Counsellor for Indigenous Students, Student

Student Counselling Services offers a goal-oriented, time-limited service where students can address difficulties and dilemmas that impact their sense of well-being during their university studies. Student Counselling Services provides individual and small group counselling services and a crisis response, as needed, to students who are dealing with personal and mental health issues. Counsellors work within a shared care, collaborative model along with clinicians from other agencies.

**Responsibilities**:

- Provides short term individual and group counselling for students at the University of Winnipeg with a primary focus on supporting Indigenous students and with an understanding of Indigenous perspectives and the diverse cultural backgrounds of Indigenous students.
- Provides intake, assessment, counselling and care planning, while honouring Indigenous experience, knowledge and healing practices.
- Meets with students in person as well as over zoom and provides scheduled and walk-in sessions.
- Demonstrates a commitment to a student-centred, trauma informed and culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, inclusive and holistic framework with a particular understanding of the intergenerational effects of historic harms against Indigenous people.
- Responds to students in distress or crisis, and assesses, intervenes and liaises as required.
- Refers students to internal and external supports or services.
- Provides advocacy on behalf of students’ expressed needs with internal and external contacts.
- Provides support, consultation, clinical intervention around disclosures of sexual violence.
- Offers consultation to staff and faculty related to student mental health and well-being.
- Provides support, consultation and clinical intervention during critical incidences on campus as required.
- Actively participates on committees.
- Participates in regular formal and informal peer consultation and participates in regular clinical supervision with the Clinical Coordinator/Counsellor.
- Maintains confidential documentation according to professional and ethical standards.
- Collaborates to evaluate and enhance counselling services, processes and resources.
- Works closely with Aboriginal Student Services Centre (ASSC) attending and participating in cultural and other events.
- Networks and works collaboratively with other Student Services areas and with off campus resources.
- Responds to requests and offers mental health and wellbeing education to students, faculty, staff in the form of awareness building campaigns, workshops, presentations, and meetings.
- Consults with staff, faculty, students and off-campus community agencies in building awareness and capacity regarding mental health and wellbeing of Indigenous students.
- Offers support and mentoring to student groups as needed.
- Schedules appointments, manages calendar of appointments, utilizes case management software to record case notes and documentation.
- Collects monthly statistics and provides them to Clinical Coordinator/Counsellor.

**Qualifications**:

- Graduate degree in Clinical Social Work, Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy, or another related discipline required.
- Training in crisis response, risk assessment, sexual violence and suicide intervention required.
- Must be licensed/registered professional.
- Minimum of three years clinical experience.
- Deep understanding of challenges faced by Indigenous students.
- Commitment to supporting all students, including Indigenous students and students from international, immigrant, refugee and inner-city communities, persons with disabilities, persons within LBGTTQ* communities and students living in residences.
- Experience with and practice of Indigenous history, culture, and knowledge systems.
- Experience in Indigenous community relationship building practices and protocols.
- Knowledge and experience relating to Indigenous approaches to healing.
- Experience counselling populations presenting a vast diversity of issues and have a demonstrated ability to respond effectively to any presenting issue including suicide, trauma and crisis.
- Experience working from a culturally sensitive, anti-oppressive, trauma informed, student-centred perspective.
- Ability to adapt clinical approaches to meet the needs of students from various Indigenous backgrounds.
- Experience working with diverse and marginalized persons and communities.
- Experience counselling young adults.
- Experience developing and facilitating workshops, groups and presentations.
- Experience in navigating local health and social service community resources with a particular focus on resources serving members of Indigenous communities.
- Ability to speak an Indigenous language is an asset.
- Ability to facilitate a time-limited, goal-oriented counselling process with students in response to presenting issues.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Excellent analytical skills and the ability to synthesize complex issues