Position Type: Full-time Permanent
Posting Type: This job posting is for an existing position.
Salary Range: $88,049 - $113,338
Closing Date: Open
Location: Sioux Lookout
Job Summary
Nodin Mental Health Services, a department of the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority, is dedicated to strengthening the mental wellness of First Nation individuals and communities. The program provides a wide range of culturally safe and trauma-informed services designed to support people through life’s challenges, build resilience, and promote long-term wellness, contributing to stronger and healthier communities. Services include intake and assessment, outpatient mental health services, psychology services, school-based youth counselling at Sioux North High School, travelling mental health counsellors, and a mobile outreach service.
The Mobile Outreach Service (MOS) is a client-focused service that efficiently connects healthcare professionals to individuals in Sioux Lookout who have complex needs and are unable to access or navigate the healthcare system via traditional streams. Individuals served are typically homeless or underhoused and struggle with substance use and/or mental health concerns. Many individuals are from northern communities who get lost in the system and require assistance to return home.
The MOS team consists of two (2) Counsellor II – Mobile Outreach Case Managers whose primary roles include building trust and rapport with clients, case management, offering life enhancing and survival supplies, collaborating with local and regional agencies to provide clients with timely access to support, easing clients’ access to primary care, and providing psychoeducation, prevention, and harm reduction strategies. The role also requires operating a mobile outreach van throughout Sioux Lookout to conduct outreach, transport clients to appointments and services when appropriate, and connect with individuals in community settings and through home visits.
The MOS team meets individuals where they are both geographically and mentally to provide appropriate services, which reduces the number of incidents that result in emergency department visits and criminal charges, and helps to destigmatize support for this highly vulnerable population.
Accountability
The Counsellor II – Mobile Outreach Case Manager is accountable to the Supervisor – Clinical, Outreach Mental Health Service.
Qualifications
Education and Professional Credentials
- Persons of First Nations ancestry will be given preference (OHRC, Part II, Special Employment).
- Diploma in mental health, social services, or a closely related field from a recognized institution (degree preferred). Coursework in addictions is required.
- Current registration in good standing with a regulated professional body authorized to practice psychotherapy in Ontario (e.g., OCSWSSW, CRPO, CPA).
- Training in suicide risk assessment and prevention, trauma-informed care, substance use and addictions, intergenerational trauma, grief and loss, and self-harm intervention.
Experience
- Minimum of one (1) year of experience working with individuals experiencing substance use and mental health concerns, including concurrent disorders.
- Experience working with First Nations communities, with demonstrated application of culturally grounded practices, is an asset.
- Experience responding to high-risk situations and applying crisis response protocols.
Knowledge and Cultural Competencies
- Knowledge of the impacts of colonialism, systemic inequities, and historical trauma on Indigenous mental health.
- Knowledge of the people, cultures, and mental health realities of First Nations communities in Sioux Lookout and surrounding Northwestern Ontario.
- Demonstrated commitment to culturally safe, trauma-informed, and client-centred care.
- Ability to communicate in one or more First Nations dialects spoken within the Sioux Lookout region is considered an asset.
Professional Practice & Ethical Standards
- Demonstrated professional integrity, with the ability to maintain confidentiality, ethical boundaries, and strong therapeutic rapport.
- Commitment to organizational policies, procedures, and mission, delivering strengths-based and client-centred care.
- Strong attention to detail and accuracy in clinical documentation.
Communication, Collaboration & Organizational Skills
- Strong communication, interpersonal, and advocacy skills, with the ability to build trust and rapport with diverse community members.
- Effective problem-solving and conflict resolution skills, particularly in high-pressure or emotionally charged situations.
- Proficiency with electronic health records, scheduling software, and Microsoft Office applications.
- Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
Additional Requirements
- Valid Ontario Class G driver’s licence with a satisfactory driver’s abstract is required.
- Ability to perform the requirements of the position on a regular basis.
Roles & Responsibilities
Client Outreach and Support
- Conduct regular outreach to individuals in Sioux Lookout through mobile services and home visits.
- Utilize a mobile van to support clients by providing transportation to medical appointments and other essential services on a case-by-case basis.
- Assist clients in identifying their stage of change and establishing goals for brief intervention and support services.
- Support clients in developing life skills, community survival skills, and healthy recreational and social engagement within the community.
Counselling, Education, and Harm Reduction
- Educate clients using a harm-reduction philosophy and client-centered approach on the relation between substance abuse and trauma, effects of alcohol/drugs, emotional regulation without reliance on substances, relapse prevention, and/or trigger management.
- Conduct ongoing risk assessments and safety planning with clients as required.
Case Management and Service Coordination
- Provide case management services, including:
- Assisting clients with applications and assessment tools required for inpatient treatment programs;
- Coordinating referrals and connections to community-based services, regional resources, specialists, and First Nations supports;
- Collaborating with Nodin services, other SLFNHA departments, and external agencies to ensure clients access comprehensive supports;
- Maintaining professional relationships and collaborating respectfully with partner organizations while recognizing organizational mandates and boundaries.
- Maintain current knowledge of alcohol and drug treatment agencies, mental health resources, and referral processes throughout the region.
Documentation and Administrative Responsibilities
- Maintain timely, accurate, and detailed client documentation within the electronic client management system.
- Arrange and participate in case conferences as required.
- Represent Nodin and SLFNHA on community-based committees and collaborative initiatives as assigned.
Professional Practice
- Maintain professional integrity, ethical practice, and client confidentiality at all times.
- Adhere to organizational policies, procedures, philosophy, and mission.
- Participate in regular staff meetings and organizational initiatives.
- Participate in performance appraisal processes.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Working Conditions
- This position requires working outdoors in a variety of weather conditions throughout the year, including extreme cold, heat, rain, and snow.
- Due to the mobile and outreach-based nature of this position, overtime work may occasionally be required.
Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority focuses on hiring Indigenous employees whenever possible.
Candidates are encouraged to self-identify on their application. Self-identification is voluntary and the information is used to assist SLFNHA in hiring Indigenous people from the region whenever possible and to support candidates in their application.
We offer competitive and comprehensive employment benefits to Full-Time employees:
- Pension plan
- Fitness reimbursement program
- Comprehensive insurance coverage
- Professional development opportunities
- Relocation assistance
