support worker

mental health technician

case manager

outreach worker

registered practical nurse

Canadian Mental Health Association

I have worked at CMHA for years now and it has been one of the worst experiences of my life. There is a sub culture of cliques and the gossiping is absolutely atrocious so always watch what you say as the work politics will DEFINITELY get around and you will be fired. They are constantly hiring because they cannot keep staff - high turnover is NOT good for a company as 'prestigious' as them. There are very few chances for progression within the company, especially in the Supportive Housing and Crisis departments. There is a hierarchy to this agency and they are not afraid to let you know. Managers are just that - they're business-like and don't understand their clientele or staff and expect your co-workers to go straight to management instead of actually telling you when they have an issue with you. It is an extremely toxic workplace. You are just a number to them and nothing more - they want full commitment from you but offer no loyalty. Furthermore, they never want to hire within the company. The permanent, full-time positions are always posted both internally and externally at the same time, which seems absolutely wrong. It logically makes sense to allow for internal applications in advance of externally posting the position. They always offer contract work, which does not provide benefits. Yes, there is a chance your contract can be extended. However, I can guarantee that you will not be hired full-time within a decent time span.

Be prepared to work a lot of overnights and weekends. If you have kids, good luck - you work shift work, so you will have to have a babysitter all the time.

They will also let you go without letting you know why. Do not expect a response if you ask for feedback in order to understand why you may not be a good fit for the agency. Management never gives concrete examples of behaviours you have done wrong. Furthermore, if you ask how to improve yourself, they will shrug off your question and essentially tell you to figure it out yourself or they cannot give concrete examples as it might reveal the person (staff or client) who complained about you.

Starting off my career as an HR Assistant for CMHA Durham was a great working experience. I felt really lucky I landed an opportunity with CMHA Durham just one month after I graduated University. 

CMHA Durham maintains a good reputation for strong work culture and advocates well on the importance of good mental health. However, they honestly need to work more on growth opportunities and stability for staff. Most jobs are unfortunately contract, with limited possibilities of extensions or becoming full-time permanent. They also underpay their staff for the work performed.

I saw an opportunity where I thought I can step in to advocate on becoming full-time permanent as the organization is understaffed and they were approved for receiving more funding in September 2023. As much as I advocated to management on my behalf in staying with CMHA Durham, they technically used the additional funds in creating more contract positions, and increasing pay for regular full-time staff and for themselves. 

I was quite upset leaving CMHA Durham when my contract ended because I did not feel I was heard or understood by management. They basically used the additional fundings to benefit themselves rather than to consider growing their organization or help the employees who need it most. 

Overall, a good organization to start your career. Staff are also very friendly. However, management should work on better decision-making and take feedback from their employees more into consideration than to brush them off. 

When I started with CMHA I was treated very well. They would accommodate my school schedule, and work around my time off and other volunteer commitments perfectly. I was with them for a number of years and when I informed my supervisor that I needed her reference to apply for another job, that is when things started to change.  I was no longer a priority and neither was the program I was running. I was given extra work projects and took on the duties of my other staff member that left with no extra pay or compensation. They give no benefits, no sick days, no mental health days. If you want to take any of those they go unpaid or you have to dip into your accrued vacation. The pay is on the lower end of the social services field, with no extra benefits whatsoever. It seemed like a fight to even get a paid day off to go do external training. 
Management would make decisions about my position and program without my input on how their decision would affect me, and when I informed them that I was burning out, nothing was done. I was left in the dark with a lot of things and had my knowledge and skills stepped on by management numerous times, making me feel not worthy and capable. 
I went on a medical leave for 8 weeks, and upon my return they had hired someone else for my position and put my in a back office doing assistant work. By law they do not have to give your position back, but they do have to give you comparable work and what I was given was not comparable. CMHA has been a great door agency for me in the social services field, and honestly I gained a lot from working with the clients and programs. However, if they treated their employees a bit better, and paid them what they are worth, I feel like a lot more people would stay. I also was not given an exit survey or interview for improvements.

Working at CMHA started off as a great place to work by working and learning so much from clients about their stories and personal journeys and struggles, but in regards to the job itself, it turned out to be a toxic working environment where certain people I worked with did not pull their weight, especially when getting paid the same amount and doing the same job. Management was not supportive and made a lot of "promises of change" when serious concerns where brought to the table about work equality and workplace toxicity, but never followed through and issues were swept under the rug. I was made to feel extremely guilty and my decision making ability was questioned about making the decision to leave finally after many years of dedication when the frustration and my mental health started to suffer immensely due to this toxic work environment. Because of this, I continually felt like I was a broken record when bringing the same issues to management and continually felt that my concerns were not heard nor valued, as nothing was ever done or followed up on. It was unfortunate that it ended the way it did, as I had dedicated so many years to a company whose values and mission I had so much respect for; however, when you can't treat your employees with the same respect as the clients you take care of, it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. Because at the end of the day, why I would invest my time and energy any further into a company that does not value me not only as an employee, but more importantly a human being.

Sometimes it varies it can be a high stress environment with all the behavioral concerns and sometimes the staff negativity can be overwhelming. There is a lot of staff turnover, and they throw going away parties for those that quit to move up in their career but anyone that gets fired it's just a subtle email saying this person no longer works for this company and we wish them all the best in their next endeavors. As for mental health days that are offered sure we are entirely grateful that we are guaranteed 12 mental health days a year, but they are all preloaded at the beginning of the year, so for single parents it is not beneficial at all, if your child gets sick and you have no one to take care of them then you have to use your mental health days all at once, and then when you're sick or need a mental health day to decompress you have nothing available and it comes out of your vacation time, not to mention if you use all your sick days before the year is over and quit then you are expected to pay those days back to the company. The pay is fairly low for the work the staff does and the safety and concern for the staff is not a high priority. I do love the work we do for the clients and being able to give them a place to call home, but there should be the goal of transitioning out of supportive housing and not just staying there permanently and education should be offered to the clients as well.

I would advise against applying for any position that is within this company.  It is very poorly run in many ways; but a few of the most poignant reasons would be that management typically works in different offices than you would work in, and therefore, they are continuously receiving feedback from your peers and basing their opinions on you by what they hear.  There is no union, therefore no job security.  They will dismiss or suspend you with no prior write ups, no matter the severity of the case you find yourself in.  There is no support for the mental health or well being of their staff - though they often try to make it seem like they care, they are actually gathering information against you so that you are easy to dismiss should someone better come along.  On top of this, the work culture is "cliquey."  If you're not in, you're out.  Whenever you bring new ideas to the table, they are either shot down or taken over by someone else looking for praise.  This is an organization that claims to put clients first but often allows them to fall to the wayside while they worry mostly about their budget agendas and how they can gain more funding.  Truthfully, a part of me was destroyed in working for this company and I would never recommend anyone take a job here.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Everyone who works at CMHA - from receptionists to psychiatrists - cares deeply about mental health, and they have an awareness and sensitivity to mental health in clients and staff alike - which truly makes for a warm work environment.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Low pay for the high-demand job that often requires crisis intervention with escalated clients.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Welcoming, open, learning, growth-mindset, accommodating to staff and clients alike, advocacy for wellness, family-like feeling; bright and modern open-concept office space

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
30mins of time prep time for the day; 
30-60 mins morning meeting with interdisciplinary team; 
30-60 minutes of care planning and interventions prep;
Decision to work in the community or the office for the day; planning client visits (eg. phone calls or visits);
15-45mins distributing clients' medication to staff for appropriate clients;
30-60mins lunch;
60-180 mins client visits, assessments and interventions, possible crisis interventions;
30-60 mins documentation and email reporting if needed

This job has had it's ups and downs, but it is constantly being adapted to be a better place to work. Things don't always work the they they are supposed to, but they aren't stuck that way. I have learned as a medical and mental health professional how to set boundaries, when and what to self-disclose, how to tell people to knock it off when they are being inappropriate, how to de-escalate people, and how to handle difficult situations with medical emergencies, threats of violence, and environment crisis. The hardest thing is often not only seeing people die in traumatic ways, but having to guard them and their belongings from those wanting to take advantage of their corpse. But, on the opposite end, you also get to see people grow, learn, and benefit from your help and better their lives from their lowest point, even overdose, and that happens far more often with competent people working here. 

A typical week at work is preparing for the groups that I facilitate, advocate and crisis intervention, assist with case management clients, attend team meetings, assisting clients with life skills.
I learned that what we bring to our clients we serve is vital in assisting them in their own abilities through strength-based approach and positive self talk and seeing the individual in their own environment.
you need to manage your time with your own day to day schedule and sometimes have too at a moment notice change the plans you have for the day, due to other staff needing assistance or coverage, your clients need assistance.
I feel that your co-workers as a team make the difference in supporting everyone's role in the agency.
the hardest part of the job is dealing with manic individuals.
the most enjoyable part of the job is working with your clients on a day to day basis, and the co-workers trying to help keep things light due to the job can be stressful.
It is important to maintain self-care, because self-care for yourself allows you to be in a positive state to help your clients.

I have found this job to be a hard adjustment at first due to now complex situations get, however I enjoy coming into work everyday. The work culture is great exnay one person, and they’re inclusive and even add their pronouns to their signature on emails, they are amazing with policies related to body modification such as piercings, dyed hair, tattoos etc. allow casual dress instead of business attire and have decent benefits. The most important part is your clients/ tenants however and I love my tenants, we do lots of activities together and I enjoy their time and character. The tenants at my location rock! I’ve learned a lot and now am better able to help them at my job, I know their personalities, I know what they like and we can work towards. A positive relationship together. The staff work together during descalation and share roles during situations of crisis, and divy up shift roles and tasks instead of piling it on the next person. I wish the pay was better but that’s all :). 10 hour shifts fly by here, afternoons are great and I hate the day shift just due to the time. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Support worker 77 salaries reported	$26.49 per hour
Mental health technician 67 salaries reported	$35.94 per hour
Case manager 56 salaries reported	$30.03 per hour
Outreach worker 18 salaries reported	$30.37 per hour
Registered practical nurse 26 salaries reported	$33.63 per hour

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