Post partum boss asking when I plan to return

amother

Periwinkle

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 4:47 pm

amother Cyclamen wrote:

Are you saying that if they have over 50 employees then they need to keep your job for 18 weeks? That’s something new. It was not an option when I worked for a lakewood agency. Maybe I should go back Wink

I I'm saying that if you work for a company that has at least 50 employees they cannot replace you because you are out on Paid Family Leave.

If they tell you otherwise, it is illegal and you can file a complaint with the state. What they can do is hire someone else and put you in a similar position that is different enough that you might not want to go back...

amother

Linen

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 4:51 pm

amother Seafoam wrote:

Part of being in the helping field is thinking about your patients well-being even if it's something technically not required.

This is the problem we face when people select such jobs based solely on money and personal benefits. The patients suffer.

Why is a therapist different than any other job? I am an OT and I am heavily invested in each of my students. I take trainings, do research, network with other clinicians and I am in constant contact with my clients’ parents. I am also a mom. Like any other profession, I am given the right to take off for maternity leave. Many, many people are impacted when professionals such as doctors, lawyers, psychologists, accountants and yes, therapists are out on maternity leave. This is the way of the world and in my opinion it is pretty entitled to think otherwise.
For the record, I take off six weeks because the organization that I work for won’t let me take more. If I could take 12 weeks, I would in a heartbeat. You cannot expect therapists to prioritize their clients over their own health and newborn infants. At the end of the day, we are providing a service and that is taking things too far. Agencies should be better at finding replacements.

amother

Seafoam

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 4:58 pm

amother Linen wrote:

No one is saying this. What we are saying is that if you are taking leave to prioritize your family (as you should be doing), please inform your clients ahead of time so that they can work out their needs too. To take on a job and start working with a patient, only to drop the patient without giving them recourse is wrong.

It all comes down to appropriate communication and consideration of other, so that both parties can do what they need to do.

amother

Vermilion

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 4:58 pm

amother Seafoam wrote:

BH, that's good news. In order for a system to correct itself we first need to do away with the damaging components. There is now hope that the system will reset itself and will be reworked in a better way.

I'm going to end my posts with this:

To all the therapists who truly care and go the extra mile, you do great work and you truly impact patients live for the better. So thank you for everything that you do. Even if we sometimes don't get an opportunity to acknowledge it, know that we recognize even the little things. Kol hakavod and a collective thank you from many happy parents.

Lol your first paragraph makes zero sense. Nothing is going to be "reset" or "reworked." Less and less girls are going into the therapy fields because it simply isn't worth it. It isn't worth spending 4 grueling years in school and taking 80k in student loans for a job that is not well paying and is very demanding.

All that's gonna happen is that the shortage of therapists is gonna continue to get worse and worse.

I will say that I'm finding this whole thread ironic. Usually imamother complains how bad school therapists are, how we don't accomplish anything and make no progress etc. But it seems now like we are so amazing that people really miss us when we are maternity leave! I mean if we were doing such a bad job why would anyone care if we take a long leave? So I guess this is all really a compliment for us.

amother

Vermilion

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 4:59 pm

amother Seafoam wrote:

Do female doctors inform all their patients before taking maternity leave?

amother

Goldenrod

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 5:01 pm

amother Seafoam wrote:

At what month of pregnancy do you expect the therapist to disclose this information?

And as a parent what will you do differently if the therapist the school has says she is having a baby that year?

amother

Seafoam

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 5:02 pm

amother Vermilion wrote:

Do female doctors inform all their patients before taking maternity leave?

For their steady patients on recurring visits - yes, of course! They not only inform them but provide guidance and backup services while they're out.

amother

Seafoam

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 5:05 pm

amother Goldenrod wrote:

At what month of pregnancy do you expect the therapist to disclose this information?

And as a parent what will you do differently if the therapist the school has says she is having a baby that year?

It depends on the circumstances and how many months of services it impacts and what interval those months are concentrated in. If a therapist will be out from Nov- Feb, I may opt not to go with services for the year. Or I can try to request a different provider.

If a provider will be out from oct- Dec, I may decide to wait till Jan or seek outside services.

Etc.

amother

Goldenrod

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 5:05 pm

amother Cyclamen wrote:

Not the person you asked but id expect month 6 at the latest. It takes time to figure out continuity of care.

The school based therapist probably tells her boss, the agency by month 6. So if as a parent you are concerned, you should tell the agency to please avoid giving your child a pregnant therapist.

amother

Cyclamen

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 5:13 pm

amother Garnet wrote:

I was just in maternity leave. I got 12 weeks of STD and up to 12 weeks of maternal bonding or 8 weeks if I wanted it to be intermittent. I just took it in NJ. I know what I’m talking about.

Hold up, you got 12 weeks disability plus 12 weeks family leave? And your job was required to hold your position for nearly 6 months until you came back?

amother

Garnet

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 5:45 pm

amother Cyclamen wrote:

Hold up, you got 12 weeks disability plus 12 weeks family leave? And your job was required to hold your position for nearly 6 months until you came back?

Yes they were. I work for a community hospital and they did not push me in any way.

amother

Garnet

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 5:47 pm

amother Goldenrod wrote:

So hire your own therapist

When did this thread become about therapists? OP didn’t say she was a therapist. She said she works in a frum office in a mostly remote position. Whoever started ranting about therapists needed to start their own thread.

amother

Turquoise

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 5:51 pm

amother Vermilion wrote:

Do female doctors inform all their patients before taking maternity leave?

That's totally different. Doctors are not working for an agency. It's more similar to seeing a private therapist. Yes, a private therapist should inform about maternity leave and help clients find alternative care. When you work for an agency, that's the agencies responsibility. You get what you pay for.

amother

Linen

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 6:02 pm

I want to add that barely anything in this world is ideal. Is it ideal for me to work full time and leave my kids at a sitter until late? No, definitely not. But I need to work and no one is telling me not to have kids because of that. I am trying my best to be a devoted therapist. I am also a woman who is trying to stay healthy and care for my babies
so if given the chance to take 12 weeks off instead of 6, I would take it even if it means leaving my clients for that much longer.

amother

Moccasin

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 6:12 pm

amother Vermilion wrote:

Lol literally. Youre really hitting the nail on the head.
Cant stand the entitlement of parents. I dont work for them, I work for the agency. I dont have to feel bad because I am enjoying time at home with my baby. If a parent has a problem and has so many demands, they can pay private.

Im an excellent therapist. I have parents begging to work with me every year because of the care and dedication I put into my sessions. I care about my students and am constantly taking CEUs to further my knowledge. Its not a contradiction that I also went into this field for the money (thinking it made a lot, it doesnt...), or that somedays I push through to get my paycheck.

amother

Moccasin

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 6:13 pm

amother Goldenrod wrote:

At what month of pregnancy do you expect the therapist to disclose this information?

And as a parent what will you do differently if the therapist the school has says she is having a baby that year?

Seriously. I dont even tell my agency I'm expecting until much later. Why the heck would I tell a parent when I'm only 4 months?

amother

Goldenrod

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 6:15 pm

amother Moccasin wrote:

This 100%.

And annoying demanding moms should know that their kid will be the last to picked up next year. Most therapists will take the worst behaved most challenging students over the most annoying mom.

amother

Moccasin

Mon, Apr 01 2024, 6:16 pm

amother Seafoam wrote:

Just so you know, most agencies wont put up with this. I work for one of the major agencies and I spoke to my service coordinator once about this. When parents have so many demands and request XYZ my coordinator just puts them on the bottom of the list so their kids lose out on therapy. Some therapy is better than no therapy.