Vaw Counsellor

**WCYR VAW Counsellor**

Based in York Region, the Women’s Centre of York Region (WCYR) provides education, counselling and skills development opportunities to support women from diverse communities as they strengthen and sustain their personal growth and economic independence. Our services and programs are offered in an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, women-centred environment.

1. Individual Counselling for women who experienced violence, domestic or otherwise, helping them regain confidence and work towards a sustainable livelihood, free from abuse.

2. Transitional Counselling provides emotional and practical support to ensure women and their children can leave an abusive relationship safely. Our counsellors recognize abuse takes many forms and can come from partners, significant others, caregivers or even family members, causing both physical and emotional pain. We assist any woman experiencing violence to not only exit safely, but live independently, free from abuse.

**Responsibilities**

The Counsellor will:

- Complete intakes for individual and transitional counselling
- Carry a caseload of women to whom she is providing individual counselling
- Provide therapeutic short-term, solution-focused, and transitional counselling
- Assist women in carrying out their plan of action by identifying challenges, assessing progress, and providing strategies to resolve any difficulties in reaching their goals.
- Assist women with safety planning
- Provide information about and referrals to community resources
- Advocate for services on behalf of individual women
- Maintain statistics and other records
- Participate in program planning and evaluation
- Liaise with representatives of relevant community agencies/services
- Other duties may be required as assigned

**Qualifications**:

- Relevant education and experience.
- Registered with appropriate regulatory body.
- Training, or education, in the areas of gender-based violence, justice (family and criminal) and social assistance systems, and human trafficking.
- Minimum of 3-5 years of relevant experience; experience in a non-profit or community health center environment is a definite asset.
- Experience or familiarity with feminist counselling models, brief solution, trauma-informed, resilience-based, within an anti-oppression framework.
- Experience with intake procedures, case management, and crisis intervention;
- Experience with Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is an asset.

**Skills and Abilities**:

- Excellent knowledge of violence against women issues, human trafficking, justice and social assistance systems, community agencies/resources, the mental health system, child protection, family law, immigrant and refugee issues, and legislative issues
- Extensive experience working within an Anti-Racist/Anti-Oppressive and feminist framework
- Knowledge of WCYR’s values and ability to support the Vision and Mission
- Teamwork, co-operating and collaboration skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Demonstrated ability to develop relationships with community agencies and groups
- Strong computer skills (i.e., MS office)
- Able to work in a multi-disciplinary environment
- Excellent negotiation and conflict resolution skills
- Excellent crisis intervention, mediation and active listening skills