Outreach Family Therapist

7 hrs/week until March 15, 2026 (Maternity leave coverage)

Job Summary:

• Healing from inter-generational trauma.
• Prevention of child abuse.
• Coping with life barriers.
• Treatment of mental illness such as depression and anxiety.

Qualifications:

Education, Training and Experience:

• Master’s Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counselling, Education or a related field.
• Training and experience in counselling with high-needs families, youth, and children.
• Minimum two (2) years’ experience working with vulnerable populations in an outreach, community capacity. Direct program delivery experience in the community social services sector with a demonstrated working knowledge of community-based programs and related provincial and community support systems preferred.
• Minimum one (1) year experience in family therapy and play/child therapy in an outreach or community setting.
• Experience working with families who may have multiple barriers related to poverty, addictions, violence, child abuse or neglect, and mental health issues.
• Demonstrated skills in the areas of crisis intervention and conflict resolution.
• Registered or licensed as clinical counsellor or clinical social worker with a provincial or national ethical association.
• Valid Driver’s License and reliable vehicle with appropriate insurance.

Job Skills and Abilities:

• Must possess clinical and experience knowledge of family therapy and play therapy.
• Must possess clinical knowledge of human development and demonstrated ability to work with families with children.
• Experience providing outreach, in-home family therapy.
• Knowledge of intervention techniques involving trauma experiences of physical, emotional, sexual, substance abuse, or/and child neglect.
• Knowledge of family dynamics and systems theory.
• Possess well-developed interpersonal, counselling, oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated teamwork, leadership, and supervisory skills.
• Good organization, time, and general management skills.
• Ability to work effectively with program employees, volunteers, and interns, therapists, social workers, and community agencies or groups.
• Strong program development skills.
• Strong computer skills.
• Must be able to work independently.

Additional Information:

• This position requires the ability to function independently and frequently under pressure while managing concurrent projects, deadlines, emergencies, and the multiple program facets of coordination, facilitation, and intervention.
• This position is required related to physical and/or emotional abuse, and/or drug and alcohol abuse, and/or handicapping conditions due to psychiatric and personality disorders, as well as physical or developmental conditions.
• Managing emergency situations is an ongoing expectation of this position.
• Individual counselling outreach and support provided by this position will require work outside normal office hours (such as evening hours) and in client’s homes, in the community, or at care team functions.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

1. To provide intensive, short-term, solution-focused in-home family support, therapeutic interventions, and preservation services to families facing possible out-of-home placement of one or more children. Counselling services focus on interventions that target increasing positive family coping skills, emotional regulation, stress management, parent education, healthy family functioning, and increased well-being.
2. Attend care team meetings relevant to clients on caseload.
3. Conducts and completes detailed assessments for clients referred from the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Assess parent capacity and ability, and provides clinical interventions and recommendations concerning child safety.
4. Works closely and collaboratively with the family support team to provide multidisciplinary client services as needed.
5. Through therapeutic intervention skills such as play therapy and family therapy, teach healthy parenting skills to parents of young children. Provide interventions and brief therapeutic supports to individuals experiencing crisis.
6. Maintains an effective relationship with government officials and volunteer community groups. Maintains liaison with referring agencies and other community organizations to coordinate provision of services, resolve program delivery, exchange program information, or provide instruction on the operation and use of the assigned counselling program. May represent the organization, and/or the counselling program at community committees/tables as they relate to the counselling program mandate, fundraising or other official functions. Conducts special studies, makes presentations and maintains a current awareness of developments in assigned area of responsibility.
7. To maintain contractual requirements in providing ethical clinical interventions to referred clients and families.
8. Completes all documentation on time and as required including the use of multiple databases.
9. To participate in clinical supervision, staff development, team meetings, and administrative meetings as scheduled.
10. Complete all mandatory learning requirements.
11. Performs other relevant duties as required. 

General:

• Wage rate as per BCGEU Collective Agreement, Clinical Counsellor - Grid 16P - $44.54 per hour.
• This position requires Union membership.
• This position is open to all persons.
• This position requires successful completion of a criminal record check.
• This position reports to the Therapy Services Coordinator.