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Ponessa Behavioral Health

Is this your company?

Unethical & care only about $ - Anonymous employee Ponessa Behavioral Health Employee Review

1.0
28 Mar 2022
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

After working at another company, there are no pros. Find another company.

Cons

Where do I begin? I have (unfortunately) worked for this company for many years, so when I say that this is the review you should read and trust, it is. I've had plenty of time to collect this information. Buckle in. This is a company who cares only about themselves and money, which is why they "allow" staff to engage in unethical practices and "look" the other way if it benefits them. Clinicians are not required to take data to make treatment decisions for their clients. They are allowed to "guess" and make up progress to report to insurance companies in order to keep clients longer = make money. Upper management DOES NOT care about the pions. If you are not one of their puppets, then you don't matter. They SAY they support and will listen to everyone; news flash, they won't. They will support whoever serves their purpose best, which is not going to be you. The pay sucks. Comparatively, it sucks. You get a performance-based raise, and there is a formula with which management must use to figure out your raise. So, it's NOT based on how you do. It's based on their number of what they can give you as they are only allowed to give a certain amount. So if you are the best employee, sorry, doesn't really matter. You won't be compensated appropriately. Benefits. If you are considering this company, please ask to see the health benefits package. IT SUCKS. They will tell you that this is the best you can do. If you need health coverage and have a family, sorry. It'll cost half your paycheck, so you will have to decide on whether or not to pay your mortgage and feed your family, or your health coverage. That is, if you even get to full-time to have the option. It's incredibly difficult to get full-time status. When you do, you owe them your soul and will be expected to do more than you should to get your hours since, well, you know, you're now salaried and owe them your life. Training is non-existent. You may get a few days initially but then you are left to your own devices. Don't ask for help either, because you are expected to know it all after those initial few days, and will be punished accordingly if not. There are no consistent expectations across counties, so if you're trained by someone from another county, good luck to you while working in your own county. Finally, unethical. UNETHICAL. As noted above, they allow clinicians to make up data. Who knows what else is being allowed to fudge? Your information will not be private. It will be allowed for staff to report on your private information to random people (school teams, other staff members, etc.) whenever. You get written up for something? It will be shared. You get fired? It will be shared. The whole team will know so any relationships you may have had with schools or outside agencies will be impaired because someone will tell what you did. When I say run and find another agency to work for, please do. But if you choose to work for this company, ASK QUESTIONS. You might not get hired and you might get fired for doing so, but at least you tried to do what's right.

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Ponessa Behavioral Health Response
4y
We appreciate you taking the time to leave a review but we were very concerned with the comments you shared. TW Ponessa takes these reviews very seriously and always aims to gather constructive feedback to try to improve our workplace environment. As disappointed as we are to read your feedback and perception of your experience with us; we are equally frustrated at the inaccuracies in some of your statements. While it is clear that you left the company unhappy and we are disappointed to hear this; we feel that it is important that readers hear from us as well in regards to some of your claims/comments. Data collection - some departments are very data driven in nature and it appears that you worked in one of them. That said, it is a requirement of the job and emphasized frequently in training and supervision to focus on collecting and analyzing data adequately. The clinician's role is to be able to collect, assess, and share data with the team and update treatment progress. It is disappointing to hear that you didn't feel comfortable asking for assistance or additional training in this area if you felt unprepared on how to complete this task effectively and ethically. Pay/Benefits - we are confident that TWP is comparable in the industry with pay and benefit packages. Salaried clinicians are asked to complete 70-75% of their work week directly with clients. The rest of the week is open for additional tasks required for the job. In a field where our focus is on direct client care, we believe that this is a reasonable and attainable breakdown to be able to complete all job responsibilities efficiently. Our administrators spend significant amounts of time and effort into recruitment and retention. As a result, we have added 401K benefits with an employer match, administered substantial pay increases in various departments, increased the annual performance raise structure, provided an extra paycheck at the end of the year, and developed an Employee Appreciation Committee who have been focusing on employee inclusion and morale. It is accurate that we use a performance based raise structure in which employees are assessed in several domains annually. The employees who demonstrate more successful performance have the ability to achieve higher pay increases. With an ever changing healthcare market, TWP makes ongoing efforts to try to keep the healthcare premiums as affordable as possible. Full time employees are currently able to choose a plan for as low as $37.38 per month, after the employer contribution. We believe that is very comparable to healthcare in industries across the board. We hold our staff accountable for upholding the integrity and the mission in which this company was founded. Our goal is to deliver quality services to those within our communities. Employees of TWP have an affirmative duty and responsibility for reporting perceived misconduct, including violations of the TWP Code of Ethics. In fact, upon hire, every employee is trained and required to sign an acknowledgement form affirming that they understand the Corporate Compliance program and responsibilities to report any potential violations within the company. Given there is no such record of a report made by an employee confirming your unethical accusations, one might assume that this was either a violation on the part of the employee failing to report OR the accusations are misguided. Thank you

Explore other reviews about Ponessa Behavioral Health

5.0
16 Mar 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I enjoy how there are many opportunities for BHTs and others who work for the comany to create a positive work community. My higher-ups have been very helpful, informational, firm and kind. I enjoy working with my client and it has been a good transition into working in a school setting

Cons

I cannot think about any cons right now.

avatar
Ponessa Behavioral Health Response
3mo
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience! We’re so glad to hear that you’ve found a supportive and positive work community, and that your supervisors have made a meaningful impact through guidance and support. It’s wonderful to know your transition into the school setting has been a smooth and rewarding one, and that you’re enjoying your work with your consumer. We truly appreciate the important role our BHTs do each day—thank you!
1.0
10 Feb 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The rapport within the department was generally good, people are very supportive of one another. Supervisors could be helpful too depending on the issue. You do get to make your own schedule (somewhat). It's a nice building, I liked my individual office.

Cons

It completely wrecked my mental health; I was literally always burnt out and dealt with several severe depressive episodes while employed, as well as trauma symptoms afterwards. Granted I know this is partially due to the state of community mental health in general; however, I was in a state of constant anxiety regarding my productivity hours and always felt like I was being gaslit. If you don't meet your quota, you start losing PTO hours or sometimes even your salary. I worked 11 hour days and would still have to bring work home with me. I never felt good enough no matter what I did to get ahead. The business focuses more on quantity of clients rather than quality of their care; it sometimes felt more like I was working in a factory than in a therapy office. I feel bad because the clients are really the ones that suffer for it.

avatar
Ponessa Behavioral Health Response
3mo
Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad to hear you experienced a supportive team environment during your time with us. We do want to clarify that expectations around productivity and scheduling are clearly communicated throughout the hiring process and regularly reviewed with staff to ensure transparency. We strive to provide consistency and support so clinicians understand what is required and have the resources to be successful. We recognize that community mental health can be demanding work and may not be the right fit for everyone. We remain committed to maintaining a supportive workplace while delivering high-quality care to our clients. We wish you the best in your future endeavors.
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