All the clients at Allendale are control sensitive. This means that they have a disordered ways to relate to others as a result of trauma. I had no prior experience with interacting with this type of clients before working at Allendale. As a new hire, I received a week of training regarding therapeutic crisis interventions. Even with this training, I was shocked by the aggression and violence I experienced while working with the clients. I am a highly sensitive person so I found this quite stressful and traumatizing. I found that the highest percentage of my job was behavior management, instead of assisting in education. Behavior management included supervising students refusing to do assigned tasks for hours at a time. It also included restraining students when their actions were unsafe. The work culture at Allendale does not encourage a healthy work balance. Management encourages employees to do overtime. Many employees do overtime because that is the only way they will have enough income. Teacher assistants are paid barely above minimum wage. I left this position because I acquired a debilitating chronic health condition and Allendale was unable to accommodate my needs.
