Has anyone ever worked as an overnight-residential counselor at group home? (interview, profit)

[Chris M]

Has anyone ever worked at at a group home? I am interested in work that would genuinely help people, but am not sure of the job duties and risks of the job as I have not had the interview yet.

On the website, it said that some of the clients may be youth with fire setter, sexual abusing, behavioral disorders and emotional disturbances. Should I infer that this is similar to being a watchperson at a correctional facility?

If anyone has any good or bad experiences, I would appreciate your thoughts. Thank you.

[brightdoglover]

Overnight counselor at a rezzie (residence) varies completely in duties and safety issues, depending on the residents and administration.
My feeling about residence clients are, they are one incident/deterioration away from being in-patients in hospitals, and you wouldn't want to be the only staff member with inpatients. I'd be wary of being the only night counselor for any psychiatric group home.
If the residence is within a hospital setting (as it is where I work) there are other staff and security nearby for any problem, and a doctor on grounds at all times. If it's a free-standing residence, by all means, ask about back-up people, procedures for medical or psychiatric emergencies, and so on.
A friend of mine worked nights at a mentally retarded adult male house. She had a lockable room and was allowed to sleep at night. She did have to get some things going in the morning (help guys get dressed, etc.) and keep a log about any incontinence, etc. She certainly never felt unsafe with that population.
Adolescents can be the most volatile psychiatric population. However, they virtually all sleep at night, in my (inpatient) experience. They are usually not diagnostically mentally ill in the residence- not psychotic or manic or such- but are often depressed/acting out. They can be the most impulsive, and that can mean violent.However, they usually sleep at night, since they are unlikely to have frank acute mental illness.
I'd be wary of any state DYS or something. Often, kids are in such places and have a diagnosis of depression, but have gotten into state supervision for more severe acting out, like violence.
Would it be possible to work some day or evening shifts in a facility where you might be working nights, to get a sense of how the staff operates and how the clients are while awake, so you can better assess safety issues?
Good on ya for wanting to help people, but of course, you can't help anyone if you're not safe. And if you're not safe, neither are they.
Feel free to direct mail me. I work as a night RN in a big psychiatric hospital, and have worked at other places where safety was more of an issue.

[Jlyn5669]

A guy I see, works at night for a boys group home. He seems to enjoy it. He doesn't have any problems. He says the boys sleep through the night, he is there with about 3 other counselors.

The only time he has ever mentioned any kind of discord, is when they get a new boy. The kids are curious and kind of wound up, but other than that, he enjoys it. He has been at the same place for 5 years.

[Chris M]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

Overnight counselor at a rezzie (residence) varies completely in duties and safety issues, depending on the residents and administration.
My feeling about residence clients are, they are one incident/deterioration away from being in-patients in hospitals, and you wouldn't want to be the only staff member with inpatients. I'd be wary of being the only night counselor for any psychiatric group home.
If the residence is within a hospital setting (as it is where I work) there are other staff and security nearby for any problem, and a doctor on grounds at all times. If it's a free-standing residence, by all means, ask about back-up people, procedures for medical or psychiatric emergencies, and so on.
A friend of mine worked nights at a mentally retarded adult male house. She had a lockable room and was allowed to sleep at night. She did have to get some things going in the morning (help guys get dressed, etc.) and keep a log about any incontinence, etc. She certainly never felt unsafe with that population.
Adolescents can be the most volatile psychiatric population. However, they virtually all sleep at night, in my (inpatient) experience. They are usually not diagnostically mentally ill in the residence- not psychotic or manic or such- but are often depressed/acting out. They can be the most impulsive, and that can mean violent.However, they usually sleep at night, since they are unlikely to have frank acute mental illness.
I'd be wary of any state DYS or something. Often, kids are in such places and have a diagnosis of depression, but have gotten into state supervision for more severe acting out, like violence.
Would it be possible to work some day or evening shifts in a facility where you might be working nights, to get a sense of how the staff operates and how the clients are while awake, so you can better assess safety issues?
Good on ya for wanting to help people, but of course, you can't help anyone if you're not safe. And if you're not safe, neither are they.
Feel free to direct mail me. I work as a night RN in a big psychiatric hospital, and have worked at other places where safety was more of an issue.

I appreciate you sharing your experience with me, brightdoglover. I have a group interview tomorrow and wasn't sure what to expect. I was seeking a career change in which my effort would actually help people instead of just helping a company profit.

My dad was a manager for a store until I was a teenager, then he went into insurance. I always dreamed of working a store like my father, which I did. I enjoy the social aspect of the store, but want to have a more meaningful position.

Thanks again.

[Chris M]

Originally Posted by Jlyn5669

A guy I see, works at night for a boys group home. He seems to enjoy it. He doesn't have any problems. He says the boys sleep through the night, he is there with about 3 other counselors.

The only time he has ever mentioned any kind of discord, is when they get a new boy. The kids are curious and kind of wound up, but other than that, he enjoys it. He has been at the same place for 5 years.

Thank you, Jlyn5669, I appreciate your insight.

[brightdoglover]

There are lots of ways to "help people" other than taking a job in the psychiatric field, or relying on helping to make a living/get benefits.

I tutored refugees in survival English for a period of time.It was most interesting, and certainly helped people (as a volunteer). In the future, I hope to work with English as a Second Language for refugees/immigrants (poor people) and maybe tutoring for the citizenship exam. Right now, my "helping" job is ruining my life and health (third shift in a psychiatric hospital) and I have no energy for helping in a volunteer capacity, however, I certainly am making enough money to support charitable causes that I care about (only a few involve people!)
There are many many ways to be a positive force other than 1) making al living at it and needing benefits and 2) being involved in psychiatric work. Think of something that just plain interests you, and how you could do it as a volunteer. A writer/editor friend of mine goes to the city hospital and reads to children in the waiting room, assuming they are well enough and/or are waiting with an adult, or for an adult. Another person I know goes to the newborn nursery at a city hospital and holds babies who have been abandoned there. She really likes babies and wants to "help people."
I have a bias against doing anything you love for a living. It tends to act against the love and pleasure when you have to do it to pay your bills/get benefits/put up with B.S. to "help." With volunteering, you can cream off the positives and not have to deal with the negatives.
Also, rezzie counselors, as far as I know, earn low salaries, which could eat away at any well-meaning person.
A lot of artists/musicians types work part-time at a rezzie for pro-rated health insurance, which is a real plus for these jobs, as it is for hospital jobs.
Best wishes- the desire to help people is one of the better points of human nature, at least, your human nature! But a psych job isn't the only way to do it. Best wishes.

[christina0001]

I've worked in group homes for both children and adults w/ mental illness, and loved it. I found it very rewarding. It is not like being a watchman at a correctional facility. Ideally the kids will be in bed for most of your shift, but it is possible you will get to spend time with them at the beginning and end of your shift. In my experience, these kids are not bad but have grown up with no rules, no structure, parents who should not have had kids. The kids do best with staff who are kind, but firm. When you are new, and when the kid is new, they will do everything they can to see how far they can go to break the rules. Be consistent, firm, and patient...and you will make a big difference in their day and their lives. Yes, there is risk...pay attention when you are given safety training, and take the time to read the charts, see what each resident's warning signs and triggers are. Don't let yourself get blocked into a corner. I spent 4 years in residential, saw countless crisis but was blessed to never be injured, and never had anyone injured on my shift (other than self-injury). Ideally you will receive plenty of on-the-job training and will work with other counselors who have lots of experience. The only other advice I can give is to have very strict personal boundaries. Do not share any, or very little, personal information about yourself. It sounds odd, but somehow it will almost always come back to bite you if you do.
Best of luck to you. I am looking for part time work and have applied at a few residential facilities myself. Yes the pay is bad, but I really enjoyed it, plus I need a job that will give me flexibility with my schedule and I know I'll get it there. IMO second shift is the best, that is when everyone is home, you get to go through the daily PM routine (dinner, activities, bathing, meds, bedtime, etc.) and the time flies by...I think the best part is seeing your residents change for the better, and you see that more with the kids than with the adults.
Let us know how your interview goes.