Sinking Ship
Pros
- You'll probably never get fired because LifeStance is so desperate to retain its therapists. Instead, you'll quit once you've had enough.
Cons
COMMUNICATION: - I can't tell you how many times I received conflicting messages about procedures/protocols, or realized that staff never followed up on something time-sensitive in nature. This created stress for both myself and my clients. - Psychiatrists would quit, clients wouldn't be notified, and all future sessions would be cancelled without connecting those clients to new psychiatrists. This resulted in multiple clients of mine experiencing delays with medication refills and ultimately becoming distrustful of LifeStance. INFRASTRUCTURE: - The electronic health record system, telehealth platform, phone system, and other platforms were falling apart at the seams. I was receiving (at a minimum) weekly emails about system errors that wouldn't allow us to access/save/sign notes, check our voicemail, and so on. Clients often couldn't log into their client portals to make payments or access other important information. - Therapists don't have one centralized place they can go to in order to access documents, such as the procedures/protocols, staff org chart, staff contact list, etc. Instead, they have to rely on staff members emailing them (what are hopefully the most up-to-date and accurate) documents they need in order to effectively do their jobs. COMPENSATION: - Pay per session is abysmal when you realize that you'll be spending countless unpaid hours on menial administrative tasks because staff members either fail to do their jobs or fail to do their jobs properly. - Initially, we did not get paid for our mandatory cybersecurity trainings. Of course, staff claimed they didn't know we weren't getting paid for these trainings until I brought it to their attention. ETHICS: - Staff members will outright lie. I was told I could place a "stop" on receiving new clients, only to receive a new client that same week because I had a random opening in my schedule due to an existing client's cancellation. (Keep in mind my schedule was fully booked 2-3 months in advance, so it was clear staff didn't account for whether or not I could accommodate regular/ongoing sessions with those new clients.) After this happened repeatedly, I contacted the staff member who sent the email. They tried to backpedal and say they didn't REALLY mean we could place a "stop" on receiving new clients. Of course, I pushed back on this and ultimately had the "stop" enforced, but this was after several unpaid hours of back-and-forth via email with multiple staff members. - LifeStance has grown as quickly as it has by acquiring existing group practices. They promised my group practice (formerly PsyCare in San Diego county) the world, and while it's true that we were upgraded from a paper chart system (!!!) to an electronic health record system, it's very clear LifeStance has put the proverbial cart before the horse time and time again. As a result, therapists and staff alike have been leaving in droves, leading LifeStance to continually lower its standards as it fails to provide the supply of mental health professionals to meet the demand of clients. Yet all LifeStance will talk about is its "Great Place to Work" certification (which is a complete joke at this point) and its Foundation. They try to talk up all the positive aspects of working for LifeStance without taking accountability for and being transparent about the many negative aspects.
