Counsellor/advocate

**Counsellor/Advocate**

The Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region supports survivors of sexual violence. We listen, facilitate healing, and celebrate resiliency. Using an anti-racist, intersectional feminist approach, we work to transform systems which promote gender-based violence.

**Essential Requirements of Education / Experience**:

- Post-secondary education in a counselling-related program

**Key Areas of Responsibility**:

- Individual and group counselling with survivors of sexual violence
- Advocacy and accompaniments with survivors
- Maintenance of client files and statistics
- Student supervision, as required

**Knowledge and Skills Required**:

- Knowledge of sexual violence, trauma, and recovery
- Proven skills in counselling, group facilitation, crisis intervention, and advocacy with survivors of sexual violence
- Demonstrated commitment to anti-violence work and an intersectional feminist approach
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills

**Compensation and Benefits**:
We are a Living Wage employer as defined by the Ontario Living Wage Network. We use a 3:1 ratio meaning that the highest paid team member is not paid more than 3 times than the lowest paid team member.

Note: Most new team members will start at or close to the entry point of the range.

SASC has a 35-hour work week.

Pay Grade: 4

Min: $28.48 per hour; $51,833.60 per annum

Max: $33.50 per hour; $60,970.00 per annum

We have a health benefit plan including Extended Health Care (EHC), Dental, Employee Life Insurance, Dependent’s Life Insurance, Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D), Long-Term Disability (LTD), and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). We pay 100% of health benefit premiums for our full-time staff and their families.

Due to the nature of our work, our staff team starts with four weeks of vacation. We also have 125 hours of paid time off per year. These amounts are pro-rated based on the team member's start date.

We offer RRSP matching after one year of employment.

**Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression Statement**:
**We recognize that sexual violence disproportionately impacts women, trans, and non-binary people. We particularly recognize the impact of racism and colonialism on Black, Indigenous, and racialized women, girls, gender-diverse, and two-spirit survivors.**

We acknowledge that the majority of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main office at 151 Frederick Street in Kitchener, Ontario is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on either side of the Grand River.

**How to Apply**:
**Job Description - Counsellor/Advocate**

**Job Purpose**:
Reporting to the Counselling Manager, our Counsellor / Advocates are accountable to provide supportive, strengths-based, non-judgmental advocacy, psycho-education, and individual and group counselling to survivors and their families who have been impacted by sexual violence.

**Duties and Responsibilities**:
Direct Service
- Provide an average of 17 individual counselling sessions per week for people, 16 years of age and older, who have experienced and/or have been impacted by sexual violence.
- Provide advocacy and accompaniments to survivors. Provide accompaniments to court, the hospital, the police station, mental health appointments, etc.
- Write letters of support/advocacy.
- Participate in case conferences and consultations.
- Make appropriate referrals to other community services and communicate with other service providers to support clients.
- Maintain and build community partnerships, within the scope of a Counsellor/Advocate role.
- Provide practical assistance to clients as necessary and available. (i.e., bus tickets, grocery vouchers, hygiene products, food items, book loans, etc.)
- Provide support with Group Counselling as requested by the Counselling Manager including recruiting, screening, and completing intake with participants. This position may also involve some group program preparation, facilitation, and evaluation.

Other
- Participate in regular clinical supervision sessions, and meetings with the Counselling Manager.
- Maintain client files. Respond to client inquiries, prepare for future sessions, complete monthly and quarterly statistics, provide information about SASC to community members and participate in team meetings.
- Ensure continuing competency by seeking out professional development opportunities, clinical consultation, and debriefing support.

Additionally, in a small agency, it is often the case that work of a nature similar to that in each job is either assigned or known to be necessary to be done. As well, from time to time, work that is not similar in nature to the job may also be required to be done by individuals in any job in order to accomplish the SASC’s purpose.

**Qualifications**:

- Post-secondary education in a counselling-related program and 5 years of relevant e