Pros
There is a vast amount of experience to be had if you can stick it out long enough to learn. A small percentage of families we serve are actually amenable to receiving help and will make some positive changes. You'll meet some amazing, generous people who genuinely do want to help families and think (erroneously) this is the way to accomplish it.
Cons
I've worked with Youth Villages for five years as an intercept counselor (or intervention specialist, or whatever we're calling it these days). During that five years, opportunities for growth and advancement have been extremely limited because management and administration are built, almost entirely, on office politics, cliques better suited to middle schoolers, and women that clearly didn't get enough of being the mean girls when they were younger. If you don't want to play the game, you're never going to get anywhere. Frequently, the people in charge will have less education and experience than you, but they'll have better connections and social positioning, which is clearly what this company values. You will be expected to work long, long days without support, recognition, or compensation. You will be expected to drive all over creation to meet with families that may or may not want your help, and you may be asked to literally stalk these people if they don't seem immediately on board with services. Paperwork and deadlines are ridiculous, and again, don't expect anyone to give you help, or cut you a break. Just because you worked until midnight is no excuse for not staying up a few more hours to complete paperwork. You do have vacation that you can take, but you had better be prepared to work twice as hard before and after you plan to take off in order to make sure all tasks are accomplished and your clients are safe and settled, because no one is picking up the slack while you're gone. The bottom line, whether or not you like it, is money. Administration will endorse a lot of questionable ethics in order to keep clients, exploit insurance companies, and to make sure the numbers are still looking good regardless of whether or not they're reflecting reality. There is a very, very high value placed on sounding positive and being "strength-focused," even at the expense of admitting that some things are impossible to accomplish, that the job is stressful, and that the reality of some clients' situations means that we're not the best fit for getting them the help they need. Long story short? If you have absolutely zero clinical experience and you're fresh out of school, have no children or spouse or outside responsibilities, this isn't a bad place to start. You'll gain a lot of experience quickly. This isn't, however, a long term career option unless you're willing to manipulate your way into administration by playing the game. Get in, learn some valuable lessons, and get out before you burn out.