Clinical Mental Wellness and Substance Abuse Counsellor

The Mental Wellness and Substance Abuse Counsellor is responsible for facilitation of mental health promotion and prevention programming for Saulteau First Nations (SFN), including individual and group counselling. As a part of a multi-disciplinary team, the counsellor will work with community members along the spectrum of recovery from various mental health challenges, including problematic alcohol and substance use disorder, following a trauma informed and culture based approach. The counsellor will play an integral role in supporting the healing and wellness of SFN members through such programs.

Duties and Responsibilities

Program and Services

• Provision of individual and group clinical counselling support to community members across the spectrum of mental health challenges, including problematic alcohol and substance use disorders.
• Using a client centered approach to care, develop therapeutic goals in collaboration with community members, ranging from harm reduction to abstinence.
• Support community members seeking to attend residential and day treatment programs through the completion and submission of necessary paperwork.
• Support community members returning from treatment programs to develop relapse prevention plans.
• Promote and facilitate harm reduction programming within community, including facilitation of educational workshops.
• Support the organization and coordination of contracted wellness workshops based on needs identified by community members.
• Work collaboratively with allied health and social services professionals, including community elders and traditional knowledge keepers, to support holistic wellness of members.
• Ensures consistent quality, accountability and high standards in all client support and education.
• Maintains accurate and complete statistical records, both qualitative and quantitative for all clients, providing funders particularly First Nations Health Authority, with comprehensive details on programs offered.
• Maintains accurate and confidential case management files.
• Provides monthly reports to program manager of program activities and accomplishments.

Other Related Duties

• Participates actively as a SFN representative in collaborative partner networks and in related community activities.
• Participates in SFN sponsored community events.

Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in social work or nursing, be a Registered Clinical Counsellor, or Psychologist, or an equivalent combination of education & experience.
• Demonstrated ability to meet community members along the spectrum of mental health with compassionate, non-judgmental support, extending support beyond the provision of counselling services to include systems navigation, intensive case management, advocacy and transportation.
• Training and certification in counselling and psychotherapeutic methodologies such as dialectic behaviour therapy (DBT), cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), trauma informed care, Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy (IFOT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), etc.
• Knowledge and experience in delivery of culturally appropriate programs and community-based services, including a nuanced understanding of correlation between mental health challenges in Indigenous communities and historic and ongoing impacts of colonialism and assimilation.
• Demonstrated ability to provide support to community members in crisis, through conflict resolution, problem solving, de-escalation, etc, working in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; ability to communicate in an Indigenous language would be a considerable asset
• Ability to work independently as well as within a team environment.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality and understanding of the added importance of this tenet working in a small community.
• Valid BC Driver’s License.
• Vulnerable Sector Criminal Records Check.

Work Conditions

• Office work is performed primarily between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday
• Work takes place at the Saulteau Health Centre (Moberly Lake), Saulteau Health Clinic (Chetwynd) and on site at community partners (Saulteau Youth Centre, Elementary and High Schools, etc.)
• Some evenings and weekends may be necessary.

Open until filled