Seneca Family of Agencies

I have a problem giving even 1 star. As you can see the only reviews are from employees. I happened to «luck» out & get a freshly trained facilitator. At first it seemed great, answer to my prayers. Boy was I wrong. They are very insensitive. Ask one member about Native Americans. They have no idea about our culture or our traditions. Very slothful. When you do need them you can never get through. For the one star it would have to be for TBS whom they subcontract with.

I have worked for Seneca for 7 years and it has been an adventure! I have worked to support our NPS programs and our Charter program and have consistently found many of the strongest staff in our field! They are charismatic, hard working and always always always working for what is best for the kids and families.

Unconditional care is how I would describe Seneca. Seneca strives on relationship based that deals with behavioral intervention with vulnerable children and families. I have been working here for several years now and enjoy the creative outlook with their staff and building their leaders into greater leaders to complete the hard work in the communities by implementing a no fail policy! If you are looking for a place that will help you grow and achieve greater goals for our inner city communities, this is the job for you!

I have the pleasure and honor of working with Seneca, as a ITFC foster parent. When it comes to support for our family– I am forever grateful. Being a Foster parent was something I wanted to do, since I was also in the foster system as a young child. I have learned so much from the staff, fellow foster parents and the trainings provided. Becoming a foster parent and or choosing to adopt, is a very personal desicion, and having the resources provided here, gives these children a fighting chance at life, to heal– grow and succeed.
Seneca goes above and beyond with support to meet our children’s needs at any cost. The best advice I could ever give to persons thinking of doing Foster care and even adoption, is to reach out to Seneca!

I could not do my job without the support of the Seneca staff.
Ms.Erica, Rob, John, Mr. C love the kids and the kids know it. I teach at an expulsion high school. The teens come with so many social and emotional problems that education is often not foremost on their minds. The Seneca staff meets the needs of the students so that they want to come to school where they are encouraged, supported and loved.
Thank you Seneca

It is clear that Seneca cares about the youth and families they serve by how carefully they screen their employees. Only the best, brightest, and most experienced counselors and social workers are hired to do the work that requires tremendous professional expertise and compassion. Because the expectation level of potential employees is so high, at times this can exclude interested candidates who don’t have a bachelors or masters degree, limiting the socioeconomic and even ethnic diversity in Seneca’s workforce. Aside from this, Seneca is the best example of professional, responsible, and accountable organization that I have ever come across. Highly recommended to potential job candidates and especially youth and families in need.

Working at Seneca means you get to spend your time with the most resilient, amazing kids there are — so for that reason alone I would give my experience at Seneca 5 stars. But the icing on the cake is that you also get to be a part of an agency where all decisions — whether made by the executive management or direct service teams — reflect a commitment to doing whatever is needed to help children and families overcome unbelievably difficult situations. As much as Seneca has grown and evolved during my time here, I know that every choice is driven by what is best for the children and families we serve. It is inspiring and exciting to work for an agency that day-​to-​day exhibits these values. I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of the Seneca family or feel more privileged to work for the amazing young people in our programs.

I have been working with Seneca for 8 months, and am very proud to be associated with this agency. What I am most proud of are the people I am working next to every day. My fellow Senecans are some of the most committed, hard-​working, caring and open individuals I have ever met. It really creates a dynamic team whichever site you visit, and I truly believe everyone believes in the work that they do. This agency pushes you to think outside the box and approach situations with a new perspective because it is constantly teaching you. I have learned so much about myself while working with our youth and my team, and I really look forward for the future contributions I can make to the organization.

4/​5, because Seneca is always looking for innovative ways to provide individualized treatment to students who have truly individualized needs, and will inevitably come up with the next ‘best thing’, which will render today a 4.
I am currently working in the Berkeley Public Schools programs as a one-​on-​one ‘Seneca Aide’ to support students for whom higher placement is recommended. I have also worked as a classroom counselor and as a wraparound support counselor in Berkeley and Sonoma County. Through all these positions, I feel blessed to say that I have never worked with such dedicated, inspired and creative individuals — staff and students alike. I love my job, and I love knowing that I am making a difference in someone’s life. Seneca’s unique treatment model of unconditional care and its staunch adherence to this model create a very high standard of service.
Burnout in social services is a common problem, and while this is sometimes inevitable, Seneca fosters a team environment that helps its individuals hold it together, and strongly promotes self care. Trainings are absolutely excellent — Kevin is a life force!
You will also find a palpable community in this company — through the harder times, I have always been supported and listened to by my coworkers and supervisors. Seneca also offers professional mobility — I feel that my work is recognized and appreciated from within the company, and that I have been given increasing responsibility with that recognition.
I would and have recommended Seneca to anyone wishing to gain skills in direct services, education or case management for kids with emotional trauma or going through difficult times. This job is extremely challenging at times, and as such is invaluable training — but if you let it, will give you some of the most amazing, touching and enriching experiences. I can see myself working for this company for a long time.

As a educator fresh out of college and ready change the world one child at a time, I stumbled upon Seneca, an organization that put forth this idea of «unconditional care.» A philosophy I would have never fully understood had I not taken my first teaching position with the agency. A philosophy that Seneca and now myself embraces fully. I have never worked with or for a more thoughtful, dedicated and genuinely caring group of staff that all have the same vision for kids.

I am asked all the time what I enjoy the most about Seneca and consistently my answer is that I work with the most creative, committed and passionate people who want to make a difference in our communities. Decisions are always mission and values driven so though at times there are hard decisions to be made, the right decision always emerges. Programs are innovative, the culture is dynamic and at the end of the day you know you are making a difference. The learning and growth culture of the company has really compelled my own professional development and mindset to always be seeking growth opportunities.
I’ve always enjoyed the supervisors I’ve had and I felt like they were also really invested in me. That is such a rare thing to be able to say!

Before I sat down to write this review, I already knew I was going to give Seneca FIVE stars, but after reading other reviews first, I also decided on giving FOUR stars– only because one of Seneca’s core beliefs is fostering growth.
I am nearing the end of my second year as an independent contractor with Seneca’s All-​In partnership. I honestly don’t know how I totally lucked out getting this placement through my contracting company. Seneca is revolutionizing the way that special education is done in charter schools. During my first school year, it was a lot of learning and growing, and it was amazing! This year has been about expanding the program and really changing the way students are serviced.
Though I do not work for Seneca, the program director, staff and administration has always made me feel part of the team. I consider myself to be a very social person, and honestly haven’t felt like part of a team in so long before this placement. People throughout the organization have this way of looking at things in a total different way; they call it being a «Senecan.» I think of it as positive, heart-​warming and supportive.
In thinking of ways to help improve the program, I think it would be great if «like-​positioned» staff members got together for a PD, at least once a month. It would be great to bounce ideas around with other speech therapists in the organization. I also would like to have time incorporated into the week for Seneca staff members to meet regarding meetings/​events/​issues at their site. We do it at one of my sites, and it’s great!
What I value the most about working for Seneca is the feeling of belonging to a team, helping each other grow, and supporting one another. Working alongside Seneca has taught me to be a more appreciative person, they do this thing after every meeting where they go around the table, appreciating each other, it sounds weird, but you really have to be there to experience the warm and fussy feeling it give you.
And with that. I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite «Senecan» quotes:
«I hear you say… this…»
” Do you want to check-​in?”
«How can I support you?»
«I really appreciate…»

I initially gave Seneca 5 stars, but then realized that if I did there would be no room for growth, and for anyone who knows Seneca– there is always room for growth, improvement, change, and flexibility.
I have worked with Seneca for about 5 ½ years in a variety of different roles. I started as a classroom counselor/​Mental Health Counselor and am currently working as a Classroom Therapist. Throughout these years and within my various roles I have learned an abundance of skills and gained great experience working with youth and their families. What stands out the most are the kids who have endured significant trauma or lived through tumultuous situations and still want nothing more than to make connections with others, earn an education, and improve their futures. The families– parents, guardians, support systems– with whom we work are some of the finest.
Seneca not only provides unconditional care to their youth and families, but also offers a great deal of support, guidance and education to their employees as well. The amount and quality of training employees receive is priceless and the supervision is exceptional. I would, and have, recommend others to apply for employment. It is challenging, difficult, heart-​wrenching, satisfying, fun, and enjoyable work. I believe in Seneca’s mission wholeheartedly and encourage you to learn more. I guarantee you’ll feel the same way.

This is such an impressive agency. Every time I visit one of their centers, I am inspired by their steadfast commitment to helping families through their wide array of services. Their staff is remarkable at every level. Seneca is easily the best in the field, and I would strongly recommend this group to anyone interested in their services.

When I started my career over 12 years ago, I began searching for organizations that reflected the values I hold at my core. As an idealistic, bright-​eyed, ambitious and hard-​working counselor I set out to change the world – one day at a time. Recognizing the failures of our system and its impact on our communities, I committed myself to changing failed public policy, facing complex social justice issues, challenging intolerance and humbly serving the most vulnerable among us. My lofty social welfare aspirations were (at times) met by a field of public, private and non-​profit organizations whose hope for progress was clouded by a dense fog of overwhelming resource deficit and profound loss of hope. Then I found Seneca.
An organization built on the simple commitment that we will do whatever it takes to help youth and families through the most difficult times in their lives, Seneca promotes a vision of hope and progress unlike any I’ve ever experienced. I was hooked before I even arrived for the interview, yet nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to experience as I became steeped in the same values that I wanted to emulate not only as a social worker, but more importantly as a person. Love. Compassion. Joy. Hope. Courage. Respect. Curiosity.
If I were to summarize the way we exemplify our values, it would be something like this: Seneca Family of Agencies is driven by values and principles that reflect the foundational commitment we make to our youth and families –that we will always do whatever it takes to sustain them through the most difficult times in their lives.
It’s that unwavering promise that infuses hope where there is despair; courage when the risk seems too great; love where there appears to be only loss; compassion in the face of indifference; respect to contest the unjust; humility enough to change; curiosity when the barriers seem impenetrable; and joy when the successes are hard fought.
We are a values driven organization and evidence of that can be found in every facet of the organization – from the decision to provide ²⁴⁄₇ in-​home support to a child/​family in crisis, to the commitment we make to offer our services at the times and locations most convenient to our families – recognizing that we should be breaking down barriers for our clients, not creating new ones.
As a leader in the organization, I have the absolute pleasure of bearing witness to the extraordinary work that my staff do on a daily basis – and what they do is truly life changing for many of our families. Not only are our teams willing and eager to demonstrate heroic efforts to meet the needs of our clients and families, they are some of the most intelligent, committed and joyful individuals I’ve ever met. I’m challenged and improved by them every day.
The depth of my appreciation for Seneca is immeasurable and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to work in this incredible organization. It is both the hardest and most rewarding job I’ve ever had and because of that, I know that I am fulfilling my goal of changing the world, one day at a time.

Working for Seneca has been incredibly fulfilling for me. In the nearly 9 years I have worked with the agency, I have held a variety of positions and have grown professionally and personally with each of them. I enjoy getting to work with a highly competent and caring group of people who believe in the mission of providing unconditional care to children and families. The families we work with demonstrate immense courage and resilience and I feel very fortunate to get to know and work with them.
If you are looking for a workplace that will push you to grow and develop professionally, while also supporting you and surrounding you with awesome people, then Seneca is the right place for you.

Being able to wake up in the morning, whether it is Monday or Friday and still say I love going to work has never been my thing. Until this year. I am proud to say that I am part of this company! With all of the trainings offered and the support from fellow staff, this is a place to thrive and provide only the best to the kiddos and families who need it the most.

Seneca is a non profit organization that aims to help children and families that are the most in need. They have various programs all throughout California. I can say that I have become such a better clinician due to the experiences that I have had here within this organization. I work at a psychiatric facility for adolecents and can say that I have never been in another company that takes as good of care of the staff as this place does. The work we do is hard and we work with some of the most difficult cases out there, but the agency will go to bat for any youth that really needs it. Seneca WILL NOT leave any child behind. They strive to be the top in regards to trainings in the community and like to be up to date on mental health in the community. Having worked for this agency for the past 4 years has been mind blowing for my own learning as well as my clinical growth. I have also seen the growth in the children that are served within this agency and not only do they benifit, but the families benifit as well. There is no other agency like this… there should be. But you gotta have the movers and shakers start somewhere!

Seneca is an all encompassing agency aimed at providing much needed services to at risk youth and their families. Services include education, therapy, case management, rehabilitation, trainings, private adoptions, foster care, family finding and more! Seneca is continually striving to improve the scope of services that are offered to its clients and to become what is often the first positive life experience for many. This is an agency that puts the hold and family first in every decision, even when those decisions are difficult to make. Bravo to everyone who is associated with this organization! I have never been more proud of an employer.

Seneca provides services to kids who have absolutely no other options. They are committed and caring. As a staff member, I see first hand the impact the organization makes on kids in need and I am so glad to be a part of its growth and impact on the community.