Counsellors (full time, part time, remote)

Position:         Multiple Full Time and Part Time – Day / Overnight / Remote

Location:        Toronto, ON and Montreal QC

Website:         www.kidshelpphone.ca                         

The Company:

Since 1989, Kids Help Phone has been Canada’s only national 24/7 bilingual (English and French) phone counselling, web counselling and referral service for children and youth, focused on mental health. We are pioneers in the field of virtual care. We exist to serve the 8.2 Million young people across Canada. Our values are rooted in being courageous, collaborative, innovative, resilient and trustworthy.

 

Calling All Counsellors

Do you want to make a difference in the lives of youth by contributing to a safe and trusted place for young people in any moment of crisis or need?

Do you believe in a future where every young person in Canada could access the support they need, in the way they need it most?

Do you agree that it’s possible to find strength within oneself to work through our issues and take the next step?

 

Kids Help Phone is on a transformational journey, one that will see us change the landscape of youth mental health in the coming years. We can’t do it alone. We need team members that are passionate about making a real difference in young people’s lives. It will take courage. It will take all of us.

 

If this sounds like a journey you want to be a part of, then read on!

 

How Does Counselling Work?

Counselling at Kids Help Phone is when you speak with a professional about whatever’s on your mind. This professional is a counsellor — someone who’s trained to talk to you about any problem, big or small. During counselling, they may ask you questions to help you learn more about your situation. A counsellor will work with you to come up with solutions or next steps together. Counsellors are always here to listen to you.

 

The Role

Kids Help Phone’s professional counsellors are the heart of Canada’s only anonymous and confidential service for young people.

Since 1989, our counsellors have provided counselling, referrals and information to young people who reach out to us 24/7/365. Online or by phone, our counsellors can offer support in English or French from three counselling centres across the country.

Our counsellors have diverse educational backgrounds/professional experience and are knowledgeable in a range of topics (including youth mental health and well-being). They recognize the strengths of young people by helping them find solutions to their own struggles and encouraging them to take steps toward resolving their own challenges. Counsellors are supported by a talented and clinically skilled group of Counselling Managers, who also come from diverse backgrounds and possess varying degrees and trainings.

Kids Help Phone’s counsellors are always there — supporting young people wherever and whenever they need us most.

 

Responsibilities:

Kids Help Phone Counsellors provide professional telephone and on-line counselling.  They follow a professional Code of Conduct and use clinical models confirmed as best practices or evidence based. Counsellors will also provide education and referral to youth as they define themselves, contacting Kids Help Phone within contexts of protection and empowerment of children and families to support the care of children and adolescents.

Counsellors provide assessment, counselling and support to youth in crisis and when appropriate provide referral to local community services to ensure effective professional response to the specific crisis. This includes assisting youth in distress and/or requesting supportive and educational services and completing required documentation to support direct service for telephone, and on-line interventions. 

Counsellors also:

  • Participate and attend in-service training, clinical consultations, staff meetings, shift debriefs, and other professional development activities
  • Maintain a sound knowledge of various national and provincial laws affecting the lives of children and young people at risk to provide sound decision-making support regarding appropriate and relevant referral to community authorities
  • Share areas of expertise and participate in developing resources for the department
  • Follow professional problem solving models
  • Actively participate in the process of individual clinical supervision and coaching
  • Facilitate the growth and understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle in which each child or youth is equipped with various tools and skills required to respond to the day-to-day demands of living in a dynamic family group, within a community and within a larger society
  • Represent the Kids Help Phone counselling service in a variety of venues, e.g. to volunteers, donors, educational settings, the media, as requested

Background Experience and Skills:

  • MSW or BSW with a preference given to Mental Health focus and those that are eligible for registration with a regulatory body for the Province they are working in
  • Ideally, at least three years of relevant experience in a social service sector (not mandatory, ie recent graduates will be considered)
  • Demonstrated experience in clinical counselling and crisis intervention (telephone counselling preferred)
  • Excellent communication skills, with the ability to create and maintain trusting relationships with youth as they define themselves
  • The ability to engage clients in non-judgmental problem solving
  • The ability to analyze situations, make appropriate decisions concerning clients’ needs and provide appropriate therapeutic service
  • Fluently bilingual in English and French, in both verbal and written
  • Knowledge of laws and services directly affecting the lives of children and youth in Canada
  • Passionate about the brand and the important work Kids Help Phone is doing!

 

Note:  We are currently recruiting Counsellors to work overnight, as this is the time that most youth in crisis reach out for support. This position includes working every other weekend

 

If interested in learning more, or to formally apply*, please contact:

Alexandra Cecchin
Renaissance Recruitment Services
Email:  alex@robinrecruits.com

Robin Barrett
Renaissance Recruitment Services
Email:  robin@robinrecruits.com
Phone:  (416) 805.9284

 

 

*Please include a cover letter highlighting:

  • Your interest in working at Kids Help Phone
  • Your educational background
  • Any Professional College or Association you are affiliated with
  • Summary of professional experience in similar roles
  • The clinical counselling models you are trained in or familiar with
  • Confirm your availability and interest to work the aforementioned schedule