“I just got fired,” I said to my husband. My stomach was in knots and I thought I was worthless. August 2014 marks the final days of my 9-5 life. I realized I mention the fact that I got fired twice in a month, but have never really shared what happened during that time in my life. For brevity sake, I am going to split this into a few posts. Today will be the story of how I got fired, then I will show how to handle getting fired, and lessons learned from getting fired in the coming weeks!
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How I Got Fired From My Dream Job
I remember like it was yesterday… November 2013, I still had two semesters worth of credits for my master's degree when I landed my dream job as a substance abuse/mental health counselor at a local treatment center. The treatment center was my dream center. It was in a great location, beautiful, invested into their staff training, and I thought a great place to work. My first day I saw the clinical director blow up on another staff member in the morning meeting. Telling him to F*@# off as she stormed out of the room flipping him the bird. I should've known then what I was in for.
Instead, I chalked it up to him being a prickly character and her going through a rough time. As the months passed by, one by one I watched a my co-workers quit or get fired. Literally, every single month I was there someone from my immediate team was fired or quit. A few months in, I realized I was one of the more senior staff members. I couldn't help but think, “How did this even happen?!? I'm not even done with my degree yet… I am still waitressing on the weekends! WTF is going on?!” I started to get this feeling that I was next in the line of fire.
Next In The Line Of Fire
Sure enough, the passive aggressive quips in the morning meeting began turning towards me. Late night emails and the demand to always be available continued to grow. My caseload was three times larger than the other therapists on the team. I was overworked, underpaid, and beginning to feel unsafe by the way I was being treated and talked to. I did what anyone with anxiety and a history of trauma would do: I began to withdraw.
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Every night I struggled to fall asleep. When I did fall asleep, it was disturbed by work related nightmares. I awake in a pool of sweat, with knots in my stomach. The feeling of dread grew each morning as I dressed and headed to work. Cried in my office and between group sessions. I started to think I needed to quit.
Obviously, I was going through a rough time at work, and in my personal life, things were also pretty unsettled. Per her request, I took a couple of days to take care of my mental health… A couple of months later, I was in my HR file for something and found an email that was printed to the executive team where she was laying ground work to fire me for my instability around that time.
The Moment I Realized It Wasn't In My Head
A few weeks after that, I got a text message to go to her office. Something had happened with one of my client's parents that caused my boss to snap. She hysterically cried in my arms about the struggles she's had as a woman in a leadership role. While I empathized with her in that moment, what she said next sent chills down my spine. As I continued to hold her in my arms and she choked out the tears and between sobs said, “I am so sorry I am so tough on you, I have a lot of countertransference issues with you and it's hard for me.”
For the non-therapists in the house: counter transference means she is having a strong emotional response to me since she sees so much of herself in me. Someone experiencing counter transference has difficulty being objective, and often times will project their own experiences, thoughts, and feelings onto another person.
Awkwardly, I excused myself to go to my lunchtime yoga class and let her pull herself back together. The anxiety continued to rise each day for the next few weeks. Things continued to get worse. She called me into a a meeting with the other female therapists where she stated she was concerned about my emotional well being and basically “staffed” me.
Staffing
In the treatment world you often “staff” a patient is has gone off the rails or is about to engage in a harmful activity. The entire clinical team sits down with them to give them feedback. It's supposed to be a very “come to Jesus” moment and push them to a breaking point where they can rebuild themselves and make progress forward rather than continuing the regression. It's a practice I rarely agreed with while working in the industry.
Setting Boundaries
When I realized what was happening, I excused myself from the meeting. The other two therapists came up to me saying how embarrassed and awkward they felt. How absurd and unprofessional the entire exercise was. Even writing this right now, I have knots in my stomach about that day. The anxiety and tensions continued to get worse and worse.
At this point, almost every day I had a staff member or client come up to me asking what was happening with her, and why she had it out for me. Finally I decided I needed to set some clear boundaries with her. I wrote out what I was going to say and practiced it with my husband for weeks. I wanted to remove all emotion from it and stick to the facts of what has been done, what I needed from her going forward.
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D-Day
The day finally came, where I shared with her what I needed to move forward as a “positive member of an interdisciplinary team” (the feedback she had been giving me for weeks). She immediately became defensive, cut me off, and tried to transfer me to another one of the companies offices. I really loved my clients and teammates so I didn't want to switch facilities. I just wanted her to act professional towards me and for things to go back to how they were. She denied ever saying the piece about her transference issues with me. I avoided getting into a she-said-she-said exchange, and moved forward. I thought we had talked it out enough that we were in a good place…
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… until a week later when we magically had a new therapist on staff (when we weren't hiring). I knew she hired him to replace me, so I began putting feelers out for a new job. A couple of weeks later she invited us all out for a team lunch. My co-worker and I were already eating so I said “thank you, but I didn't bring my wallet today,” to which she replied she'd pay for me. My other co-workers replied with the same message as I did, to which she replied “ok! Enjoy your lunch” I begged my co-worker to head over to the restaurant with me anyway.
The Final Day I Got Fired
We ate lunch, and walked back together while the rest of the staff drove. We knew one of us was next up to get fired (she had been having difficulties similar to mine but not to the same level). I joked it was me and that lunch was just “fattening me up for the slaughter.” She said “no way, she loves you, you're here mini me!”
Fast forward three days. I left during lunch to interview for a new company and got the job! I went back to work that afternoon when my boss came into my office. She had no idea about the interview. She sat me down with another staff member present and said that she was letting me go due to “maturity” and that I was “too unhappy” there.
I packed up my office and felt completely ashamed. Even though I had another job secure, my ego was crushed. Knowing what she had put in my HR file, and the ground work she had been laying, I couldn't help but worry what other's would think of me.
As a side note, I heard through the rumor mill several months later (and several fired/quit employees later) that the company did an internal investigation and the reviewer ruled my bosses uncared for mental health issues were the cause of the toxic workplace and she was let go.
The Industry I Worked In…
Since I had already told the new job I couldn't start right away (I had to give notice), I decided to not jump right into work. Instead, I took a little time to decompress from all the drama. Before I get into what happened with this second job, I want to make something clear, the substance use disorder treatment industry has a very dirty underbelly. Particularly where I live, “The Rehab Capital of America.” People actually will buy and sell patients, a practice known as “patient brokering,” to rip off insurance agencies. The center I had just left was very ethical and a great place. I thought my new employer was too…
My First Day At The New Job
Until I got there. Within hours of being in the offices I put together a census. They fact they didn't even have a patient census before I got there should've been my first red flag. Looking at the census, I quickly realized why: it was clear they were involved in some shadys. I knew the CEO for years and always knew her to be an upstanding ethical woman in recovery. Embarrassed and ashamed that I had been referring fragile women her, I confronted her.
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Let's just say, I can get a little too passionate on certain topics. The conversation didn't go well. I told her to go F*#$ herself and tried to quit that day. She convinced me stay saying, “this is why we hired you,” promising they wanted my help with turning it around.
… And then I was fired again
Over the next couple of weeks, a few power struggles and ego spats later, I found myself fired again. Basically, they weren't as ready to hand over the reigns and clean up there act as they claimed that day. I was a little too aggressive in wanting everything to change over night and they were a little too slow with wanting nothing to change at all. Ultimately power struggle came to a head when they wanted me to sign an HR document that was completely untrue. I told them I wouldn't purger myself and they could fire me. And they did.
That time, IDGAF. I was honestly relieved. I was so embarrassed to work there. To this day, I've never put that job on my resume, linkedin profile, or anywhere. I had a good reputation in the community and the day I left I made them sign a document they would remove me from all marketing materials (website, pamphlets, social media, etc.) within 24 hours. I erased them and they erased me and we never crossed paths again.
Surrendering
Later that week, I got a call from a colleague saying they heard I was on the market again and offering me a job. This time, I turned it down.
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I finally realized, it wasn't a bad boss or a bad facility making me miserable. Looking around at my co-workers and mentors, I realized they were all miserable in their personal lives. I am forever grateful for both of these experiences, but especially for the boss in my original story. I once admired her, but never want to become her. She was a catalyst for figuring out my life. While I loved my job and my clients, I kept telling myself I couldn't quit because I couldn't leave them in the middle of their journey. I needed to get fired, twice, to finally figure out what I was meant to do.
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Wow! A good boss can really make or break a work experience. I had trouble with a supervisor like that. She ended up physically abusing an employee and got fired. I took her place. That job was awesome after she was gone and I’m still in communication with the owner. I’m struggling at work right now because I LOVE my supervisors, but my HR team is incredibly difficult. It’s challenging to work in a place where your supervisor wants to see you succeed, but HR stands in your way.
I really enjoyed reading this. I was actually “terminated” from my “dream job” last year. I was only there a few months, but I found out that I was pregnant and told my new boss right away. I was assured it would not be an issue. Well, as soon as I filled out all of the related leave paperwork I was told that since I was in my probationary period, things “just weren’t working out”. They did not give me a solid reason, but I knew the reason since it has been only one day since I turned in pregnancy leave papers. Since I live in a right to work state, worked for a bunch of attorneys, and I was within a probationary period they didn’t HAVE to have a reason. I was devastated, but really looking back I wasn’t happy with the job and it was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me.
I’m literally cry laughing reading this… Not because it’s funny, but because I just went through something so similar it’s scary. Ugh… Where the hell do they find these crazy bosses? I’m sorry you went through that… So very sorry.
Haha girl, I get it! I cried laughed most of the days I was living it too! I am so sorry you went through something so similar!! I’m truly grateful for the experience today, and learned a lot about what I do and don’t want in a career, haha but boy am I happy those days are over!
Wow, great post. I’ve had a job like that before where it was a nightmare to go in and face people there. At first I was afraid to leave for some reason but after awhile I realized I couldn’t stay at a place that made me that miserable. Sometimes getting fired is not the worst thing.
Bad bosses and companies can make for such a hostile work environment. Thanks for letting all of us into your situation so we can hopefully learn a little bit ourselves.
Sounds like both times being fired were actually blessings! Thank goodness you’re not stuck with those toxic people!
-Nicholle
Sounds like a blessing in disguise. Great story and I’m glad you learned something from it.
Great story. It is very inspiring to have people share there struggles and lessons learned. It just goes to show how far you can go from adversity .
SUCH a crazy, yet amazing story! I can’t imagine the ups and downs you must have felt but everything definitely does happen for a reason – and now look at where you are with your *awesome* blog! 😉 You learned a lot and that’s what’s most important!
I’m so glad you shared this story Rachel! I think it’s so important for people to know that just because you get fired, it doesn’t mean YOU are the problem and there’s got to be something better out there. And not only that, but you’ve found a way to become successful despite of it all. You already know how much you inspire me and how much I look up to you but I just have to say it again… this is so so amazing and I’m so glad you shared your story. PS the rehab situation in Delray is so sickening. There were quite a few rehabs and half way houses out in the Lake Ida neighborhood that basically scammed my mom and got her to relapse while in a half way house and then she’d have to go back to rehab and start all over.
This story is so crazy but I’m so thankful that you shared it! I think it’s such a good lesson for everyone to learn, hopefully sooner rather than later. I’m really looking forward to the rest of these posts!
Tori
I had goosebumps the whole time I was reading this! Your story is SO inspiring to so many people out there. I’m so glad all of the craziness led to where you are today! <3
Wow, your first job situation sounds so frustrating because of your bosses actions. Bosses can either be amazing or awful haha. I have had my fair share of both.
Wow, you went through so much craziness! It’s so sad that there are such insecure people in high leadership roles that take things out on good employees. At least you have turned your two experiences into something bigger and better.
What a great story! I’m so happy to hear that you stood up for yourself and what you believe in!!
Well that was a very commendable story! I can relate to you with dealing with a work environment that is unbearable. One of the many reasons why I left my last job. I’m glad that you came on top and that you learned a lot from your experience. It just makes you stronger in the long run!
Wow! What an experience. I’m sorry you had to go through all the trauma of working in that sort of environment. I guess you can only look at it as “an experience” that helped you grow!
I quit twice in the space of a few years, both times it was a spur of the moment thing because I was being paid less than the men in the same role while being given a physically, mentally and emotionally larger work role. It was almost as if the jobs were designed for me to quit, there was no physical way a human could do what they were asking of me and I was one of the lowest paid staff members.
Entrepreneurship has been an environment of growth and flourishing for me. I am capable of taking on a tremendous workload as long as the pay matches and it’s on my terms.
Thanks so much for sharing your journey and helping to take away some of the stigma that goes with being fired.
Thank you, thank you for sharing your story. I’m experiencing something sort of similar – only in reverse(?) I’ve been looking for a job consistently since April and have applied to just under 100 places. I’ve had several interviews, an offer at one place, but nothing stuck. At first, I felt like perhaps my problem was that I was shooting too high. After receiving an offer to answer phones in a call-center environment for $15 an hour working incredibly long shifts, weekends and holidays, I knew that something wasn’t adding up. Now I’m starting to broaden my horizons and look for freelance work doing something I truly love, writing. It’s not easy, like I imagine the beginning of your journey once out of the industry, but it feels good.
Wow what insane stories! I am so sorry that happened to you!
I’ve never been fired but I can so relate to your stories about a toxic work environment either way! I feel like you and I get each other because of our backgrounds in mental health, although I never worked in substance abuse. I know that can be an entirely different world in itself. The lesson I learned about you here is that you are incredibly resilient and self-aware! So glad you were able to leave those unhealthy environments and start working in a field where you so completely shine!
Wow! What a story! That is completely insane. I am sorry that happened to you, but I know it also propelled you to where you are (and who you are) now, and I am glad you are now doing something you love that doesn’t involve all the bull crap!
Great story! Thanks for sharing w/fellow millennials!
Finding optimal working environments are extremely important to professional growth. i’m glad you were able to overcome this adversity.
This is such a great and important story for everyone to read! Sometimes it does take being pushed out to door to realize you didn’t want to be there in the first place!
Lol well I definitely realized I didnt want to be there before getting fired, but Ive never been good at quitting or ending things… and really didnt want to let go of the idea that this was my “Dream job” becoming a reality! I really needed that push like you said!
Please come to New York again asap. We definitely need to meet in person, lol. I think you’re my twin. I literally got fired TWICE in less than a few months too. But it turned out to be the absolute best thing ever. So proud of you for being strong enough to share your story! I can’t wait to read the next few installments. 🙂
OMGOMGOMG I was JUST thinking while reading your 25 by 25 post that I want to meet you and hang out!!! Maybe a skype coffee date?? I dont think we will be back to NY until next summer!
Wow, that’s pretty intense! I would’ve been a wreck.
From all the negatives in life you showed that at the end you can laugh about it.So many people are going to read this and get closure from losing their own job.
I felt for you during this whole thing. How amazing though that it pushed you to work for yourself. I was fired once, too. And although it sucked, I learned so much through it. (like toxic situations to avoid!)
Wow! What an amazing story. It must have been so harsh going through it, but I’m glad you came out on top.
first, i am sorry that you had such a hard work environment! that sounds like such a traumatic experience, but you handled it with such grace and positivity! Thanks for sharing your story, its reminding me more and more why I need to be courageous enough to make the leap out of the 9 -5
GOOD FOR YOU GIRL!! I love that you stayed true to who you are at the core, not giving into forced obligations that society often puts on us. This is very inspirational for women and men who are unhappy within their current jobs!
I’m sorry you had to go through those sticky work situations, especially since they were in your dream field! You handled it so well though! Thanks for sharing your story, Rachel!
This post came right on time. I’ve busted my bottom all year for an insulting raise. Like you, I realize that mostly everyone in my department is unhappy in their personal lives (including me). Some things are just blessings in disguise.
I am so glad that you shared your story, it is an amazing story! Those times were probably some of the toughest times you had to go through but you kept going and you found your true passion because of it 🙂 So proud of you and I can’t wait to see your post next week!
Reading about how things were at your first job made me shudder. We didn’t have the exact same experiences, but I left a job at the beginning of June that was such a toxic workplace for me. I was miserable there and pretty much cried every day as I went into work. It’s crazy because when I turned in my two weeks notice I panicked and felt like I had made a mistake. Once I got some distance in June I realized what a toxic workplace it was. It felt like I had left an abusive relationship and I’m so, so happy to be free of it! I actually left that job for another job with an organization that was somewhat linked to the first and it’s a long story, but my old boss basically tried to shut it down. So now we’re dormant and I’m doing some freelance stuff trying to figure out my next steps. It’s been a mess and super stressful, but I’m so happy to be free from that other job. I’m looking forward to reading your next posts in this series!
Ugh I am so sorry you went through that! I totally get the feeling of making a mistake, that’s why I never quit. I kept thinking “this is it, it’s in my head” – distance and talking with others changed things for me too!
Oh my gosh! This is so relatable. While I didn’t get fired (I left two jobs before it got to that point), I have had insufferable bosses with a vendetta. One of them I know was later removed. During my exit interview I made sure to air out all the dirty laundry I’d been keeping to myself because I didn’t want someone else to experience the same thing.
Thankyou!! That’s good! I didn’t have the courage to speak up in my exit interview, and HR kept telling me it was okay, but luckily the friend I mentioned who was with me after that lunch that day, when she left she aired EVERYTHING in her exit interview and i think it really helped with getting the boss removed!
This story seems so awful I could hardly believe it! I would hope that in a care profession like counseling people would be more compassionate and professional! It’s great that you stood up for yourself and escapes two toxic work environments!
Yeah, i realized that a lot of people go into the field because of their own past, and it’s a tough industry where you constantly have to take care of yourself, it’s SO easy for things like this to happen and for emotions to come out sideways and passive aggressively when you’re being so “on” all day for other peoples emotional needs. It’s a very tough field.
Oh wow, I’m sorry you had to suffer at your first job! The second job, though… screw that. You seem so much happier now!
haha that’s exactly where I was at with the second one! I was already questioning leaving the industry and when that all went down, I was like “nope nope nope!”
I’m sorry you had to go through all of that madness! Thankfully you found light at the end of the tunnel with starting your own business! Life works in crazy ways!
Agreed! It all worked out!
Wow! What a story!! That stinks you had such terrible experiences with bosses. I’ve had a couple of doozies but I have also have a couple of really great ones. I know I am lucky! I am so glad you were able to take those experiences and use them to shape who you are today!! I applaud you!
Thank you!!
I had one job where I was a crisis intervention specialist/therapist and it was such a toxic work environment. I didn’t get fired, but I quit without another job lined up. They always were saying I did something wrong. Even when I would follow company policy, I would get reprimanded or written up. Other people didn’t follow policy, and nothing would be done. I would be in one situation, and it was such a BIG deal. Yet, my coworker would be in the same situation, and the higher ups would think it’s funny. It was like they were trying to force me to quit. I have some crazy stories about the environment and how I was treated unfairly. If people knew, it would blow their minds. It seemed that the company cared more about numbers and completing cases for the audit than it did about the actual employees or helping people. Plus, I was on call 24/7. No thanks. I believe everything happens for a reason, and sometimes this is just part of our journey to get us to where we need to be!
Ugh i have chills and knots just reading that! I can so imagine what you were going through! I agree, everything happens for a reason and I’m happy we both are finding our way!
WOW. Rachel, this was so awesome of you to open up about. And I know it’s going to be super encouraging to others who’ve gone through or are going through the same situation. You’re so strong girl!
Thank you!
That whole first job situation sounded like my last job in the fashion industry. While not quite to that degree, it was degrading and unprofessional. I knew I was going to be fired, so I quit first. You are always and inspiration to me Rach!
haha i remember that job! Happy you left it!
I’m so glad to have read this. Not only is it important for people to recognize red flags when they see them, but to also try as hard as possible to speak about about harmful and toxic workplace practices. Your firings were a total blessing. I was let go once in a company downsizing and at the time I thought it was completely the end of the world, but it turns out it put me on the right path.
Yes! I think speaking up can be the most difficult part! Especially since it’s kind of taboo in work-place politics, it’s why I never went to anyone hirer up than her or to HR… in retrospect, I wish I would’ve gone to HR before talking with my boss directly, but I didn’t totally understand how offices worked at the time.
Wow, your story really sucked me in! That’s awesome that it put you on your current path. I can’t imagine having to continue working at either one of those places for a long time. I would have been constantly filled with anxiety.
Ahh thank you so much! And that’s EXACTLY how I felt, full of constant anxiety!
Ain’t NO shame in being fired, especially from a company that is running as backwards as that! This was a great story to share!
Thanks Kallie!
Awe thank you! I mean its good that she had the awareness that’s what it was, it’s sad she didn’t remember saying it and couldn’t adjust her actions with that knowledge
Thank you so much, seriously that’s so sweet! it’s definitely not fun getting fired, but totally happy it accelerated my path to where I am today!
This is such a crazy story~ props to you for hanging in there through it all. Excited to read your follow up posts!
Thanks for sharing! What a roller coaster of events. So glad you are able to share this with all of us – sounds like you are a strong person.
Wow! This story is so insane, but I have so much respect for you and how you handled it!
Wow, this is quite the story. I’m sorry you had such negative experiences at both of these places. PLEASE tell me what patient brokering is!! Better yet, if you ever want to write guest post on it and any other shady treatment center stuff..I’d love to publish it. I have no idea if you want to do that but…if you do, my blog is open for you!
Ahh thank you so much for the offer! I am truly honored! at this time I have my hands really full and am only taking on compensated freelance writing opportunities, but thank you for opening up your space for me!! What’s your blog?? the short “in a nutshell” definition of patient brokering: patient brokers finds vulnerable people who are on the verge of relapsing, get them drugs to relapse, send them back to rehab where he gets a kick back from the treatment center, some will give money to the client they just brokered, some will only give them drugs – then repeat the cycle. It’s SO annoying when you are trying to get people help, and you literally have scum praying on their vulnerabilities.
What a crazy situation! I’m sorry for everything you had to go through that was so stressful, but it sounds like it was the best thing in the end and I’m glad you were able to use the bad and turn it all into something great for yourself.
what what a whirlwind. I cannot imagine… I definitely couldn’t stop reading this post