Shelter Crisis Counsellor

The Shelter Crisis Counsellor plays a vital frontline role in supporting women residing in our crisis shelter, with their children, who are navigating domestic violence. This position is rooted in a holistic, culturally aware, trauma-informed model that prioritizes safety, dignity and empowerment. The counsellor provides immediate emotional support, short-term supportive counselling, group programming, helps defuse crisis situations, and facilitates stabilization so that women can more fully engage with shelter services and begin their healing journey.

**WHAT YOU'LL DO**:

- Provide immediate, trauma-informed emotional support to women entering the shelter in crisis, ensuring psychological safety.
- Support residents through acute emotional responses (e.g., panic, anxiety, grief) using client-centered approaches.
- Facilitate one-on-one and drop-in emotional support sessions, offering psychoeducation and trauma-informed counselling.
- Co-create individualized wellness plans and collaborate with staff for integrated, wraparound care.
- Monitor emotional well-being over time, adjusting supports and making referrals as needed.
- Maintain therapeutic rapport and clear professional boundaries in all interactions.
- Attend intakes, meetings, and assist in de-escalating high-risk situations with emotional support and advocacy.
- Facilitate crisis debriefings post-incident and share trauma-informed strategies to enhance team capacity.
- Design and facilitate psychoeducational group sessions on emotional regulation, healthy relationships, boundaries, and self-care.
- Introduce practical coping tools (e.g., mindfulness, grounding, journaling, creative expression) to support emotional stabilization.
- Foster a safe, inclusive, and culturally responsive environment that encourages participation and supports diverse needs.
- Maintain accurate, confidential documentation of counselling sessions, crisis intervention, support provided and referrals in accordance with organizational and funder standards.
- Assist with grant reporting and program evaluations by providing qualitative and quantitative data, participant impact stories, and service summaries as requested.
- Participate in regular team meetings, case consultations, and interdisciplinary planning sessions to ensure coordinated and holistic participant care.
- Act as a role model to team by practicing and integrating equity, diversity, and inclusion principles in one’s role, responsibilities, and relationships.

**WHAT YOU'LL BRING**:

- Minimum of bachelor’s degree in social work or other related discipline required.
- Must be registered and in good standing with the relevant regulatory body i.e., Alberta College of Social Workers.
- Certifications in Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (NVCI, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), and First Aid required, Brain Story, Indigenous Awareness or equivalent; familiar with a client centered and trauma informed approach.
- Minimum of 2 years’ experience providing direct support or counselling to individuals experiencing domestic violence, trauma, crisis or instability.
- Experience working in shelter, residential or community-based settings is an asset.
- Demonstrated ability to build rapport and provide trauma-informed support.
- Ability to work respectfully and effectively with diverse populations, including Indigenous communities, newcomers and individuals with complex needs.
- Proficiency in computers, databases and maintaining detailed and well written case notes.
- Adaptability, exceptional problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.
- Ability to demonstrate self-regulation, self-awareness and sound judgement in high pressure crisis environments.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills; skilled at collaborating with an interdisciplinary team.

**If you want to change lives, we want to hear from you.**
- YW Calgary is committed to providing an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace where all employees, volunteers and clients feel valued and respected, whatever their race, religious beliefs, colour, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, ancestry, or place of origin._