Addictions Counselor

POSITION SUMMARY:

Reporting to the Program Manager, the Addiction Counselor, Adult Substance Use provides biopsychosocial support for individuals living with serious mental illness and/or addiction issues. This role provides assessment and treatment planning, community counselling, and referral services to clients presenting with issues related to their own or someone else’s substance use.

The location for the provision of these services will vary throughout Huron and Perth Counties and surrounding areas and services are delivered in-person, by phone, and virtually based on client need.

ORGANIZATIONAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

In addition to specific key job responsibilities identified in this position description, the incumbent is also responsible to contribute and support the overall culture and working environment of the organization by:

• Demonstrating and exemplifying the organization’s mission and values in day to day work
• Acting with the highest standard of professionalism with clients, family members, community partners, the general public and colleagues.
• Working in a manner that preserves and respects the privacy and confidentiality of personal health information.
• Working in a manner that is fiscally responsible.
• Working in a manner that promotes and maintains the reputation of the organization and minimizes risk of harm and/or liability to the organization.
• Working in a manner that complies with the organization’s policies and procedures.
• Working in a manner that meets all Health and Safety requirements to ensure a healthy and safe workplace.
• Acknowledging, respecting and affirming the diverse needs of our community, clients and the organization’s employees with the goal of reducing disparities in health outcomes
• Contributing to the organization activities to collect, analyze and report data.
• Maintaining competence, demonstrating a commitment to ongoing professional development and where applicable, a professional license to practice.
• Contributing to the organization’s work by promoting awareness, participating in committees and agency events.

KEY POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

Adult Substance Use Counsellor

• Provide education, consultation, crisis management, assessment, treatment planning, referral, advocacy, case management and community treatment as appropriate, to individuals that are living with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) and/or their own or someone else’s addiction concerns.
• Utilize Measurement Based Care to support treatment planning, advocacy, and clinical decision making.
• Provide education and consultation both within the agency and with community partners as appropriate
• Knowledge of consent and capacity issues and legislation Public Guardian Trustee, Substitute Decision Maker Act, Health Care Consent Act, Mental Health Act and PHIPA.
• Collaborate with the individual and those in his/her circle of care to develop and implement a plan and provide follow through/evaluation to ensure quality of life.
• Demonstrated ability to independently conduct formal mental health and addiction assessment, short term crisis counseling and referral.
• Ability to identify and mobilize resources in crisis situations. To act confidently and independently in the formulation of future interventions and to appreciate the individual’s role in decision making, where appropriate. 
• Self-directed, motivated team player with a commitment to ongoing professional development.
• Engage in community awareness, education and outreach as designated and appropriate, representing the agency in a professional manner.
• Be flexible in work environment while maintaining personal safety and the safety of the client at all times.

Administrative

• Maintain a complete, accurate and comprehensive clinical record of each client contact.
• Report statistics about clinical activities using designated agency format as required.
• Complete monthly, annual and other reported documentation as required in a punctual and comprehensive manner.
• Maintain administrative and clinical records, including client files and data entry, as per Policy and Procedure Manual.

General

• Participate on internal agency committees and/or outside community committees as appropriate.
• Adhere to policies and protocols as outlined in the Human Resource and Procedure Manual.
• Attend and actively participate in any team and staff meetings, the Annual General Meeting, and periodically scheduled strategic planning, team building and agency events
• Assist with the orientation and training of new agency staff, volunteers and interns/students as designated and need.
• Provide coverage of CMHAHP AMHS services for other team members as needed.
• Help ensure the organization and program objectives are met.
• Work harmoniously with colleagues, including not behaving in ways that are likely to be offensive in any manner to others and confronting such behaviours by others.
• Conduct self in a responsible, professional manner.
• Perform other duties that may be assigned from time to time.

QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION: A Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work or other related discipline such as Nursing preferred, or a Social Service Worker Diploma from a recognized college, with specific focus Problem Gambling and/or Addiction Studies. Current Registration with a college authorized to provide counselling under the Controlled Act of Psychotherapy.  

EXPERIENCE: Prior experience in assessment, counselling and an understanding of issues facing individuals with problem gambling, behavioural addictions and/or substance abuse is required. Knowledge of current community mental health and addiction resources is an asset. Prior experience in individual, family and/or group therapy, managing clients with complex needs in varying stages of change preferred.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS: Broad knowledge of addiction and mental health treatments and explanatory theories, homelessness, and community resources. Demonstrated knowledge in individual, family, and group counselling, and community development and networking. Understanding of principles of stages of change and harm reduction. In addition, the incumbent will demonstrate integrity and ethics, good coping skills, flexibility and commitment to the work.

Abilities: Communication-written and oral, planning, leadership, interpersonal, negotiating, directing/motivating, organizing, and decision making.

Coping: Able to maintain a mature problem-solving attitude while dealing with interpersonal conflicts, hazardous conditions, personal rejection, hostility or time demands.

Decisiveness: Able to make decisions quickly on available information and take action, make commitments and not change decisions when challenged, deal with emergencies as necessary.

Decision Making and Problem Solving: Able to take action in solving problems while exhibiting judgement and a realistic understanding of issues, able to use reason, even when dealing with emotional topics. 

Creativity: Able to develop unique and novel solutions to problems; use intuition and a new way of thinking to give birth to new ideas; present information in an attention-getting and interesting manner.