Mental Health Clinician

Are you a compassionate clinician who believes in meeting people where they’re at? Do you thrive in a collaborative, interdisciplinary team that values flexibility, curiosity, and client-centered care? Are you ready to help create safer, healthier futures for people navigating complex mental health and substance use challenges? If this sounds like the kind of work you’ve been looking for, we’d love to meet you._

**What We Do**

The Alex is a beacon of hope for Calgary’s most vulnerable citizens, offering wrap-around health care, housing, social, and wellness programs. With a patient and client-centered approach, we envision a community where every individual is valued and empowered to thrive. Our mission is to improve quality of life through accessible and integrated health, housing, and social services. With five decades of experience, we have earned a reputation for tackling tough health and social issues, guiding individuals on their journey from crisis to wellness, and from challenge to change.

Our Community Health Centre offers wraparound support for individuals experiencing complex health, mental health, or social challenges. Here, doctors, nurses, mental health clinicians, and social support teams work together to provide care that meets people where they’re at, with dignity, compassion, and trust at the heart of everything we do.

Reporting to the Program Manager, Community Health, Mental Health Clinicians (MHCs) offer evidence-based therapies to individuals and groups, facilitates skills and process to groups, and works closely with an interdisciplinary health and social team. While carrying a case load and completing required assessments, evaluation instruments, and other documentation, MHCs seek to resolve clients’ issues and support their move to independence or to other community support where appropriate.

This is a **full-time, 13-month contract** position with possibility of extension.

**What You Will Do**:

- Collaborate with the interdisciplinary team to provide evidence-based therapies within the session guidelines.
- Move clients off caseloads within session guidelines and be receptive to taking new clients onto caseload.
- Provide four to five therapeutic encounters with clients daily as a minimum expectation.
- Offer culturally sensitive services.
- Complete required documentation with excellence, in accordance with agency policy and procedures, and be respective of professional college requirements.
- Conduct assessments as appropriate and contribute to individualized service plans.
- Use evidence-based treatments in the areas of mental health and substance abuse to address participant needs (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectal behaviour therapy (DBT), motivational interviewing (MI), solution-focused therapy (SFT), etc.).
- Work from a harm reduction, trauma informed, and recovery-based approaches, grounded on a client’s readiness for change.
- Work collaboratively with clients, families, and community partners to assist clients in achieving treatment and recovery goals.
- Facilitate group programming for clients, using principles of psychoeducation, CBT, and other evidence-based models, when appropriate.
- Provide access to clients with same-day therapy, when required, appropriate, and applicable to The Alex program.
- Assist in data collection, and entry, as directed.
- Perform other duties as assigned.

**What You Bring**:

- Master's degree in psychology, Social Work, or a related field.
- An active registration with a professional discipline in Alberta.
- Social Workers must be authorized to perform psychosocial interventions.
- Minimum two years of experience as a Mental Health Clinician.
- Awareness of FOIP, HIA, and HIPA and doctrines such as the Mature Minor.
- Knowledge around working with suicidal individuals and how to handle such situations appropriately while considering confidentiality and client safety.
- Specialized training in evidenced-based therapies is an asset (e.g., cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectal behavior therapy, solution focused therapy, etc.).
- Experience in single session therapy is an asset.
- Ability to set goals and work with clients within appropriate timelines and refer to other agencies/programs if needed.
- Awareness of the importance of evidence-based treatments and flexibility to practice from different perspectives.
- Experience working with vulnerable populations with significant mental health and substance use issues.
- Awareness of increased complexities in providing therapy virtually.
- Understanding of harm reduction and trauma informed care.
- Exceptional communication, organization, advocacy, teaching, and rapport-building skills.
- Commitment to contributing positively to team culture.
- Ability to work in high-stress situations with clear and open communication.
- Openness to a wide scope of practice with commitment to innovation and flexibility.
- Strong initiative in times of limited supervision.
- Awareness