Clinician - Bryony House (Msw or M. Psych)

Opened in 1978, Bryony House is one of the largest impact organizations in Nova Scotia. We provide 24-hour emergency services for women, with or without children, escaping intimate partner violence. Each year, approximately 470 women and children stay with us, and 2,500 distress calls are answered. Our dedicated counselors are there to answer the 24-hour distress line and provide individual/group supportive counseling, public education, advocacy, and referrals. At Bryony House, we aim to serve our clients with dignity, respect, and without judgment. Women who contact us come from many walks of life, socio-economic classes, and cultural backgrounds and are committed to efforts to reflect the population we serve.

**Principle Duties of the Client Services and Programs Manager include**:
**Program Development**:

- Develop and facilitate evidence-based programs for clients, including individual and group therapy sessions and psychoeducational groups on substance use disorders, mental health and coping with trauma.
- Collaborate with staff to revise training documents, policies, and procedures, ensuring consistency across all departments.
- Participate in management meetings to strategically plan organizational trajectory.
- Develop and implement crisis response procedures in the community.
- Stay current with emerging research and best practices in client services and program development.

**Client Services**:

- Provide assessment and planning, treatment and intervention, and crisis management and response for clients within the shelter and in the community.
- Use a primarily cognitive-behavioural approach to treatment, incorporating a variety of assessments, treatment tools and interventions, based on an overall client-centered philosophy.
- Ensure service consistency across all departments of the shelter by coaching staff and advising them on best practices with clients to support counseling, advocacy, administration, follow-up, public education, and community relations.
- Manage high-risk cases clinically.
- Support staff in maintaining their mental health when navigating challenging cases.
- Lead staff in ethical best practices, a solution-focused approach and setting short-term objectives when navigating challenging cases.

**Community Outreach**:

- Develop and maintain strong partnerships with community organizations and stakeholders to ensure the provision of quality services to clients.
- Plan and deliver public education programs to increase awareness of intimate partner violence and the support services available.
- Participate as a representative on service, organization, and community committees as appropriate.
- Act as an advocate for clients in the community.

**Administration**:

- Evaluate program effectiveness, and make recommendations for improvements.
- Ensure compliance with all relevant regulations and legislation.
- Complete administrative duties such as documentation, report writing, and record keeping.
- Create an ethics committee and provide guidance on ethical issues within the organization.
- Review staff communications to ensure accurate documentation and use of HIFIS.
- Attend relevant meetings and training to maintain professional development and knowledge.

**Qualifications**:

- A Master's Degree in a health-related field such as Social Work, Psychology, Counselling and Nursing is required.
- Registered (or eligible) for licensure with an appropriate licensing body (eg. Nova Scotia College of Social Workers or Association of Psychologists of Nova Scotia)
- Two years of clinical experience specific to mental health and/or addictions.
- Two years experience in the provision of individual, family and group therapy programs such as cognitive behavioral therapy as well as psychoeducational groups.
- Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of standard criteria used for the classification and diagnosis of mental health disorders.
- Demonstrated knowledge and skills in providing individual and group evidence informed therapies based on care plans to clients with mental illness, substance use disorders, and/or concurrent disorders.
- Excellent problem-solving, organizational and prioritization skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks.
- High level of written/oral/interpersonal communication skills; including the ability to communicate in a timely and transparent manner using the appropriate channels, tools, and techniques.
- Knowledge of Adult Education, Trauma-Informed Practice and Justice, Equity, Diversity, Decolonization, and Inclusion best practices.
- Understanding of the cycle of abuse and its impact on women and children.
- Crisis intervention experience and experience working with women and children who have experienced violence.
- Experience working with children of varying ages (infants - teens).
- Proven record of dependability and reliability in an employment setting.
- Basic working knowledge of commonly used computer programs such as Microsoft Word, etc.
- Commit