Weekends in Hell
I’m currently a grad school student getting a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. My school sends out a listing of all the jobs in the area that pertain to the counseling field, which is where I found an available job as a Counselor Assistant at a rehab. My interview went very well and I found out that the CEO was a graduate of my program. I got called the next day offering me the Saturday and Sunday 8pm to 8am shifts. I wasn’t too keen on that, because I was still trying to make friends and it would make it more difficult when two of my weekend nights were booked and I would also be prevented from going to church on Sunday. But I took it because I figured my shifts would change as I integrated.
My first day I worked Friday during the day. I found out that the role of Counselor Assistant wasn’t anything like I was expecting. I was told that my job was to be a “glorified babysitter” since the clients couldn’t be trusted. I was also told that the guy who would be training me for my weekend shifts was actually the one I was replacing, but not to tell him because he didn’t know he was being fired. That made me really uncomfortable, but I kept plucking away. While filling out my paperwork, I saw that the only note on my application from my interviewer was that I was young, but likable. The guy who I was replacing had an idea of what was going on and so he asked me straight up if I was his replacement. Not wanting to rock the boat that soon in my job, I told him I didn’t know. He was then fired.
After a few weeks, I was given the Friday night 4pm to midnight shift, so there went my entire weekend. Something I noticed pretty quickly was that regardless of what I did, even following the rules, I was criticized, but not given an alternative. The clients, who were there for drug, alcohol and gambling addictions, don’t want to listen to anyone, but I was always being fussed at for not being able to make them listen. As time passed, there was a lot of turnover. After a staff meeting, the weekend supervisor told me that the guy who hired me (who was actually just the maintenance guy…WTF?!) told her that he didn’t want to hire me, but only did because the CEO knew my advisor and that they didn’t think I could do the job because of my age and the fact that I look younger. I used that as motivation to prove everyone wrong.
Not too long after that, there was a regime change where the CEO and my weekday supervisor were fired and things seemed like they were looking up. Then my partner (who I had grown quite close to) couldn’t make it so the old weekend supervisor stayed later. I had found where a co-worker hadn’t properly documented something with a client so I did. Then I got in trouble for writing about it because it would get my co-worker in trouble. She also told me that the mental health field might not be the best fit for me and that the clients thought I was a joke (which I knew was not true). The next night she got mad because two clients had been complaining to me about being sick and wanted to go to the hospital. Turns out they both had bronchitis and my supervisor was just mad because she had to stay later while I was with them at the E.R. This was then brought up at an administrative staff meeting (which my friend told me about) where I was turned into a scapegoat for not following a procedure that doesn’t exist — I checked the handbook.
I was going to turn in my notice but had a change of heart and decided that if they wanted me gone they would have to do it themselves. After hearing that this new guy had told my partner that my overnight shifts were now his I went ahead and typed up my two-weeks notice, but before I could print it out, I got the call. I was so relieved to be away from such a toxic environment (in the three months I worked there 14 people quit or were fired), but irritated that I let myself get fired because I had been so close so many times to quitting.
Ugh. This is mine. It sounds a bit more choppy while I read it.
FYI when I mention the friend that told me that I was turned into a scapegoat at the staff meeting, she was a friend from my program who worked in the main office. She was always on the look-out for me & was completely confused as to why I was being treated the way I was. Ultimately, she told me she found out that the main reason I was fired was because my partner (every shift had at least one guy & one girl) had told my supervisors that I never did checked on the clients every hour while they were sleeping (untrue. In fact I usually did most of the checks by myself because she slept every night we worked) & also that I was afraid of the clients (also untrue). So there’s that.
The firing happened on July 13, so this is still pretty fresh. I had some friends in town so it was also kind of embarrassing as well, but they knew the situation. After they left the day after, I packed up some stuff & came back home for a break & decided to just move back to my home state & try to start something new here. And that’s what I’m doing. I haven’t found a job yet (only put out one resume thus far) but I’m in such a better space mentally. I’m moving into my first apartment that isn’t connected to school & I’m going to be finishing up my degree online. Honestly, getting fired was the best thing that could have happened because since I’ve left Florida, my depression has subsided quite a bit.
One last note: when they let me go, I was asked if I would be willing to work fill-in shifts (per diem) if they so needed it. Ha! (I actually didn’t tell them no…)
If anyone has any questions feel free to ask.
Good luck in your new future.
I’m a pysch student and these stories scare the heck out of me. You don’t sound unbalanced, but the old cliche of ‘everyone in the mental health industry is there to work out their own issues’ certainly sounds true.
How exactly were you supposed to ‘make them listen’? Were there systems in place? (I don’t know, write ups, threats of less freedom, whatever?) I feel for you, but I feel even worse for your clients, who needed help and couldn’t get it due to the disorganized nature of the place.
Good luck and I hope you find a better job!
PS-If the clients were discouraged from seeking medical treatment, turn your ex employer into the state. It might seem shitty, but you’ll be helping them in the long run. (Wrongful death lawsuits are expensive.)
I had a job as a receptionist at a counseling/crisis center. While most patients were sweet and incidents were not very common I agree that people in the mental health field are there to work out their own problems. Most of the staff were the cattiest people I’ve met out of high school, and they were counselors! Talking about each other, breaking confidentiality to talk about patients and would say the rudest things about our MR/DD patients, heartbreaking. Our nurse never answered her phone or voicemail, patients and pharmacies would leave messages for refill requests and could never reach her.
Policy changed day to day and I was either answering phones, scheduling, filing medical records, or tracking down missing coworkers. I even had to sub interpret for a deaf client when no sign language interpreter was contacted, illegal and unprofessional indeed. I feel your pain, and good luck!
Thanks guys.
There weren’t really any consequences in place, just threats that were never followed up on. I never dared threaten someone with a consequence because I knew it would make my life more difficult since I would be told I had no right to do it by my supervisor. So my way of doing things was tell them what I needed them to do & if they didn’t, I’d document it.
It just sucked because I felt like I was in a completely no-win situation. Because I was. I mean, I got fussed at on my first day by the maintenance guy/guy who hired me (I mean seriously…) because I went into the main office to ask a question since every single other employee had gone M.I.A. & apparently I wasn’t allowed in there. Something that didn’t help my cause I’m sure is that when he was giving me an attitude I didn’t back down & asked politely, “How am I supposed to know something if I’m not told & can’t ask the people who do know?”
@BikeLizard, I totally feel that. I’m scared too, but I HAVE heard of some places that run smoothly & efficiently & aren’t like the stories you hear. Unfortunately for me, none were hiring when I needed them too. Ha!
@Shannon, exactly! I’m glad that I wasn’t more involved that I already was because I’m sure it could have been a lot worse. But hey, it gave me some mental health experience & taught me some important lessons about who to trust & how to conduct myself in these settings.
Again, if anyone needs clarifications or has questions feel free to ask.
That rehab center sounds like an absolute farce. How much are these people charged? Your comment about the clients being unwilling to listen makes me think counseling isn’t for you.
Troll much erkable. Counciling is a lot like nursing, you can teach or council until you are blue in the face, if these people don’t care or don’t want to listen that’s on them. Just because some druggie wasn’t ready to kick the habit, doesn’t make him a bad councilor. They have to want to change. I’m guessing most of them had court orders to attend.
Troll? What are you talking about???? Nursing is counseling?
A counselor supposed to find a way to help their client. If the counselor AND the client cease to care, the whole exercise is a complete waste of resources.
I wasn’t in a position to do counseling. I was just there to enforce rules. Rules which the clients were not willing to follow. Addicts are so used to doing their own thing that when they get into such a regimented routine, they rebel. It didn’t help that there was absolutely no back-up or support from anyone else.
“A counselor supposed to find a way to help their client”…. ahem, nurses do that too, so yes Nursing is like counseling. We don’t get paid extra for it but we still do it.
As a fellow mental health worker, I have to say Erkable is completely wrong. Counselling is only of use to people that are unhappy with the way things are going in their life and are TRYING to change.
You can’t make anyone do anything they don’t want to – psychologists and mental health workers can’t read your mind or manipulate it (God I get sick of those jokes about mind reading). They CAN help you find ways to improve your own mental state.
Good on you Andrew, no one should ever have to endure working in a place that makes them so unhappy (it’s not good for your mental health
). It was actually negligent of them to throw you in the deep end like that.
Dr_Know, you hit the nail on the head. People have to want to change & while most of them did, it was only to an extent. The staff can only do so much & my supervisors didn’t seem to understand that. My co-workers also had difficulty getting the clients to listen to them but I always seemed to be singled out & criticized for it. I really think it was my age & the fact that I still look like a teenager. They just couldn’t take me seriously.
And yes, those mind reading jokes make me want to stick a hook up my nose & stab my brain.
Dittoing everyone who said you have to want to change to get anything out of talking to a counselor.
Andrew, that sucks. I’m sorry. I hope things work out going forward, and it sounds like you’re already doing much better. Congrats! good luck in the degree and in life.
Thanks Claire.
Was wondering when we’d get to see yours.
Sometimes its hard to totally convey the instability and pain of working at places like this.
Good luck in finidng someplace good to apply your degree at!
Thanks Jade Lynn! Right now it’s looking like I might have to go back to restaurant work, so maybe I’ll get to submit a 3rd story here (1st was the movie theater waaaay back near the beginning).
I work for a Transitional Living Program. We aren’t residential but I the same problems. Not following P&P that don’t exist, inter-program fighting, employees constantly trying to tell on you (even when you don’t do anything) to further their career.
[...] losing my job in this story and moving back to home, I decided to move to the state capital where there were more career and [...]