Pros
The pros of this job are immediate coworkers— RCs and Diet Techs. There is shared solidarity amongst us and we try to find the fun in our days, even though they are often stressful. The patients— even the challenging ones— are the only aspect of this job that may make all of the cons worth it. There is so much to learn from them and RCs get a lot of beneficial 1:1 client experience (but be prepared to learn on the fly, because training is NOT extensive enough). Patients are incredibly kind and appreciative (and will tell you that you’re doing good to your face) and I normally leave my job feeling accomplished, but this often doesn’t last long due to the cons. CEDC is also very relaxed about calling in sick/requesting days off, even at the last possible minute. Just know that every time you call out sick a shadow of guilt will hang over you knowing that your absence has left a floor with 1-2 RCs for 10+ patients.
Cons
It is clear that upper management and the company owners prioritize profit over the well being of both their patients and their staff. There is no reason why Residential Counselors who work on understaffed floors, doing the work of 5 people, should be paid a salary that is not enough to pay rent in the Greater Boston Area while the owner lives in a mansion complete with a heated driveway. She also allows her son to live in her penthouse office on CEDC property, which is weird and inappropriate. Seda is currently being stingy in the kitchen— patients who are here for an EATING disorder are subjected to fruit cups and raisins for most snacks because she believes we are spending too much money on food. Miscommunication is also a major issue. As a new employee, one person training you (who isn’t qualified to train you because they’ve only been there for two months) will tell you one thing, and then another person will tell you to do it different way. Then, when you do the task wrong in front of the Kitchen Manager or RC Manager, they will passive aggressively text a “reminder” in the staff group chat instead of politely correcting you to your face. RCs have been requesting a supervisory meeting for weeks to discuss our concerns and find solutions, but we have been repeatedly shut down or ignored. What kind of establishment based on counseling principles will not offer supervision and listen to its employees genuine concerns?