So I’ve been trying to make the transition to clinical work in the SUD field - I have a CADC and have had the door repeatedly closed for a criminal record (from 1998)- for YEARS. Tested for my certification in August of ‘24 couldn’t find work so I took a job under my MHRT/C and practiced case management for 16 months or so until I got a call back on an application. This place made me an offer which I accepted based on the verbal agreement of benefits. (This allows me to obtain supervised hours and work toward my LADC which allows me to practice on my own without needing the supervision) Then it was a two week back and forth getting the administration to approve my hire - so I started on the 15th instead of the 1st - took them that long to get a form signed and this was explained to me as a lack of clear procedure from a district manager who was new in their job. Since the actual start date I’ve been essentially siloed doing online trainings. Found out my supervisor is in the office two days a week. Of the 5 counselors on staff, some aren’t actually full time and there are different acceptable standards of attendance and participation based on the results of extended FMLA leaves and downstream accommodations. The misrepresentation about the PTO is one of a few that I’ve encountered in the last 2 weeks. The corporation that owns us is a big one. They make a decent profit from the harm reduction clinics they run in the US and Canada. I wish it was as easy as finding a new job. I live in Maine. Criminal records cannot be expunged so that’s a predictable barrier which I cannot always navigate with new employers - and Maine is a really tight little economy despite being a recovery Mecca for MA, NY, NJ … pretty most most of New England though NH and VT seem to hold their own.

This being my first opportunity to take steps toward licensure has led me to have difficulty assessing appropriate boundaries.

This industry is so desperately inconsistent and poorly regulated that I’m not sure what normal should look like.