Rewarding Job with a lot of risks. Inadequate support for employees. Not a sustainable career.
Pros
Pay is decent considering no college degree is required. Many of the clients really want to recover and are great to work with. Helping difficult clients turn their behavior around is an unforgettable, albeit rare, experience. Few jobs offer more of an opportunity to impact the lives of at risk youth. KP takes a trauma informed approach and genuinely works to understand the client rather than simply punish and isolate them. Some of your coworkers are absolute saints who go above and beyond and truly love their job.
Cons
The hospital is often understaffed and many days even a full compliment of staff is usually inadequate given the acuity. High turnover rates lead to many MHTs receiving inconsistent training, which leads to inconsistent management of the units, which leads to really angry and confused adolescents. MHTs are often scapegoats for administrators. If an intervention isn't working it seems like we are blamed even if lack of resources or support is the main culprit. Security camera coverage is inadequate which leaves staff at risk of falling victim to false claims of abuse. I absolutely sense that KP would sacrifice a tech before risking themselves as a whole. The documentation system is extremely non-intuitive and techs are expected to finish all of their documentation on an active unit during their shift in addition to other responsibilities. Not all of your coworkers are a good fit. Some MHTs spend more time yelling than they do actually listening to clients. Other MHTs seem to spend more time smoking cigarettes outside than they do helping you out. It's rare but there are days where I feel like a client could beat me to death and the rest of my team will just watch. Techs are expected to run "psychoeducational groups" which range from non-therapeutic time wasting activities to therapy like group discussions. This really should be handled by somebody with a masters or PhD. The vast majority of groups are led by people with high school diplomas who are just winging it. You'll experience the downsides of mental healthcare that every single inpatient facility in the USA faces. Lack of funding, overworked staff, inadequate outpatient resources, family members who just do not seem to care about the patient. KP can't take all the blame here.