Professional Facilitator

**Details**
- **Title**: Professional Facilitator
- **Reports To**: Senior Specialist, Mental Health Programming
- **Location**: Calgary (in-person)
- **Hours/Week**: 6 Hours/Month
- **Employment/Pay Type**: Contract
- **Pay**: $125-150/Session

**About The Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Centre**:
The Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Centre is a registered charity based in Calgary, Alberta, serving the loss community across Alberta.

Our mission is to support and connect individuals who have experienced the trauma around miscarriage, stillbirth, Termination For Medical Reasons (TFMR), abortion, neonatal loss, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), or infertility.

We acknowledge that the journey through loss towards healing is as complex as it is individual. As such, we offer many no-cost pathways to healing including a help line, support groups, peer mentorship, and professional 1:1 sessions.

The Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Centre holds the following values close to our hearts:

- **Community** - We were founded by bereaved parents who address the programming gaps that still remain for the community.
- **Grief as a lifelong journey -** We provide support that addresses the lifelong impacts of loss and at every stage of the parenting journey (initial grief, trying to conceive, pregnant again, and parenting after loss)
- **Accessibility** - Accessibility is critical in accessing care. As such we offer our programming at not cost. As well, we offer in-person and remote support, making support accessible from anywhere.
- **Diversity and Inclusion** - We hold an affirming space for people of all faiths, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, socio-economic status, sexual orientations and gender identities. We hold affirming space for diverse types of loss including termination for medical reasons (TFMR), abortion, infertility, loss through surrogacy and missed adoption.

**Responsibilities**

The Professional Facilitator is responsible for co-facilitating our in-person support group “Queer Families: From Hope to Home”. This in-person peer support group meets every two weeks and is created and run in-partnership between Families Matter and the Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Centre. This group offers an affirming, inclusive space for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and families at all stages of their family-building journey. The Professional Facilitator will guide participants through activities, while ensuring a warm environment, in partnership with the facilitator from Families Matter.

**Key Responsibilities**:

- Is familiar with session materials & content
- In charge of monitoring registration, taking and inputting attendance in our management software
- Assists in the setup and cleanup of each session
- Establish group expectations for safety
- Initiates and co-leads group discussions with co-facilitator
- Engages participants in a respectful manner
- Provides a safe and affirming environment for all people
- Debriefs with co-facilitator, provides and receives constructive feedback
- Facilitates discussions and draws from the group manual with up-to-date knowledge
- Ensures supplies are organized and prepared for group activities
- Communicates with Senior Specialist of Mental Health Programming for quality control and improvements
- Participates & monitors groups in assigned chat program for safe and respectful practices, language, and supporting alternative interventions when necessary

**Administrative Tasks**:

- Submit post-session report after each session noting any important themes & details
- Maintain records of client interactions by documenting client’s meetings in the Client Management System supplied by the Centre
- Maintain operations by following policies and procedures, participating in quality reviews, and reporting needed changes
- Maintain client confidence and protect operations by keeping information confidential

**Skills & Capabilities**
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to create a safe and welcoming environment
- Ability to navigate sensitive topics with empathy, professionalism, and discretion.
- Experience in group facilitation, peer support, or counselling, preferably in the areas of 2SLGBTQIA+ support, grief, loss, trauma, pregnancy loss, infant loss, infertility.

**Education & Experience**:
The following qualifications are considered assets for this role:

- Background in social work, counseling, psychology, peer support, or a related field.
- Experience facilitating support groups.
- Familiarity with trauma-aware practices.
- As this is a peer-based support group for individuals in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, this role is designated for individuals who self-identify as part of this community, in accordance with the principles of peer support and equitable service delivery.
- We welcome and value applicants from equity-serving groups, and lived experience with diverse-family building paths is considered a strong asset.

**Equity & Inclusion**
- We recogniz