Pluspunten
As an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT), my time at Lightfully Behavioral Health provided significant clinical experience. I gained confidence running therapy groups, worked with high-acuity clients, and appreciated the camaraderie of the staff at the Brentwood Residential location. The pay was fair, and I accrued supervised hours quickly, which was a plus.
Minpunten
My overall experience was compromised by several challenges. Despite the appeal of a four-day workweek, I quickly experienced burnout due to the overwhelming documentation demands. The company seemed to pressure therapists to emphasize client struggles while downplaying their progress to justify extended stays and secure additional insurance approvals. While this approach occasionally made sense in a residential setting, applying it as a blanket protocol felt unethical and raised significant concerns about the company’s values and culture. Leadership was inconsistent and with the high staff turnover, challenges arose. My onboarding process was unstructured and inadequate, largely due to leadership changes, and I often found myself struggling to perform tasks I hadn’t been properly trained for. Despite support from my colleagues, the lack of guidance from the substitute Director of Operations (DCOs) made it difficult to fully understand my role and responsibilities. One major concern was a poorly handled 90-day review, which felt overly critical and dismissive of my successes and progress since starting the job. This review ultimately led to my unexpected termination without warning- leaving me unable to provide closure to my clients or say goodbye to my coworkers. This decision felt unexpected, unethical, and unprofessional, especially given the nature of our work with vulnerable clients. Team morale was consistently low, which further impacted my experience. While small gestures, like coffee from the program manager, were appreciated, the company did little to foster team building or offer opportunities to strengthen relationships among coworkers. This lack of support contributed to the overall sense of burnout and dissatisfaction. While some AMFTs might have a different experience, several former (and current) colleagues shared similar stories about the organization’s problematic culture and leadership. Based on my experience, I would not recommend Lightfully to other AMFTs unless significant improvements are made in leadership, ethics, and employee support.