Benefits and pay are not good enough for being at the licensed level. Pay is okay, but is determined by how many clients you see per week, which can obviously lead to burnout. My biggest gripe is that we get UTO - unpaid time off - which feels extremely degrading being in the mental health field. As a therapist I am constantly encouraging clients to use their time off and help them work towards work-life balance, so it feels contradictory that Lifestance does not offer this benefit to us. It can be hard to take a vacation or request a day off knowing that it will reflect on my paycheck. Even a handful of PTO days could help retain us therapists. Other cons: Not enough chances to connect with colleagues, not a lot of room for growth, hefty "no show" fee for clients, often putting them in difficult situations.
