Learned a lot, would not recommend to anyone. - Youth Counselor Plaid House Employee Review

This is the perfect place to gain experience for anyone looking to be in the social work/counseling field. After working here for almost 8 years, I gained more knowledge than I could ever imagine. The social workers in the building are very knowledgeable and are always teaching/helping the younger staff. Working with adolescents is not easy, and this is no different, but Plaid House is fun, challenging, and supportive. It is a small non-profit, which means everyone works as a team and coworkers are huge support systems. The residents can be extremely difficult, or extremely fun! Everyone who works here, from the executive director down to the youth counselors, should be proud of the work they do. I will always cherish the many years I spent working for Plaid House, and will continue to keep the connections I’ve made.

Plaid house is open 24/7, and needs to be staffed at all times. Therefor scheduling is often a big challenge. If you intend to work in residential, this is one obstacle to occasionally get through. Coworkers help each other out, so no one gets burnt out. Sometimes schedules have to be changed last minute to help accommodate the program, but staff needs are always kept in mind as well.

The coworkers are great and having 3 days off a week is amazing

1. Difficult residents to manage. Residents often make threats against staff and even try to get physical with them. 1. Management does not protect staff or help them feel safer when working with the difficult kids. They often disregard communicating with staff and will instead suspend or fire staff without a conversation first. 3. Plan to have frequent meetings with police and making trips to the hospital. 4. Also be prepared for longer hours than you expect, or to even get stuck doing a double if someone calls out and nobody can fill in. 5. You will be doing physical labor in the winter when it snows.