Community and School Mental Health Counsellor YouthLink YouthLink believes in the potential of [...] in Scarborough

YouthLink believes in the potential of every youth. We are dedicated to providing them with the support, guidance and opportunities they need to make positive life choices. We provide youth with brief and ongoing counselling, in-home wraparound support, shelter, housing, educational support, and safe drop-in spaces. YouthLink works towards equitable outcomes for youth in our community and, as such, is committed to equity-based hiring practices.

We welcome applications from candidates who reflect the communities we serve, particularly candidates from Black communities, Indigenous communities, and racialized people, persons with disabilities, members of diverse gender identities and people with lived experiences. We are seeking candidates who demonstrably operate and practice from an equity and trauma-informed lens. We encourage applications from passionate professionals who will help us dismantle systemic barriers and will embrace working outside of Euro-centric practices.

YouthLink Benefits are Top of Class!

• Competitive pay
• Health & dental coverage for you and your family with 100% premium cost paid by employer.
• Annual vacation with pay at 1.66 working days for each calendar month to a maximum of 20 working days per year.
• 5 ‘authorized absence’ days for family illness or emergency circumstances that prohibit employees from reporting to work.
• 3 paid agency days every calendar year after 3 calendar months service.
• Maternity / parental / adoption leave top-up payments (to top-up Canadian government unemployment benefit payments).
• 100% premium cost for long-term disability coverage paid by employee.
• Eligibility to participate in pension plan after 2 years of continuous service with generous matching contribution from employer.

Highlights of Your Role

• Facilitating psychoeducational and evidence-based, skill-building group interventions.
• Delivering skill-based DBT Groups and Afrocentric CBT Groups.
• Conducting brief assessments and individual therapy sessions.
• Administering, scoring, and interpreting standardized assessments; providing results to clients and caregivers.
• Engaging in case formulation, case management, advocacy, clinical consultations, and discharge planning.
• Preparing letters and brief reports to support client care.
• Developing and implementing curriculum for skill-based groups, including for clients currently on the waitlist.
• Maintaining confidential and accurate client records in the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system.
• Managing a small caseload, typically 1–3 youth and their families, for brief therapy services.
• Providing support to WUWI and contributing four hours weekly to the One Stop Talk service.
• Delivering presentations and workshops focused on mental health and overall wellbeing.

Assessment & Treatment Planning

• Establishes and builds rapport through routine contact to initiate the facilitation of a therapeutic alliance and space.
• Ensures informed consent is received prior to proceeding with assessment and/or external communications; utilizes PHIPA to guide the process.
• Completes a brief assessment including intergenerational content to develop case formulation.
• Determines appropriate assessment tools to interpret and deliver results of appropriate, specialized, standardized clinical assessments.
• Engages collaboratively with youth and families to formulate goals.
• Takes all necessary precautions to ensure client confidentiality and privacy.

Individual Psychotherapy & Family Therapy

• Creates an atmosphere that allows for client intrapsychic change; supporting clients in attaining goals and a higher quality of life.
• Provides psychotherapeutic and case management service, informed by a trauma lens, attachment, and family systems theories, as well as an anti-oppression, anti-racism and equity framework.
• Develops and delivers psychotherapy interventions appropriate for client presenting issues.
• Researches and prepares appropriate documents and other resources for clients.
• De-escalates both individual and family situations as it relates to psychotherapy.
• Directs and implements safety planning for both suicidal and homicidal clients.
• Reports to the appropriate person or body any incidents that may jeopardize client, staff or community safety.
• Develops professionally through individual clinical supervision, having an isomorphic impact on the client.
• Takes all necessary precautions to ensure client confidentiality and privacy.

Group Development & Facilitation

• Leads community programming and offers flexibility in creating healing spaces.
• Interviews youth and parents referred to skill-based groups programs; plans and prepares group sessions, collaborating with various community teams.
• Prepares program materials and communications for school and community setting.
• Develops group psychoeducation and skill-based group therapy for youth and caregivers with similar presenting issues.
• Co-facilitates group sessions with community partners and team when required.
• Promotes healthy living by organizing and facilitating workshops and programs, or events on various topics like nutrition, stress management, and substance use prevention.
• Administers, interprets and delivers outcomes of pre and post measurement questionnaires and assessments.
• Maintains petty cash and purchases of materials/snacks for group sessions.
• Takes all necessary precautions to ensure client confidentiality and privacy.

Report Writing and Documentation

• Formulates timely, standardized, succinct Clinical Reports at the time of Assessment, Treatment Review and End of Service.
• Conducts program evaluations and prepares written program reports.
• Prepares Ministry of Health Serious Occurrence reports and internal incident reports, when appropriate.
• Records accurate clinical notes as per agency policies. Takes all necessary precautions to ensure client confidentiality and privacy.

Health Record Management

• Maintains records and reports as required by Ministry guidelines, Accreditation and YouthLink policies and procedures.
• Ensures clear, accurate and consistent client file management, including maintaining electronic document filing and physical records.
• Opens and closes clinical files according to best practice.
• Supports data collection and program evaluation by maintaining complete and consistent records.
• Takes all necessary precautions to ensure client confidentiality and privacy.

Meetings, Committees and Collaborative Networking

• Collaborates within the clinical team to deliver programs across the continuum of care, contributing to onboarding of new clinicians.
• Works together with community mental health professionals and resource workers, school administration, school social workers and YL programs and teams to coordinate and deliver groups.
• Incorporates an intersectional lens that includes all community members, promoting diversity and equity into practice.
• Participates in Community Mental Health Fairs, initiatives and engagements.
• Attends and participates in team meetings and internal committees.
• Supports YAC and ABR.
• Collaborates across organizational boundaries to achieve common goals.
• Develops professionally through group supervision, team meetings, case consultations, clinical rounds, community of practice, as well as internal and external training events.
• Contributes to the Agency’s Strategic Plan by participating in initiatives and committees to support the overall Plan.
• Takes all reasonable and necessary precautions to protect their own health and safety and that of co-workers’ by complying and demonstrating knowledge of the policies, procedures and safe practices established by YouthLink.

Other duties as assigned.

Highlights of What You Bring

• Education (degree/diploma/certifications): Master’s degree in psychotherapy related field.
• Licensure/registration in a regulated health college which permits the delivery of the Act of – –Psychotherapy, including Qualifying RP status.
• ASSIST Certification is an asset.
• DBT level 1 and 2 certifications is an asset.
• Experience: Master’s Practicum/Internship in a psychotherapist role.
• Experience in a school and community setting is preferred.
• Familiarity with DBT and CBT modalities/skills. Certifications in DBT and CBT an asset.
• Experience providing service to youth and their families through complex mental health challenges, crisis management and safety planning.
• Expertise working with 2SLGBTQIA+ youth and their families.
• Experience supporting BIPOC communities and working with youth and families from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds; providing high quality, culturally safe, anti-racist support.
• Experience working in a Children’s Mental Health, School and Community setting is an asset.
• Expertise in group curriculum development, design and evaluation. Preferably delivering CBT designed SEL group therapy is an asset.
• Experience providing family therapy from a systemic framework is preferred.
• Experience providing clinical supervision to Master’s Level students engaged in practicum or internship is an asset.
• Experience facilitating mental health groups, skill-based groups, workshops, seminars, and community events is an asset.
• Experience with attachment and developmental approaches in working with youth and families is an asset.
• Experience with substance use/harm reduction theory and practice as applied to youth and families is an asset.

Knowledge/Skill/Ability

• Demonstrated skills in assessment, case formulation, providing therapy and case coordination.
• Knowledge of and commitment to evidence-based and evidence-informed psychotherapy practices.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build rapport with youth and their families.
• Knowledge of how trauma often affects families and the implications for mental well-being, resilience, safety, etc.
• Sensitivity to issues of power, status/privilege, trust/mistrust, respect, and intimacy in relationships with clients.
• Knowledge of appropriate therapeutic approaches and commitment to practicing from a decolonizing, anti-racist and anti-oppressive framework; operates using an ABR/AOP lens.
• Knowledge of history, experience, and consequences of oppression, prejudice, discrimination, and structural inequalities in relation to African Canadian children, youth, and families.
• Knowledge of and familiarity with available community and mainstream service resources for culturally safe care and collaboration (e.g. 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC youth) and experience referring clients to these resources.
• Established ability to consistently and effectively consider implications of ethical issues in interactions with a variety of client populations; recognizing and applying differing ethical decision-making processes as the situation requires.
• Understands the importance of outcome measures; delivers reliable measures in the process of individual, group and family psychotherapy.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively with colleagues, the community, and service providers.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Comfort and proficiency in using technology to engage youth and families and in completing clinical documentation.
• Comfortable using social media to promote projects.
• Proficiency in French language is an asset.
• Proficiency in any other language utilized in the Scarborough community is an asset.
• Comfort and confidence in public speaking is an asset.
• Knowledge of purpose, roles and goals of clinical supervision; familiar with current research literature in clinical supervision as it relates to student practicum/internship supervision is an asset.

Other Requirements: Broad Police Check is required.

Compensation: Salary: Starting $60,835

Work Location: 596 Danforth Road, Scarborough. Various community and school locations

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements: Tuesday to Saturday Work Schedule. Regular evening availability from 12-8pm is required, 2 days a week to accommodate individual/family group sessions with clients/groups. Minimal travelling required to schools and program sites. If working from home, independent and a confidential and safe environment may be required at times.

How to Apply: Submit application to communityposting@youthlink.ca – Please quote posting #1530 in the subject line. As an equal opportunity employer, we encourage applications from qualified candidates who reflect the diversity of our communities. If you have a disability and require accessibility accommodations with the application process, please contact accessibility@youthlink.ca. Job Posting closing date – Open until Filled.