attention to an organization understaffed unqualified and not sincere in their operation tactics. Nepotism is prevalent 

One day at YFT meant you are responsible for youth that need your guidance and therefore they count on you to be there for them. I learned that no matter how much you know of one particular aspect or of many, you will always need to report events even though they had been aproached with the correct procedure.
Culture around is somewhat based on residential department so being a teacher or a teacher assistant is somewhat secondary in nature since academics isn't as relevant as you might think.
I would say the hardest part of the job is having to deal with students whose academics stardards are not leveled for the same group and you end up having too many sub-groups in the same class.
The most enjoyable part of the job there is the PE class because if you want you can exercise with class and obtain the mutual benefit, get closer to your students(socially) and its healthier for yourself.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Residential counselor 3 salaries reported	$21.50 per hour
Teacher 1 salary reported	$57,500 per year
Substance abuse counselor 1 salary reported	$75,000 per year
Registered nurse 2 salaries reported	$50.00 per hour
Mental health technician 1 salary reported	$28.00 per hour

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