Clinical Counsellor

**Friends of Ruby**

Friends of Ruby is dedicated to the journey and well-being of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, aged 16-29 through mental health services, social services, and housing. Friends of Ruby offers Youth Mental Health services, a Youth Drop-In Centre, and a Transitional Home. The Centre provides access to barrier-free counselling and therapeutic groups, case management and a drop-in space with hot meals, community, and comprehensive programming. The Home provides transitional and emergency housing, as well as mental health and life-skills to support youth moving towards independent living.

Friends of Ruby recognize that a diverse work force is critical to accomplishing our mission. Our goal is to attract, develop, and retain highly talented employees from diverse backgrounds, allowing us to benefit from a wide variety of experiences and perspectives.

**Position Summary**

We are looking for a talented clinician who identifies as a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to provide mental health and counselling support to 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, including those with intersectional identities of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC). We encourage members of the BIPOC community to apply.

Reporting to the Clinical Program Manager, the Clinical Counsellor will provide single session and short-term counselling, along with utilizing ongoing counselling skills to youth, using evidence-based practices aligned with needs identified at the time of intake and assessment to Friends of Ruby. The counsellor will also work with Drop-in participants and Friends of Ruby’s Home resident.

**Tasks and Responsibilities**

Utilizing strengths-based, trauma-informed and harm reduction approaches, the Clinical Counsellor will:

- Formulate treatment plans and provide therapeutic counselling using a range of evidence-based practices, including but not limited to MBCT, DBT, ACT, MBSR, Trauma-informed Counselling, Participant-Centred Therapies and/or Brief Solution Focused Therapy
- Provide short-term counselling, including the delivery of a Brief Solution Focused Therapy pilot project
- Using a harm reduction and trauma-informed approach, create safety plans with 2SLGBTQIA+and BIPOC participants assessing immediate and longer-term needs and goals
- Working from a multi-disciplinary framework partner with psychologists, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals to best meet the needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ youth
- Connect participants to other Friends of Ruby's programs when appropriate and liaise with peers from those programs to best support 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC participants to meet their needs; refer to external service providers as needed
- Facilitate Friends of Ruby’s group counselling and therapeutic programs, including but not limited to DBT skills group, Skills for Safer Living and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy
- Complete participants Intake Assessments
- Actively participate in team meetings and individual/group clinical supervision
- Support students, ensuring confidentiality, collection of data and completion of case file documentation as required
- Occasionally support the overseeing of the Drop In area and monitor the overall physical and emotional safety of the space; managing potentially escalating situations
- Provide same-day crisis counselling, completing risk assessments and safety planning
- Manage crisis, recognize and provide appropriate intervention as needed. Address youth conflict directly and respectfully. Teach and model effective problem solving and conflict negotiation
- Participate in the on-call crisis line rotation
- Work collaboratively with other teams in matters relating to communication, evaluation and different initiatives in support of the Organization’s mission
- Maintain clinical records and completion of administrative tasks
- And other duties, as directed, for the delivery of the department’s strategic priorities and/or to meet key deadlines

**Skills and Experiences**
- Master's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Psychotherapy, Counselling Psychology, or in a related field and/or comparable work experience
- Membership in good standing with the college of Social Workers and Social Service Workers or College of Registered Psychotherapists (RSW or RP), or other counselling college
- Provide trauma informed individual and group therapeutic services
- 3-5 years of experience providing clinical counselling and support to 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC youth in issues related to mental health, trauma, violence, self-injurious behavior, transitioning and/or coming out, substance use, family support and relationships
- Demonstrated commitment to social justice, harm reduction, anti-racism, anti-oppression, strengths-based, trauma-informed, participant-centered practices and ability to implement them in work with 2SLGBTQIA+ and BIPOC youth
- Experience in group facilitation, preferably utilizing Evidence Based Practices; training and/or experience with modalities including but not limited to MBC