Individual and Family Therapist, Intensive DBT

INDIVIDUAL & FAMILY THERAPIST, INTENSIVE DBT
LOCATION: 40 Orchard View Blvd, M4R 1B9, Toronto, ON (Temporarily Remote)
POSITION TYPE: Full-time Regular (37.5 hours/week)
POSTING CLOSING DATE: May 23, 2021

Lumenus Community Services is looking for a dynamic individual to be a member of the Intensive DBT Program for youth between the ages of 14-18. This position will provide DBT-specific therapy as part of Lumenus’ Intensive DBT program, as well as ongoing counselling and single-session counselling in our Ontario Youth Wellness Hub Walk-in program.

The Intensive DBT Program includes individual, group and family therapy, DBT Skills Coaching and weekly DBT Consult Team-essential to helping DBT therapists monitor their fidelity to the model, increase their skills, monitor their burnout and sustain their motivation when working with high-risk, youth. The successful candidate will also offer walk-in counselling with our Youth Wellness Hub Ontario site which offers a wide range of services for youth aged 12-26 and their families, as well as ongoing individual and family counselling for youth between 12 and 21 years of age. Individual and Family Therapists address a range of mental health issues, including emotional, behavioral and/or psychiatric symptoms that may be impacting one’s functioning at home, school, socially or in the community. Intervention strategies are determined following a thorough intake and assessment.

Experience with/lived experience of oppression, racism, homophobia, transphobia and/or ableism and/or personal connection to queer or trans communities of color, including newcomer and disability communities will be an asset for applicants.

Lumenus Community Services is a dynamic and growing agency. We offer a competitive salary, ongoing training, and career development opportunities!

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Provide Individual DBT informed therapy based on a thorough Biosocial Assessment, for youth age 14-18, Co-facilitate DBT skills group for youth and their caregivers, provide DBT Skills Coaching to youth as needed, and be an active participant in weekly DBT Consult Team
• Formulate assessments and treatment plans and provide therapeutic counselling using a range of Evidence-Based and/or Evidence-informed Practices, including Narrative Therapy, CBT, Motivational Interviewing, Attachment-based therapy, Solution-focused, therapy, Trauma-informed therapy, Family Therapy, etc., and provision of psycho-education as needed
• Liaise with other professionals and work from a multi-disciplinary framework including, psychologists, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals
• Provide consultations/give presentations internally and externally as required.
• Provide service coordination for clients with multiple needs, i.e. refer clients to other Lumenus programs when appropriate and liaise with workers from those programs to best support clients and meet their needs; refer to external service providers as needed
• Build and maintain effective interactions with colleagues at Lumenus Community Services, focused on individual, team and agency success
• Aligns own work and behaviour with agency mission, vision and values and in adherence to agency policies and procedures
• Complies with agency policies and procedures, paying particular attention to ensuring that client and staff confidentiality is strictly enforced
• Organizes own work to meet scheduled deadlines and program demands, including clinical reports and data entry, and ensures the client record is maintained as per agency standards
• Participates in quality assurance, evaluation and research activities, as required
• Adheres to the organizational health and safety policies and practices along with the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act. This includes but is not limited to: ensuring safe workplace practices, protecting the health and safety of themselves and others and maintaining cleanliness in the workplace
• Perform other related duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS:
• Masters of social work or Masters of Counselling Psychology (or equivalent)
• At least 2 years of professional experience or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Formal training in Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, as well as experience delivering this modality
• Thorough knowledge and previous experience with the principle techniques and methods of individual/family therapy and evidence informed treatment modalities noted above
• Experience working with youth struggling with depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, significant self-harming, strained social relationships, eating disorders, trauma, psychiatric diagnoses, difficult family dynamics, learning disabilities etc.
• Sound knowledge of anti-oppressive and anti-racist practices and ability to implement them in clinical work with children, youth & families
• Ability to demonstrate and work through a lens of sensitivity to diversity related to race, religion, culture, cognitive functioning, poverty, sexual orientation and gender identity, and experience working with youth with intersecting identities
• Computer and social media literacy

SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE:
• Proven knowledge, understanding and experiencing working as a DBT Therapist
• Sound knowledge of evidenced informed treatment modalities including but not limited to, Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Trauma-informed therapy, Attachment-based therapy
• Proven knowledge and understanding of brief solution focused therapy and single session models
• Suicide risk assessment and intervention skills
• Demonstrated sound judgement related to the development of collaborative approaches working with youth and their families; including high risk circumstances and safety planning
• Sound knowledge and understanding of child and adolescent development
• Ability to develop collaborative working relationships with other staff; ability to connect and build rapport with youth and families
• Ability to demonstrate and work through a lens of sensitivity to diversity related to race, religion, culture, cognitive functioning, poverty, sexual orientation and gender identity, etc.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills; ability to work in a multi-disciplinary environment, exercising professional judgement in conflictual and stressful situations
• Proven group facilitation skills, preferably utilizing Evidence Based Practices
• Well-developed writing skills with a strong record in completing documentation properly and in a timely manner
• Excellent organizational and administrative skills, with strong initiative
• Ability to identify clinical learning needs and seek consultation and support through supervision

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
• Satisfactory clearance under the Vulnerable Sector Screening process
• Willing to work a flexible schedule, including two evenings/week, to accommodate the needs of the youth and families
• Registration with the OCSWSSW or CRPO
• Attendance at other Lumenus locations for meetings or training

TO APPLY: Interested applicants are invited to submit their cover letter and resume in only PDF or Microsoft word format to the attention of Arlene Sager at resume@lumenus.ca on or before May 23, 2021.

Please quote: Individual & Family Therapist – Intensive DBT in the subject line. Please refrain from pasting the cover letter to the body of the email.

Lumenus Community Services is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. We value a recruitment and selection process that is inclusive and barrier-free and we encourage applications from all individuals including, but not limited to, all cultures, religions, racialized communities, abilities, sexual orientations, and gender identities and expressions.

We ask applicants to make any accommodation requests for the interview or selection process known in advance by contacting the Human Resources Department. Human Resources will work together with the hiring committee to arrange reasonable and appropriate accommodation for the selection process which will enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner.