Toxic environment with manipulative people - Kitchen Staff ANDRUS Employee Review

Leaders are passionate and committed to the growth of individuals who serve our youth. Staff is caring and trained along the way to build on their skill set

Hard to teach staff that trauma work requires care and compassion sometimes.

Great health insurance, beautiful campus, wildlife, diversity.

During my time at this agency, I see a consistent disconnect between leadership decisions and the organization’s stated core values. This contradiction creates confusion and instability for staff, and it made mistakes more likely simply because the environment lacked clarity and support. Communication from upper leadership is often vague or inconsistent. While the agency is focused on addressing fiscal challenges, the approach has included undermining the very staff hired to improve fiscal integrity. This contradiction has been difficult to understand and has contributed to a sense of disorganization. The agency upholds the Sanctuary trauma‑informed model, yet there has been little acknowledgment of the collective disturbance and parallel processes that naturally arise during times of organizational stress. Optics often appear to be prioritized over genuine trauma‑informed practice, and it is discouraging to see individuals with no clinical background making decisions that directly affect the agency’s integrity and the well‑being of both staff and clients. Ethical and moral practices are meant to be modeled from the top. Instead, upper leadership has made decisions about the treatment of families and children without adequate regard for their clinical needs. Morality in a mental health setting includes supporting the staff who show up every day, manage crises, demonstrate care and concern for the children, and understand that good treatment requires flexibility and decisions rooted in the best clinical interests of the people served. These patterns have eroded morale and moved the organization further from its mission. Prospective employees may want to explore other opportunities where staff are valued and supported in the work they do.