Pros
The patients. Since management is rarely seen or heard unless there's a policy change, you will spend the majority of your day living life with the patients. You will laugh, cry, and eat with them. You will teach them things about themselves, and they, you. They will challenge your empathy, your knowledge of mental illness, and your concept of what it means to be human; but you will keep coming back until you burn out.
Cons
-You will be sold the lie during your interview that you will be given supervision hours (for those that recently graduated with a MA), and you will find after many months and petitions later that this is not the case. ERC lost several solid people over this. -You will be informed of policy/systemic changes after they have taken place, and only then will you be asked for your "input". Because any and all changes are made without MC input, staff meetings become largely symbolic. -Patients are encouraged to confront their peers head on, like adults. Staff is not held to this same standard, and the culture has become one of slander, gossip, and mistrust. -After 8 years, ERC is still building the plane as they fly it. Changes in methodology or policy are done on an experimental level, devoid of any foundation in fact. -The MC to patient ratio is so large, that if one co-worker calls out sick, the entire day becomes an ordeal. Nursing has staff on call, but MCs are left to their own devices. The CEO is quoted as saying he is unwilling to hire more MCs, as it amounts to "just more bodies on the floor"; which shows how expendable upper management views the people actually doing the work. -Leading groups is a big part of the job, and most of the curriculum is outdated (written around 2008), overly simplistic, and painfully brief. There’s usually enough curriculum for 10-12 groups. If said group is lead 2-3 times a week, and most patients are there between 3 and 5 months, do the math. If a coworker calls in, you will often be asked to lead a group with which you have No Experience. As important as groups are, ERC has its priorities elsewhere (but you can bet the success of your groups will be brought up during your review). - You will get used to making it up as you go (an unspoken ERC policy). When you eventually voice your frustration about lack of support, management will condescend and reframe it as “needing to be more flexible” -Ninety-nine percent of communication is done via email, which amounts to literally thousands of emails a week. Meeting in 20 minutes? Email. Patient left the property? Email. Ambulance on the way? Email. Anything time sensitive? Email. When most of your day is spent on the floor, and not in front of a computer, it makes the current system impotent and counter-intuitive. -In keeping with the companies "profit first" policy, raises and promotions are few and far between. Experienced LPCs often languish at the ground level and are given nebulous reasons as to why advancement "might happen next year". -If you've just graduated, or need a "springboard" to a better job, ERC is a great introduction into the drama, tedium, and soul-crushing politics of mental health hospitals. Caveat emptor.