Wellness Counsellor & Coordinator

Wellness Counsellor and Coordinator 

Job Number: 1900837 

Faculty / Division: University of Toronto Scarborough 

Department: UTSC: Health & Wellness Centre 

Campus: Scarborough   

Description:  

About us:

The Wellness Counsellor and Coordinator is an integral member of the embedded mental health care team in the Health and Wellness Centre (HWC) at the University of Toronto Scarborough with a joint appointment to the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre (SVPSC). 

The Health and Wellness Centre provides inter-professional health and counselling services in a safe, accessible and culturally responsive environment to optimize the students’ personal, academic and overall well-being. We strive to enhance services to students through collaborative partnerships on campus and in our community.

The Tri-Campus Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre (SVPSC) is mandated to conduct intake, accept disclosures and reports of sexual violence, and to provide support to individual members of the University community who have experienced sexual violence and sexual harassment.

Your opportunity:

Within the Health and Wellness Centre, the incumbent is a member of the embedded mental health care team, and under the direction of the Manager, provides personal counselling using a trauma informed approach, solution/ goal focused psychotherapy to students at the University in accordance with the University of Toronto Scarborough HWC, vision, mission, and strategic plan, and is expected to demonstrate quality and effectiveness in work habits.

Within the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre, the incumbent reports to the Director, SVPSC and spends approximately 30% of their time providing case management support to the SVPSC. The incumbent acts as a consultant to faculty, staff, and students on matters relating to sexual violence and the University’s Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment, conducts workshops and relevant training. 

The Wellness Counsellor & Coordinator provides triage services to support and stabilize client, referrals to internal services (e.g. accessibility services, health services, housing, etc.), and to external services (e.g. financial, legal, police, hospital, community organizations, etc.) for members of the entire University community in accordance with the provisions set-out in the Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy.

The Wellness Counsellor & Coordinator maintains a dual role in two areas with differing privacy legislation. It is essential to ensure confidentiality of FIPPA information within the scope of their case management activities in SVPSC and PHIPA information within the scope of their clinical activities at HWC. Inherent in this role are the knowledge, skills and attitudes specific to critical thinking and decision making, ability to analyze and assess presenting mental health concerns, triage cases requiring sexual violence support through the intake stream of HWC office, and collaborate with the medical team in the management of these mental health concerns, and flexibility and decision making in fluid situations with unpredictable outcomes. 

The Wellness Counsellor and Coordinator will be responsible for conducting screening/intake assessments; case management; facilitating discharge planning; developing and facilitating community referrals and referring to the university community; providing brief counselling to individuals; and running psycho-educational workshops.


Your responsibilities will include:

  • Providing clinical counselling and psychotherapy for students and making referrals to appropriate resources
  • Assessing the mental health of clients
  • Determining the appropriate level of clinical intervention
  • Developing components of treatment plans based on appropriate therapeutic approaches
  • Providing case management support to students requiring the coordination of multiple services
  • Providing consultative advice to contacts regarding students in distress
  • Leading seminars and/or workshops
  • Serving as an expert resource to a group of professionals in the specialty

 

Qualifications:

  Essential Qualifications:

  • Master's Degree in counselling/psychotherapy or social work and/or acceptable combination of equivalent experience. Must be in good standing with professional college.
  • Minimum five years related experience, in a Community Mental Health Setting, and/or Outpatient Mental Health Unit performing client intakes/assessments, crisis counselling, brief or short-term counselling to individuals and psycho-educational workshops.
  • Extensive experience with mental health and illness, behavioural issues, anger management, and conflict resolution.
  • Strong experience in sexual violence crisis response, prevention, case management, and providing education and training on sexual violence and prevention.
  • Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint).
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Knowledge and competency in maintaining confidentiality of client information according to FIPPA and PHIPA legislation.
  • Strong knowledge of community resources.
  • Demonstrated ability to relate to students, staff and faculty in ways that build confidence and trust.
  • Able to work in a highly diverse community with students from varied backgrounds and a variety of age groups, presenting with a range of difficulties and personal issues.
  • Good judgment, sensitivity, flexibility, discretion and resourcefulness.
  • Ability to communicate effectively with staff and senior administrators about issues facing students in crisis and make recommendations.


Assets (Nonessential):

  • Trauma informed counselling experience, life coaching, mindful based therapies and alternative evidenced based therapies.
  • Experience working with post-secondary students and knowledge of university and community mental health resources.


To be successful in this role you will be:

  • Approachable
  • Diplomatic
  • Organized
  • Patient
  • Perceptive
  • Problem solver
  • Resilient
  • Team player

 

Travel: None 

Notes: This is a term position effective immediately until January 2020. 

The hours are as follows:

3-4 days per week: 8:45am - 5:00pm
1-2 days per week: (Wednesday/Thursday): 11:45am - 8:00pm

A copy of the full Job Description is available upon request from the UTSC HR Office

Employee Group: United Steelworkers (USW) 

Appointment Type: Budget - Term 

Schedule: Full-time 

Pay Scale Group and Hiring Rate: USW Pay Band 15 -- $80,658 with an annual step progression to a maximum of $103,148. Pay scale and job class assignment is subject to determination pursuant to the Job Evaluation/Pay Equity Maintenance Protocol.   

Job Field: Health & Wellbeing 

Job Posting: Mar 20, 2019 

Job Closing: Apr 1, 2019