Trauma & Wellness Counsellor

One-year Full-time Contract

Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic offers trauma-informed legal services and representation, counselling, and multilingual interpretation, and drives system transformation to support women and gender diverse people who have experienced violence. Rooted in the foundations of intersectionality, innovation, and a client-centered approach, we foster the skills and resilience of the people we serve and amplify their voices to create individual and collective change.

The Clinic is currently seeking a Trauma and Wellness Counsellor who specializes in helping individuals navigate and recover from trauma while promoting overall wellness. The Counsellor will address the emotional, psychological, and physical impact of traumatic experiences of individual clients accessing the Clinic. In addition to providing trauma-focused interventions, the Counsellor will also emphasize strategies and practices that contribute to the holistic wellness of clients, creating a therapeutic environment where clients can explore and process their trauma, develop coping mechanisms, and work towards healing. The Counselor’s role will also include incorporating wellness practices such as mindfulness, self-care techniques, and stress reduction strategies into the counseling process.

The successful candidate must have experience serving folks 16 years of age and older, using a gender-lens in an anti-oppression, trauma-informed practice. The candidate will have a minimum of three (3) years substantial recent employment delivering individual and group counselling to survivors of violence. The successful candidate will demonstrate expertise in the following areas: adult sexual assault, sexual abuse and sexual harassment, and childhood sexual abuse, as well as interpersonal violence such as but not necessarily limited to, physical, emotional, psychological, and financial abuse. Experience counselling survivors in the area of forced marriage, and human trafficking is considered an asset. In addition, the successful candidate will demonstrate an understanding of the interconnectedness of trauma, addictions, oppression, and mental health. It is also necessary that the successful candidate have experience counselling racialized, marginalized and religiously marginalized clients including non-English speaking and newcomer clients

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

COUNSELLING

Provides trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, feminist, psychotherapeutic counselling
Supports with long-term counselling and clients with complex trauma
Counsels clients, provides individual therapy and facilitates group sessions
Uses trauma-informed interventions to assist individual clients as well as groups of survivors to identify, understand and overcome the effects of trauma and violence in order to achieve personal objectives
Develops and implements counselling programs to assist clients in determining goals and means of attaining them
Interviews clients, prepares case histories and assesses presenting issues
Liaises with community agencies or partners and identifies additional or alternative services and provides referrals
Evaluates the effectiveness of counselling programs and interventions and client progress in resolving identified problems and movement toward objectives
Conducts safety planning and risk assessments
Develops, implements, and facilitates groups as a leader and as a support to external facilitators
Consults with management about high-risk situations

ASSESSMENT AND REFERRAL

Provides support for psychosocial assessments based on observations, counselling notes, history of abuse, family of origin, and social location as well as impacts of trauma, social determinants of health and other information
Conducts research to identify services for referral and makes referrals
Advocates on behalf of clients and provides in person accompaniment to a variety of meetings such as, court appearances and immigration and CAS meetings
Provides therapeutic support to new clients while assessing with them the resources and support they need
Drafting letters and finalized upon manager approval
Group assessments/Feedback forms

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Works with assisting survivors with complex needs and from underserved communities who are experiencing violence or its aftermath
Supports and advocates for clients in establishing a sense of community and belonging in which they experience less isolation, more stability, and expanded personal agency within relationships
Supports clients in interacting with numerous systems that maintain and promote mental health
Providing support and advocacy for clients navigating systems (eg. CAS, housing)
Connects clients to available support systems that help them successfully navigate context and challenges over time
Assists clients in accessing resources that improve social context and economic circumstances that shape environment. Facilitates clients in joining with other clients in bringing about change
Improves clients’ knowledge of and access to rights and remedies
Engages with stakeholders from a framework embedded within an understanding of the global nature of gender-based violence
Provide trainings and capacity building to various agencies and conferences and marginalized communities
Conducts psychoeducation in and out of the clinic around trauma, mental health, and gender-based violence
Building partnerships with different agencies for collaboration and participate at relevant roundtables/networks
Engage in ongoing community trainings relevant to this role (eg. VAW trainings)
Coordination with guest group facilitators

COORDINATION

Plans for group sessions and coordinates room and food preparation for group sessions
Coordinates childcare and interpretation services for clients
Coordinates team consults, high risk service coordination meetings with client’s circle of care, and transfer of care meetings
Scheduling client pickups, arranging for group packages and coordinating with front desk for scheduling of client services and group related activities

AGENCY AND TEAM SUPPORT

Conducts research and creates and facilitates workshops on violence against women, which includes providing case consultation to other service providers about client needs
Communicates with team members to share information, provide debriefing opportunities, and resolve problems
Participates on agency committees and contributes to events which include participating in clinical meetings and staff meetings
Create client feedback forms and surveys for individual and group counselling for statistics, funders, and improvement of services and future groups
Apply appropriate counselling procedures and framework
Collaboration between different departments and roles (eg. THSP, legal, interpretation)

ADMINISTRATION

In consultation with Director of Counselling, prepares support letters to service confirmation, housing support, legal purposes and maintains case notes
Completes and submits monthly timesheets and other reports as required
Drafts letters for psychosocial assessments for refugee claimants and consults with Manager of Counselling

OTHER

Complies with Clinic and funder policies and procedures
Performs other tasks as assigned by management

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Must have MSW, M.Ed. C. Psych. or equivalent degree and/or experience with a minimum of 3 years’ fulltime employment delivering individual and group counselling to clients (16 years and up) who are survivors of violence using a gender-lens grounded within a feminist, anti-oppressive trauma-informed practice, and demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the related issues and dynamics
Must have membership in the appropriate regulatory body eg. Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, College of Psychotherapists etc.
3 years’ experience will include facilitating open and closed groups, with a trauma-informed psycho-educational focus on effective interventions to address symptoms, affects and coping strategies consistent with trauma that is not pathologized
Strong understanding of safety planning and risk assessment
Must have experience counselling racialized, marginalized and religiously marginalized clients including non-English speaking and newcomer clients
Must have expertise in the following: adult sexual assault, sexual abuse and sexual harassment, and childhood sexual abuse, as well as interpersonal violence such as but not necessarily limited to, physical, emotional, psychological, and financial abuse
Must have an understanding of symptoms, effects and interconnectedness of trauma, addictions and mental health
Experience counselling clients in the area of forced marriage and human trafficking
Must demonstrate a comprehensive and applied knowledge of safe and effective use of the self
Must demonstrate a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of the key elements of clinical supervision.
Strong clinical skills are mandatory for this position
Must have assessment skills, knowledge of social services and social welfare systems
Experience working within a diverse work setting and with a diverse staff and volunteer population
Excellent administrative skills and letter writing skills and intermediate computer skills
Demonstrate commitment to teamwork and team building
Excellent communication and conflict management skills
The following will be considered assets: International professional experience with trauma in conflict zones; fluency in a second language; experience with intake

CORE COMPETENCIES

Commitment to working collaboratively with and supporting clients of diversity within the context of a diverse agency
Engagement in a self-reflective, ethical and collaborative practice that is non- judgmental and empathic and reflects the vision and mission statements of the Clinic
Incorporation of principles of diversity and equity in responding to the service needs of clients
Commitment to working toward removing systemic barriers to clients’ independence and wellbeing
Excellent interpersonal, organizational, time-management and problem-solving skills; written and oral communication skills
Ability to work and support others in the context of a diverse environment
Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a multi-disciplinary environment
Be a self-starter, creative and highly motivated
Share ideas and differences in the spirit of collaboration and cooperation
Commitment to ongoing personal and professional development

SALARY: $56,192 and includes a comprehensive benefits package offered through a group plan as part of our United Way membership, following a successful probationary period

DEADLINE FOR RESUMES: Friday February 16, 2024 (posting will remain open until a suitable candidate is engaged)

APPLICATION: Submit your cover letter and resume in ONE attachment to: [email protected] with the subject line of Trauma & Wellness Counsellor. In your cover letter, please indicate where you found our job posting.

Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic is an equal opportunity employer that welcomes candidatesfrom equity-seeking groups and is committed to providing accommodations for people with disabilities. Please let us know if you require accommodation due to a disability during any aspect of the recruitment process, and we will work with you to address your needs.