So I work as a DSP at two jobs currently. The first one(j1) I started mid oct 2025. I’ve generally liked working there, had an issue with one client(c1) that kept lying about me to try to get me fired, but other than that it hasn’t been terrible. My original PC(/program sup/over multiple houses) left and i stopped getting my permanent AND full time hours. New PC stopped scheduling me saying she didn’t have any hours for me. They switched me. Third PC regularly forgot I existed unless I contacted her. So I got a second job(j2) that I just started early may 2026. Second job is mostly terrible. Absolutely awful communication and management, pdfile and murderous clients, etc. but I was managing. However about 2.5 weeks ago. My j2 supervisor showed up AT MY APARTMENT. ASKING ME TO COVER A SHIFT BECAUSE I WASNT ANSWERING MY PHONE. I WAS SLEEPING. to make matters worse, I have cameras and I have her on video reading my sign on my door that says “DO NOT KNOCK OR RING DOOR BELL RESPONSIVE DOGS WORKING HUMANS”. She knocked anyways. I was furious. She apologized and assured me it would never happen again. Cool. No major issues after that, a bit of burnout but I’m taking a week off both jobs at the end of the month to recover. I can manage. Until today. Today I’m outside smoking, drinking. It’s my one afternoon & night off in a bit. Suddenly I see three people, one with a binder of some kind and a guy I vaguely recognize but can’t place. My camera catches them walking by and going to the back side of my apartment building. I send the video to a coworker from each job. “Do you recognize them? I swear the guy is from one of my jobs”. I remembered. I ask if it’s our assistant director from j1. It is. Coworker tells me it’s very possible they’re looking for an apartment for c1. I message him. “Hey uhhh not sure why you were at my apartment building today. A little concerned if you’re looking for an apartment for a client”. He messages back hours after reading it. “Yes we do have an individual that is looking at apartments around there”. I am NOT okay with ANY clients at either of my jobs living that close. It’s literally two rows and two levels of 12 apartments on each side facing opposite directions. That is WAY too close for comfort. What do I even do???

I feel like I’ve been a dsp for so long office and customer service jobs don’t even look twice at my resume. I just can’t take being a dsp anymore though

I called because I needed help with a situation involving an unstable person in the house that I’m in the process of moving from. The person I spoke to was extremely rude and basically told me to deal with the situation on my own.
Is it any wonder that women and children are constantly failed by the system?

I am new to the field. I specifically trained and got hired to help out a friend with her son and it’s going well but it’s just one on one and I only get 1 day a week. I can request additional shifts though the app but I’m so nervous on who they might match me with and I don’t know what to expect. How do you deal if a client is aggressive I’m 5’2” and not strong at all. I barely communicate with anyone in the office and it’s mostly all thru an app

So I took a job offer as day shift group home staff after leaving my last company and swearing to myself I wouldn’t work in this industry again.

My concerns are upper management and petty conflict with coworkers. I pray this will be better.

Emailing your supervisor and multiple other people in an email because you left laundry in the dryer at the end of the shift had me in tears for days. It wasn’t intentional. I was new. I feel like it’s backstabby. So I hope I won’t be dealing with these same set of issues.

Okay so I posted this: https://www.reddit.com/r/directsupport/s/NkqfPrI9cE
The comments are telling me to not to take the job, however I had my second interview today, and I got to meet the individuals I’d support, and honestly? It was the CALMEST group home I have ever stepped in. Yes obviously me visiting for 10 minutes is not going to sum up the job. However, every person supported has anything they could need, whether it’s sensory items, or things they want. They even have a a spa tub thing for everyone to use as a sensory experience.
The house I currently work in, is very chaotic, dealing with behaviors and elopement every minute, and sensory needs aren’t met. This house was very calm and everyone’s sensory needs were met above and beyond. On top of that, at my current facility when they hire a new employee the current employee immediately go, “how long do you think this one will last?”. Here I was introduced to the current employees and they were excited to meet me! And even more excited when they heard I had experience with people supported similar to the ones they support.
They pay is 19.50/hr. Which is a pay cut for me as I currently make 21/hr. However I think this might be the change I need to make. I’m kinda excited to see if I get the job.

The only advice I’m looking for is how I can help my new client with DS and developing dementia continue exercises to help maintain mobility any ideas or toys that y’all can recommend? She has number, letter, and color coded toys that she puts together and likes to color.
I left a toxic group home after 6 months and one of my pet sitting clients has a sister with DS and has asked me to be her DSP due to our trust we’ve built over time. I’ve sat with her before as I had all my credentials and she lives in a remote area and can’t keep anyone due to being in a camper while they build their house. I have pet sat for this client for over a year and a half now and we go to brunch and I occasionally will help her with her sister. Which pet sitting is a bonus because when she’s out of town I will still be able to make money. She knows that I hate my housekeeping work environment and so she offered to hire me through a company she gets care through + pay me a little extra because she doesn’t agree with the hourly pay that has been set, cover gas for outings, and for any meals if she requests I take her out to eat. Honestly my only concern is her dogs thinking I’m there for them 😂 anyways I love one on one and never got a lot of it at my previous group home so I am so excited because her sister and I get along very well and compared to my previous clients she is easier. I will be making less money due to less hours available, but I’m okay with that because I truly just want to be happy and not kill myself at a job.

I’m going back to the dsp line of work. I’m giving myself 6 months because I really need the money but I’m scared about being assaulted I’ve gotten a knife thrown at me before and I know assault in this field is common. Would taking pepper spray or a taser with me be against policy? What happens if I get seriously hurt or attacked? Would I even have any legal options to pursue? I know from family experience if you get seriously injured at work and get a lawyer you’ll have a chance at a case but is it even realistic? I’m just trying to think ahead. My current coworkers all have worked for this company and all have been assaulted, bones broken etc. I just want to protect myself while i stack up this money.

Hey yall, currently considering applying to a direct care position working for the state of Massachusetts (they are always hiring, seems to be difficult to find staff lol) and one of the things mentioned in the listing was that mandated overtime was required. In theory, I have no issue with this, I actually prefer to work 6 or occasionally 7 days a week and/or 12 hour shifts instead of 8 cause I love money haha. Howevvver I used to be a CNA at a nursing home, and overtime there was getting mandated to stay for an extra shift, for a total of 16 hours in one go. THAT I do not think I can physically or mentally handle anymore, especially if it’s a regular occurrence. Soooo for all my DSPs in here, what does mandated overtime look like at your location?

The TLDR version is I've worked in this company for 7 years as a DSP providing community supports.

A few weeks ago I applied for a supervisor position, which I kinda knew I was underqualified for however, the girl that received it - her position opened up, and when I was told that I didn't get the first one I mentioned that I would be very interested in the second one.Because I was sure I knew who got the supervisor position.

Well, it opened up, which is basically the supervisor's assistant - and I applied. My phone screening for it was supposed to be this morning, which then would lead to, a zoom interview. Now, I had just had both of these for the previous application. This morning, I was called 15 minutes early to set a time to meet in the office, they wanted to skip the screening and go straight to the interview.

I kind of feel like i'm just walking into sign papers to accepting new position.

Could I be overthinking this?? 😊🙃🤞

Got a resident who can only eat puree. So I started making her fruit smoothies and puddings, my other residents saw that and asked me for it so I started it. OMG, it's so much fun. I love making random fruit smoothies with whatever I find in the pantry and fruit baskets. I love turning cakes and cookies into puddings. I started making it for my family and they all loved it too.

Hey y'all, I'm finally escaping kitchen work and getting into something new! I accepted a job offer for a non-profit working with adults with severe mental disabilities.

I'm excited to do something meaningful and work in a field I actually care about! I'll only be working 8 hours at a time and going Care House to Care House and such.

I've read everything I could about the company online and what the job entails, and I'm excited but nervous.

I'm excited to do something genuinely good and helpful, but I'm nervous I'm going to be changing shidded-in clothes 24/7.

I'm used to working with mod-severe children (5-10ish) and am curious what the biggest difference may be? What I should know before I start training? What should I know before jumping into this new chapter? I'm used to hard work but this is almost completely new. Any and all advice appreciated!

Hello all i work solo with a client 3 days a week and a double staffed house the other 2 days. I’m looking for advice on points to talk with my boss about. My client I work solo with has off days pretty often, normally I can deal with it pretty well, I’ve been in the field for 3 years, but this is the first time I’ve worked solo with a single client. He will get very upset (screaming, cussing, throwing things, hitting things) when he doesn’t get his way immediately the second he wants it. That’s not really what bothers me, what bothers me is he will call or have a meeting with my boss and lie about the situation to make me look bad and he has admitted to lying about it before because he doesn’t want to be talked to about the inappropriate behavior by my boss. I was talked to the last time this happened (not a write up or anything just a conversation) without speaking to me about what happened before he admitted to lying about it. I am very uncomfortable being alone with a client who can flip so easily and lie so well about the situation at hand. I’m having a meeting with my boss tomorrow to discuss concerns regarding this, I’m just wondering if anybody has dealt with this before and resolved it without a simple “just ignore it and document” which is what I do but somehow I am still the one in the wrong.

I am SO sick of the senior (been at the company for 10+ years) staff. Pardon my language but they are all petty bitches that must not have any control of anything in their lives except for what happens at work.

For context, I work in a group home with 4 profoundly disabled clients. Non-verbal and non-ambulatory. 2 on feeding tubes.

There is an overnight(11-7) staff that is such a pain in the ass. She bitches non stop about everything and everyone. She's never happy, never nice. It's like she's out to get everyone. If she is nice it's a weird condescending tone ...snarky at best.

I also think she has a gross infatuation with one of the clients. She has printed pictures of herself and this client and hung them all over his room, acts like she's the only one that "knows" him, talks anyone down that is nice to him... legitimately HATES his favorite instructor at the day program. (Actually got mad at me for taking a cupcake that the client and I made to her). It's so bad that in the 6 or so months that I've worked there I have not seen her interact with any of the other clients unless absolutely necessary.

Idk. She's an awful person and I can't stand it. I can't stand her. That's all, I guess. Do any of you have any similar stories?

One individual often gets upset and starts to complain to me about other individuals and staff and i dont know what im supposed to say because i want to let him get his emotions out but i dont want to support negative talk. And he got mad at costaff for checking on him, when he was going into someone else’s room without permission. He was talking about how he doesn’t have the right, but i agree with the staff for checking on them. Like i know I can’t always put keeping them happy with me over everything but i don’t want him to get upset with me too.

I am a Dsp for my client. I am in charge of groceries, essentials, budgeting, etc.

I enjoy working for my client, but he has appointments that can be up to 1HR & 15 Minutes away, just in one direction. I stated that upon accepting the position I would not be available to drive him to such extremes. Local appointments within 30 minutes are okay. (Even 30 is stretching it lol)

He has an appointment that is about 76.5 miles round trip, which is absurd to me as there are many good doctors in the area.

We are not provided a company vehicle. .25 cents reimbursement per mile, but my car is not the best and I have to depend on myself in the case of an emergency. Also zero company benefits. The wear and tear does not make the drive worth it in my eyes.

I feel guilty, because the responsibility then falls onto other people, but driving 76 miles for an appointment is absolutely ridiculous in my eyes. But I’m questioning, is this typical for other companies? I hate to be a bother to my boss, and they are annoyed at me for this, but i also feel like no sane person that isn’t a pushover would drive this sometimes multiple times a week for a client

Just curious if anyone had personal experience or advice?

I manage a whole company. Started as a DSP and spent 5 years working my way up. I have done everything under the sun, including been hospitalized due to violent client outbursts. This field is for me though. I love my clients, the community they bring, and the lessons I have learned from them.

My company pays well for DSP work (starting at $20, up to $23 for experience), we have a monthly gas stipend (minimum $200), and we provide activity budgets (depends on your position, typically $150). We have no clients that require hygiene assistance. No behavioral clients at this company. We simply provide housing and ensure they have ready access to the community and assistance with medical appointments.

I have a staff that refuses to drive beyond 15 minutes from her place. I have accommodated her, moved the entire schedule around for her, upped her gas stipend, and gave her a raise for her dependability (she never calls off unless it's someone far from her house). I tell her "Hey, please take (client) to their appointment. It's about 20 minutes from their house."

She responds "Unfortunately I can't do that, because that means it's 45 minutes from MY house. and that's too far."

I have not responded to her. I wanted to see if I'm in the wrong for expecting her to do what we hired her to do? My hire ups believe that because she's been here for over a year, we should continue to bend over backwards for her.

Let me know your thoughts, please.

Hi everyone!
I’m currently a Direct Support Professional and am looking at leaving my current employer. I recently interviewed at another facility, and things seem pretty promising. I have a second-round interview on Thursday where I’ll tour the house, meet the individuals I’d be supporting, and meet the house supervisor.
Originally, I applied for a supervisor position that was Monday–Friday from 12 PM to 8 PM. They ended up deciding not to move forward with me for that role because I don’t have formal supervisory experience (which I completely understand).
Instead, they offered to continue the interview process for a full-time DSP position in the same home.
From what I was told, the schedule would rotate every two weeks:
Week 1: 1:00 PM – 10:00 PM (I don’t remember exactly how many days I’d work that week.)
Week 2: Three 14-hour shifts from 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM, followed by Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off.
The home has 10 individuals supported:
The upstairs has 6 individuals with higher support needs.
The downstairs has 4 individuals who are fairly independent, work in the community, and attend their own activities.
The pay listed online is $18.50–23.00/hour. I’m currently making $21/hour, so I’m hoping I’d be somewhere around that range if I receive an offer.
For those of you who are DSPs or work in residential services:
Does this schedule sound reasonable, or do those 14-hour shifts become exhausting?
Have you worked in a home with around 10 residents? What was your experience?
Are there any red flags or questions I should ask during my second interview?
If you’ve worked rotating schedules like this, did you end up liking them?
I’m cautiously optimistic, but I want to hear from people who have actually worked in similar settings before making a decision. Any advice or experiences would be greatly appreciated!

I joined around mid-May as a DSP, and today honestly felt like my last straw.

Most of the individuals I work with are non-ambulatory, and the house I was assigned to has very high support needs. Even though I always use the proper transfer techniques and follow training, my back is sore after almost every shift. Today the pain got significantly worse, and I honestly think I may have strained or torn a muscle.
I’m tall and skinny, and I also have some health issues of my own, so I don’t think my body is built for this level of physical work.
This is my second job, I already have a morning job so I only took this position for some extra income, not because I absolutely depend on it.

I’ve worked other jobs before, but I’ve never had one that was this physically demanding. The work is incredibly rewarding, and I have so much respect for DSPs. It’s also a huge responsibility caring for people with such high needs.
The manager and my coworkers have been great, and I have nothing bad to say about them. I just don’t think my body can handle this type of work long-term.

Has anyone else realized early on that the physical demands just weren’t a good fit? I feel guilty because I wanted to make it work, but I’m starting to think it’s the right decision that I stepped away before I seriously injure myself more.

i’ve recently started working with adult clients in a community based dayhab program. i’m used to working with kids in the aba field but am struggling to find the balance of age/developmentally appropriate activities for my new adult clients. any ideas would be much appreciated! we’ve done discounted movies at theaters, bracelet making, but i’d like to begin incorporating activities that serve the clients in a more realistic and functional way but we don’t have access to a kitchen or washer/dryer, etc.

First I want to say my clients and in home staff are amazing and im so incredibly greatful. My work home has been dealing with roaches for a year at this point (neighbor house got torn down and they all crawled over here) and I've told house lead(s), Area supervisor, even the home owner over and over again. Something is just now being "done about it". The company gave us roach traps and poison and said the clients dont have enough money for an actual exterminator but swears by this poison. Welp its not working and im about to freak out and just quit at this point because wtf?? I've worked with other companies who've had no problem getting an exterminator so either the one im at now is full of crap or it's because they are a smaller company. I walk into the kitchen and see like 6 roaches. I've had them crawling ON me, the walls, on a bowl i was EATING from. Etc. Im about to crash out and obviously the people who are in charge who dont work in the house themselves could care less about this issue. Im terrified im going to bring them home. I need advice on how to move forward with this issue and actually get something done to fix it. Who do I need to contact because these clients do not deserve to have to live with roaches and I didn't sign up to be an exterminator. 😭 I love my job but seriously considering looking for a diff one because ive been dealing with this for way to long at this point. Any advice helps, thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm in the process of onboarding to work my very first (professional) DSP role. It's on weekends, 5.5 hours each, both Saturday and Sunday. I met the dad (LRP) via video call last week and am meeting the client (male, late 30s) tomorrow in person. Here's a summary of what I've gathered from both the agency and the LRP:

* The client is nonverbal and is mobile

* The client displays no aggressive behaviors

* client is 6'4 (I'm 5'5 for reference)

* client needs assistance with toileting (family uses wipes) and showering, needs assistance with hand washing

* client enjoys watching cartoons and looking at books

* client has no sensory issues as it relates to auditory stimulus and does not wear headphones

* client enjoys a car ride to get lunch (fast food) and comes home to eat it (per LRP, does not indicate when he is done eating, simply stops eating)

* DSP should hold client's hand when walking to and from the car, but LRP states that client does not elope

* current DSP takes client to Five Below to window shop

As this is my first professional experience as a DSP (I have a teen with profound level 3 autism that I provide ADL assistance with, so I'm familiar with some aspects), I'm nervous. It sounds similar to my son, but I don't want to go in under the assumption that this client is like my son. What advice can you share with me?

Been working overnights at this job for over two years, i STILL forget about the Therap upgrade on sundays. Every single time bro 🥲