Pros
-This place puts a large emphasis on implementing evidence based interventions. They will take the time to help you learn DBT, CBT, and ACT before they put you out there in front of clients. In general, this model of treatment seems effective. -The pay is far better than other entry level, post master's positions (especially compared to community mental health positions). -The hours are AMAZING. Monday through Friday, roughly 8ish to 4ish. Great for worklife balance.
Cons
-First and foremost, this place is white, white, white. Every clinician except for one on my team is white-- and you can sense the effects. The team mostly comes from similar backgrounds, and it makes the work environment feel... stale? I was not used to this as a social worker. -Speaking of, this is way more of a mental health/ counseling/ therapy job than social work. There is no community work here, it is all veryyy contained within the walls of the clinic located in one of Chicago's most suburban-esque neighborhoods. -They only take private insurance for clients!! It's really weird to be a social worker employed at somewhere that does not provide services to all clients. -People are stressed here, which is odd because the actual scope of responsibilities is not huge. However, there is a lot of pressure to perform things "the compass way." Group therapists tend to feel really underappreciated (this is always the case with folks at the lower end of the hierarchy, but still worth noting). -They are expanding rapidly, and the recruiting team does an excellent job getting you started right away-- BUT it feels like its expanding too quickly. It does not feel like Compass has all of the infrastructure in place to do this effectively. Many teams are made up almost entirely of people who have been there for under a year. This makes the whole thing feel like its built on a foundation of shifting sand. -Overall, the vibe is just weird, due to the stuff mentioned above. Seems like a good place to be for a bit, but it is hard to imagine staying there long term.