POSITION SUMMARY
Our Clinical Counsellor provides advanced mental health and addictions counselling to individuals and families across their lifespan. This role focuses on clinical therapy, crisis response, harm reduction, and trauma-informed interventions within a culturally safe and holistic care model. While the primary focus is on mental health and substance use services, the Northern Nations Wellness Centre also welcomes community self-referrals for other acute counselling needs, such as trauma, grief, family distress, or crisis situations. The Clinical Counsellor provides assessment, short-term intervention, and appropriate referral for these cases, ensuring that all clients have equitable access to timely, culturally safe mental health supports. They collaborate closely with physicians, Traditional Healers, Indigenous Social Navigators, and other team members to deliver wrap-around support for patients experiencing mild to severe mental health challenges.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities
Clinical Services & Interventions
- Conduct biopsychosocial and cultural assessments, identifying both clinical and cultural determinants of wellness.
- Provide short-term and long-term therapy for individuals, couples, families, and groups.
- Implement trauma-specific modalities (e.g., EMDR, somatic therapy, Internal Family Systems, trauma narrative work).
- Facilitate harm-reduction planning and relapse prevention strategies with clients in recovery.
- Offer clinical consultation to other healthcare team members regarding complex cases, suicide prevention, and crisis triage.
- Lead or co-lead specialized group interventions such as Grief & Loss Circles, Anxiety Management, and Addictions Recovery Groups.
- Develop referral partnerships with detox centres, shelters, justice and child-welfare agencies.
- Attend community events as a visible ambassador for culturally safe wellness services.
Education, Program Development & Evaluation
- Design and deliver psychoeducational workshops on mental health literacy, suicide awareness, and coping strategies, to be delivered within clinic as well as at surrounding First Nations
- Develop culturally responsive program materials that blend Western and traditional teachings.
- Evaluate counselling outcomes using client feedback tools and incorporate findings into service improvements.
- Contribute to research or community reporting demonstrating impact on mental wellness outcomes.
Supervision, Leadership & Professional Growth
- Provide formal clinical supervision to the Non-Registered Counsellor (biweekly minimum).
- Mentor other team members (e.g., MOAs, Navigators) in basic mental health literacy and trauma response.
- Participate in professional development activities and maintain continuing education credits.
- Participate in inter-professional care coordination meetings.
- Provide input into policy development related to counselling, safety, and critical incident response.
Documentation, Ethics & Quality Improvement
- Ensure documentation aligns with ethical and professional data standards.
- Monitor risk, maintain safety plans, and complete incident reports promptly.
- Participate in internal audits and clinical quality improvement initiatives.
- Maintain active registration, liability insurance, and adherence to confidentiality and cultural protocols.
Supervision & Accountability Statement
The Registered Counsellor reports directly to the Clinical Manager and provides clinical oversight to the Non-Registered Counsellor. They are responsible for maintaining regular supervision and communication with the Clinical Manager regarding caseloads, risk management, and service delivery outcomes. The Registered Counsellor ensures that all oversight activities for the Non-Registered Counsellor are documented and reviewed quarterly. The Registered Counsellor upholds accountability to both their professional regulatory standards and the Northern Nations Wellness Centre’s framework for cultural safety and trauma-informed care, seeking guidance from leadership when encountering ethical dilemmas or high-risk cases beyond scope or capacity.
Job Specifications
Education
- A master’s degree in counselling psychology, clinical social work, or related health professional field.
- Current registration with BCACC, CCPA, or BCCSW.
- A valid Class 5 BC Driver’s License.
- 3–5 years of direct counselling experience in mental health and addictions.
- Training in trauma response, crisis management, and harm reduction.
- Demonstrated experience working with Indigenous communities using culturally safe and trauma-informed approaches.
Knowledge
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to build therapeutic, yet professional relationships with patients.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary teams, allied professionals, and community leaders.
- Commitment to compassionate, patient-centered care.
- Experience working with First Nations clients, with knowledge of First Nations culture, traditional healing practices, and Anti-Indigenous Racism Response.
- Willingness to undertake training in Anti-Indigenous Racism Response, Cultural Safety, and Humility.
- Understanding of relevant socio-historical events impacting First Nations communities.
- Familiarity with rural and remote communities and their unique challenges.
- Ability to work within a Nation-based, community-driven philosophy and apply culturally safe, trauma-informed care practices.
- Knowledge of therapeutic and counselling modalities, including brief intervention approaches.
- Expertise in emergency psychiatry, crisis intervention, addiction issues, recovery-oriented care, and severe mental illness.
- Ability to use and apply suicide and violence risk assessment tools.
- Experience practicing from a trauma-informed and culturally sensitive perspective.
- Ability to engage in critical self-reflection to enhance practice and decision-making.
- Awareness of professional ethics and the ability to resolve ethical dilemmas.
- Ability to establish and maintain relationships with healthcare professionals, knowledge keepers, Elders, and informal community leaders.
- Understanding of individual, family, and community-focused care approaches to meet diverse needs.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: $43.78-$61.71 per hour
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Dental care
- Disability insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Extended health care
- Flexible schedule
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
- Relocation assistance
- Vision care
Work Location: In person
