Eating Disorder Prevention Specialist

BANA and Eating Disorders Ontario - Prevention work together with a diverse group of provincial and regional stakeholders and experts to collaboratively deliver a comprehensive, whole community approach to eating disorder prevention across Ontario. At EDO-P we strive for all children and youth in Ontario to live, learn, play, and grow in environments that reinforce positive, inclusive attitudes toward weight, shape, food, activity, and wellbeing. In the Ontario Health West Region, EDO-P is hosted by BANA.

**Position Summary**:
The key responsibilities of the **Eating Disorder Prevention Specialist **include: regional prevention planning, service delivery, and implementation support. They will perform and support ongoing health promotion, engaging with multiple community stakeholders to support capacity building, the provision of consumer-oriented prevention information and reference material, as well as participate in local, regional, and provincial activities to support prevention efforts.

This position is in partnership with Eating Disorders Ontario - Prevention (EDO-P), however employment is with BANA as the host organization for EDO-P in Ontario Health West.

**KEY RESPONSIBILITIES**

**1.** **Supports prevention needs in local community**
- Conducts community assessment to determine local prevention strengths and needs
- Develops plan to implement EDO-P framework/strategy
- Identifies and acts on opportunities for collaborative partnerships with a diverse range of stakeholders and sector champions in the community, clinical, education, health administration, partner organizations, and appropriate government divisions
- Participates in community and provincial networks to optimize uptake of EDO-P framework, resources, and strategies
- Maintains a network of local stakeholders and engages in regular communication to maintain awareness of community strengths and needs and to aid in collaborative planning

**2.** **Health Promotion and delivery of prevention planning, implementation support**
- Disseminates available resources and prevention related materials and services from both EDO-P and partner groups to support prevention efforts in the community
- Ensures all resources are accurate, reliable, current, evidence based, and appropriate for eating disorder prevention and health promotion
- Acts as an advocate for capacity/skill building opportunities and resource needs in their community related to eating disorder prevention and related topics
- Implements a wide range of health promotion strategies such as: health education, population health and community development
- Helps foster individual and collective self-awareness, to improve health decision making and improve access to resources needed to strengthen eating disorder prevention and related health promotion
- Conducts or coordinates presentations for community program staff to keep them apprised of current trends in eating disorder prevention and the related work of other community agencies
- Provides all prevention strategies with cultural competence, sensitivity, and cultural safety as a priority

**3.** **Direct intervention delivery**
- Provides capacity building education to local and provincial professionals
- Provides youth facing, group based interventions at discretion of partner groups and agencies

**4.** **Participates in research, evaluation, and academic forums**
- Participates in program evaluation
- Participates in community based participatory research and/or quality initiatives
- Presents at health conferences, seminars, workshops
- Precepts students from community health programs

**QUALIFICATIONS**

**Education & Professional Affiliation**:

- Must be a member of a regulated health or social service college in Ontario listed under the Psychotherapy Act (Eg. OCSWSSW, CRPO, CPO, CNO, COTO)
- Completion of a degree in mental health or health sciences required.
- Eg. Social Worker (MSW or BSW), MA or MSc in psychology, Registered Nurse, Occupational Therapy, Masters in Health Sciences with RSW

**Experience**:

- At minimum 3 years practical and related experience
- Minimum of two years of psychotherapy experience in a mental health setting with a focus on children and youth and experience in group facilitation
- Community development and/or public health experience preferred
- Experience in health promotion, health education, or child/youth education preferred
- Experience with related child/youth mental health areas and community development preferred
- Experience working with anxiety disorders, depression, trauma or eating disorders, and motivational enhancement
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with multiple groups and stakeholders
- A valid driver’s license and own transportation is required

**Additional Skills**:

- Excellent oral and written communication skills. Bilingualism an asset - ability to read and write in French or an additional language
- Excellent organizational, time management and problem so