therapist

behavioral therapist

program facilitator

teacher

receptionist

Society for Autism Support and Services

In a typical day, I felt a lot of pressure to treat the clients in ways that I didn't feel comfortable with. There was a lot of pressure from coworkers to be 'working on treatment goals', but withholding things that kids like until they perform a certain behaviour often felt cruel, and I would go home feeling pretty low. I always felt judged if I let my client 'have a break' or do something fun for more than five minutes at a time. Be prepared to spend a lot of time trying to convince clients to do things they don't want to.

In a typical work day, there is a good chance of violence and 'messy jobs' cleaning up after kids. I always felt nervous coming in to work not knowing what would happen. You can usually trust your team to help you if things got unsafe, but I always felt like the response was a bit 'trigger happy'. You need to be prepared to put kids in isolated time-out rooms and to physically restrain them, even if you don't agree with it. I didn't feel comfortable with it, and over time it took a toll on my mental health. When I reached out to my supervisor for help in a formal supervision, they told me they were disappointed in me. 

In regards to management, it seemed like deployment of resources was based on agency politics rather than actual client need. Management staff are generally defensive of their positions, and there was limited opportunity for advancement. There is a definite 'caste' structure in the residential program - behaviour therapists are at the bottom, and supervisors, managers, and professionals spend most of their time in offices. Staff who took on extra work without increase in pay were routinely favoured.

In regards to workplace culture, you quickly bond with coworkers through crisis. Everyone seems tired and burnt out, but it gets framed as something to be proud of. It was hard to see so many coworkers let go for reasons of 'personal suitability'. In my time there, one pregnant woman was let go because of 'suitability', as well as a woman who was "advocating too hard for her client".

The hardest part of the job for me was that I never felt like clients were receiving the support or care that they should.  Client allowances for food and toys was never enough for me to meet my key clients' basic needs. You are discouraged from buying things that don't have a 'treatment purpose', so lots of kids didn't have many toys they actually liked. It felt like an imbalanced distribution of resources. Despite the substantial public funding per client, the kids do not have enough novel toys or activities appropriate for development. Most of the clients things are locked away from them. Professional supports like psychologists, SLPs, OTs, and behaviour consultants rarely observed the clients directly.

As an employee, I felt alienated and like my efforts to advocate for myself and my clients were not heard. There was no HR department or union, and I experienced negativity from management towards myself and other employees in support of developing a collective agreement. After working here, I would definitely not want my child to be in STA's care.

If you want to work in a supportive and uplifting environment where you actually have room to grow and succeed think twice before you accept a position here.  STA has the most unprofessional and under qualified management I have ever worked with in a company.  
I learned a lot in this role, much of it in high pressure situations that in the beginning I was extremely ill prepared for, and after a few months of being you are now the person new staff come to.  
The time off they offer sounds great, but in reality they allow two full time behaviour therapists to take off each specific calendar day, many weekends being booked off months and months in advance.  So sure you get a good chunk of time off, but to use it you have to beg coworkers to trade shifts with you.  
Rotations are another thing, they generally start new staff of Friday-Monday, and then the coveted shifts where you work just one weekend day are given out according to supervisors on first come first serve basis.  However, so many times I saw co workers request a rotation change and they wait for months, then a new staff after just a few weeks would get it.  Often being required to work a 10 hour shift until 11PM one night, and then at 6:30 or 7AM head in for another 10 hours.  Another example of the respect the supervisors have for the front line staff with their scheduling, and when confronted about it the blame is always passed onto someone else.  I guess it's too much to ask to fix their system that clearly doesn't work.
STA does not provide coverage for employees to make a WCB claims and requires staff to go on short term disability if they will be out for more than 3 days.  Not something they advertise when you accept the job thats for sure.  Then following the injuries you are sure to get (I don't know a single person during my long stint at STA that wasn't hurt in some way) expect to receive zero communication from supervisors regarding your recovery or even return to work.  Major life changing injuries to staff occurred during my time here.  Be warned.

I have never worked at another agency within this field that takes safety so seriously. It was explained within my first day that safety is their number one priority. Recently front line staff have been able to openly give their input (which has been really neat), during conversations and brainstorming about how to make each shift as safe as possible!

A big part of the job that I find so motivating is that STA gets faced with some of the most complex kids I have ever seen. Being a small part of each kids like is so rewarding. You become invested in the kids progress and gains (big and small). Working as a team to figure out how to best support each kid and increase their independence is such a cool thing.

If you are someone who is passionate about helping others then you know that you are in a field that has a high burn out rate. It is each persons responsibility to ensure proper self care and ensure burnout doesn't happen quickly. STA has some of the best benefit packages that I have seen over my career. It is always encouraged to use the benefits and ensure we are healthy. 

I am amazed with the experienced I have gained and the relationships I have created with my coworkers. Once you get through the first few months (the learning curve of any new job), things really do fall into place and you become a part of a really great team. 

The reality is that every job has it's ups and downs. There are pros and cons with all jobs but it is about what perspective you choose to look at. Only those who are committed to learning and growing as an individual and Behaviour Therapist will last. If you don't love any job you won't want to do it. I couldn't imagine my life without STA in it. I am happy that I was given the opportunity with

This job is not for every one, but it's in high demand.  Having STA on your resume is extremely beneficial and years of experience easily equates to formal education.

Can be a hard learning curve, as training and probation is a lot of information.  However, the culture of your coworkers is extremely supportive.  Making lasting relationships with in your team is most likely going to happen when you spent enough time there.  Depending on your personality you may also create special bonds with certain clients which is rewarding.

Management can be hit or miss.  Most of the current supervisors (2018) are relatively new in their positions and they are still learning how to manage staff and shifts.  However, they have all worked front line and know what it is like.  Because front line staff social as friends and team mates, it becomes obvious that not every one get fair treatment.  Criticism with management is sometimes met with backlash instead of transparency and proper communication and grievance procedure.

As such, staff advocacy should be improved.

The team you work with and the clients you help will be your strongest bond to this job.  If you can get through everything else with grace and respect (as well as a strong sense of what you need as an employee), it can be worth it.  Front line staff go through a lot of mental and physical stress with the clients.  Things sometimes don't go as planned.  Literally, blood, sweat, and tears.

I worked here for almost 5 months. I was so excited to start. Not even three weeks in, I started to hate it. The staff was very unwelcoming and clicky. If you are new, you will not be welcomed into the staffs "groups". Management does not care a lot about you (there were some, but unfortunately mine was rude when I brought up concerns and did not help me). I was thrown into the group home with little to no training, even though I was not told the severity of that position, nor was it the one I got hired on to do. I was constantly attacked and abused, and when reaching out to the team, they did not help one bit. The employees above the therapist team speak poorly about other staff, as well as the families they work for. I was very shocked when one of the behavior therapists spoke negatively about a child and their family. During some shifts, I would not be comfortable with the practices STA follows. I felt like it was unethical.  I would not waste your time working here. You will be emotionally and physically drained, with little to no support. And if you bring up a concern, be prepared to be spoken bad about by other employees. The only benefit is the children and families. They were so welcoming and kind. Leaving the kids and families was the hardest part about leaving my position, but I would not go back even if they offered me more money. You do not get paid enough for what you have to deal with on a daily basis. 

I genuinely loved and appreciated working at SASS as an SLP for the past 6 years. The amount of support and mentorship provided was invaluable, the workplace culture was very positive, and I was easily able to maintain a healthy work/life balance. As an employee I truly felt valued and cared for, and management prioritized their employee's wellbeing. Professionally, it was a very collaborative and supportive multi-disciplinary environment that gave me the invaluable experience of working with other professional's towards supporting family's goals. SASS was very willing and open to listening and exploring innovative ideas. As a neurodivergent SLP I was able to explore developing creative neuro-diverse affirming therapeutic groups. They provided mentorship in grant writing and research so that I was able to fulfil my own personal professional goals within their organization. They have also been very thoughtful and supportive in adapting their own philosophies and practices to move towards more neuro-diverse affirming care. I would consider SASS a neuro-diverse affirming employer that values diversity in all respects. If I were not moving cities, I would have happily remained employed there.   

One of the most unsafe places to work. No WCB coverage, and different levels of workplace insurance coverage for part time and full time staff. 

The “benefits” for full time staff are 100% staff paid, so they do not truly come as a benefit. The insurance for part time employees is not advertised, and you will not get it if you don’t ask for the forms when you are hurt.

The management and supervisory staff are far from professional, FOIP is not a concept they value. They do not advocate for the youth in their care or the staff in their employ. Different youth receive different treatment, generally based on the involvement and income of parents, there is not one standard for care.

Very “cloak and dagger” when it comes to anything happening within the company.

Huge disparity between the hourly wages of part time and full time employees, and raises are not a thing - except when government mandated.

Frequently running out of food, hot water, and medications for the youth. Frequently running out of PPE for staff. Maintenance staff are not tradesmen, but frequently do work that they are not trained to do for the buildings where the children live. 

But the kids, the kids are great. The true highlight of the job. They are wonderful. And you will love them. And you will cry when they age out.

I would not recommend this place if you have other options.

 




This career suited my personality I do like to mention I am a spiritual person and that was very beneficial working in this career. Every day was a learning lesson for me. I received unconditional love from these clients which always felt great at the end of a shift and leaving home and self reflecting back to the day what each and everyone of the clients had taught me. And I always looked forward to start a new shift knowing that I am going to be lifted by these unique and loving clients. Also the humour these clients showed, so uplifting and never a dull moment in there company. Doing recreational activities with these clients and being involved with the entertainment.
I always got along with all of my co-workers, great communication and understanding and also come to agreements.
I always displayed a positive attitude because of my lifestyle and my positive attitude I have in life brings forward into my workplace.
The hardest part of the job was when we would have the clients out in public areas and having others ignorantly staring or and laughing, I found that very difficult to deal with but over time I learned that no matter what kind of illness a person may have there is always a stigma attached.

I am a former morning wake up staff. I worked at STA for about a year and definitely did not enjoy my time there. I didn't feel like there was a sense of belonging as most staff were cliquey. Management (supervisors specifically) was pretty good in 2017 but began to suck around October 2018. I wouldn't say they were incompetent but I felt super uncomfortable bringing up concerns I had. I constantly felt judged and felt a huge lack of support. I required a lot of support for difficult clients and always felt like other staff was rolling their eyes at me behind my back. I went home from work crying at least once a week because of how much anxiety this job gave me

Another thing that left me flabbergasted was the fact that part time employees weren't compensated for work related injuries. I lost track of how many concussions I had gotten on the job. Due to these concussions, I was forced to take unpaid time off, i missed out on recreational activities outside of work and fell behind on my bills. 

I would honestly never recommend this agency to anyone. Garbage pay, cliquey staff, horrible management, and no compensation for injuries 

Working frontline has been a really rewarding position as you get extensive training on behaviour modification guidelines as well as how to work with clients with severe autism. Everyday is alittle different and everyone is there because of the clients. This job is not meant for everyone but if you have passion, a positive attitude, and you are willing to learn, you will love this job.
Supervisors and management really try to improve team morale, however do to the challenging nature of working within a residential program and the stress associated with the job, they can be seen in a negative light by frontline staff.  
Lots of staff benefits and opportunities for time off. Stress management is an essential skill for this job! 
I move to a difference province for this job and I definately do not regret it! I have gained so many essential skills! 
If you like a challenge and the experience, I would highly reccomend!

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Therapist 2 salaries reported	$41,955 per year
Behavioral therapist 3 salaries reported	$48,333 per year
Program facilitator 2 salaries reported	$46,500 per year
Teacher 2 salaries reported	$52,500 per year
Receptionist 1 salary reported	$19.48 per hour

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