Pros
Center For Children's clients are about 90% children and due to it being non-profit, there is a significant push to see children who are on medical assistance. These individuals are placed higher on the weight list and are seen before those with private insurance. Therefore the majority of clients are from low SES/High poverty areas of the community. The expectations regarding client hours are within the normal range for the country, approximately 26 per week. It is expected that you reach a minimum of 90% of the 26 expected sessions each week. The incentive plan for reaching productivity is fair, and very possible to help supplement the low pay. This is a great place to start out as an LG because there is plenty of experience in all areas of Mental Health. They are a NHSC location with possibility for having loans repaid for those with full license.
Cons
Upper management is very poor at communicating and managing. The staff often have great ideas to help the company improve both financially, as well as being a positive resource in the community, however upper management rarely asks for opinions or ideas from the staff. On the rare occasion in which they do, there is typically no follow through. There is a significant lack of communication between the billing/front desk staff and the clinical staff. This lack of communication causes a division within the agency and also causes a faster burn out rate. As a clinician I learned very early on in my employment at CFC to not expect my needs or ideas to be listened to, both by management as well as from the billing staff. It was clear that I was a money making number and those outside of the clinical team had difficulty understanding why scheduling back to back with minimal breaks was difficult for clinicians to do regularly, causing a high burnout. It was my understanding that I was to see an average of 26 client's per week, however front desk staff would schedule between 32-36 client's regularly. The amount of paperwork expected when compared to other locations is outrageous. The system is in need of being streamlined to increase proficiency. In addition, computer equipment is outdated, taking up to an hour to reach a load screen or complete tasks which should take only a few moments. Due to lack of listening to staff as well as poor communication, burn out rate is much higher at this non-profit agency than at others. It is rare for staff to stay longer than 2 years, and those who stay that long are typically LG's working toward their full clinical license. Most individuals with a full license stay for a few months, maybe a year before leaving for a better place of employment. It seems that some individuals were favored by their coordinators more than others. This favoritism often caused for policies and procedures to not be followed through as they should. Which cases significant confusion throughout the agency. Lastly, this is not a family friendly employer. It is expected to work evenings and weekends. Because this is a medical based program, taking off frequently on Saturdays or during the weeknights is not approved by management. It is almost impossible to flex and adjust your work schedule to allow for family commitments.