Position Overview:
Heritage Skills Development Centre is seeking a compassionate and dedicated Part-Time Addictions Counsellor to join our team. The successful candidate will play a key role in providing culturally safe, client-centered care and support to individuals with lived and living experiences of substance use. In collaboration with the project team, the Addictions Counsellor will offer counseling, care coordination, and harm reduction services to individuals at risk of overdose, with a focus on reducing substance use-related harm in the community.
This role involves developing and maintaining strong partnerships with community organizations and offering integrated care and support that promotes recovery, empowerment, and well-being.
Key Responsibilities:
- Screening and Assessment: Perform thorough evaluations to understand each individual’s needs, guide clinical decision‑making, and ensure clients are connected with the most suitable interventions and treatment pathways to support their recovery.
- Counseling and Support: Deliver addiction counseling and supportive services in both individual and group settings, ensuring care is compassionate, relevant, and tailored to each client’s unique needs.
- Deliver evidence‑based therapeutic services that help individuals address substance use challenges and related behavioral or emotional concerns.
- Care Coordination: Help clients access and navigate community resources, facilitate referrals to external providers, and offer consistent support to keep them connected throughout their recovery journey.
- Harm Reduction and Education: Offer comprehensive harm‑reduction guidance and supportive interventions that empower individuals at risk of overdose or substance‑related harms to make safer, well‑informed decisions.
- Peer Support Programs: Lead peer support training and weekly drop‑in workshops, cultivating a welcoming space that strengthens connection, empowerment, and ongoing recovery.
- Collaboration and Partnerships: Establish and nurture collaborative relationships with community organizations to improve coordinated care and expand access to recovery‑supportive services.
- Facilitate workshops and group sessions that provide structured instruction, therapeutic insight, and supportive interaction, strengthening community bonds and encouraging healing through shared recovery experiences.
Qualifications:
- Education: A Post Secondary degree in a relevant health-related field (e.g., Psychology, Social Work, or Nursing), clinical psychology or post-graduate training in addiction counseling with relevant experience
- Experience: A minimum of three years of relevant experience providing addiction‑related services, including individual client support and group facilitation, with a strong focus on working with individuals experiencing substance use disorders.
- Skills and Knowledge: Demonstrated expertise in addiction treatment models, harm‑reduction principles, and evidence‑based interventions, with the ability to apply these approaches effectively across diverse client needs.
- Skilled in conducting comprehensive clinical assessments, providing empathetic and effective counseling, and developing individualized treatment plans that reflect each client’s unique needs and goals.
- Ability to provide client‑centered care that embraces cultural diversity and responds with sensitivity to each individual’s background, identity, and lived experience.
- Knowledge of key legislation—including the Health Care Consent Act, the Mental Health Act, and PHIPA—and the capacity to apply these legal frameworks appropriately across clinical and community practice settings.
- Applies strong clinical judgment and critical thinking to evaluate complex client needs and make well‑informed decisions that guide individualized, client‑centered care.
- Proven ability to remain effective under pressure and adapt smoothly within fast‑paced environments, consistently demonstrating focus, flexibility, and sound judgment.
- Offers steady, compassionate support with a non‑judgmental approach, committed to partnering with individuals as they face substance‑use challenges and work toward lasting recovery.
- Shows a collaborative, team‑focused mindset paired with strong communication and interpersonal skills, helping foster effective professional relationships and a cohesive, client‑centered environment.
- Balances strong independent work with active collaboration across teams and community partners, supporting transparent communication and unified, well‑coordinated services.
Job Type: Part-time
Pay: $25.00 per hour
Work Location: In person
