Bournewood Health Systems

Mental Health Counselor

May - July 2022 • Chestnut Hill, MA

What I liked

The patients were wonderful people. Some coworkers were willing to help others learn and provide constructive criticism and feedback. The training included a lot on trauma-informed care, even though it only lasted a week.

What I wish was different

I promise I'm not usually the type of person to complain excessively about where they work, but I really don't recommend working at Bournewood. One of my coworkers discriminated against me for having a disability, and then I was punished for it. There was an atmosphere of constant competition, and many coworkers wanted you to fail so that they would look better in comparison. I was targeted from the beginning because they didn't want me to stay long enough to receive my retention bonus. Every time I got feedback from my supervisors, it was destructive, vague, and unclear as to what I could've done better. A coworker gave me his phone number while I was trying to work, and on a later occasion asked me why I hadn't called him. There were lots of little things like that, but in general, it's a toxic environment where no one wants anyone but themself to succeed. I also am nonbinary and use they/them pronouns, and I've had multiple coworkers debate me on whether my identity is valid or not and tell me that it was a mental illness. No one working for Bournewood used they/them pronouns for me.

Advice

If you're queer or disabled, don't work here at all. Don't even think about it. If you're not, don't work on the Khan unit. I know that's where they'll put you as soon as you get hired, but you need to transfer somewhere else as soon as you can.

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