FT /PT Traditional Practitioner

Status: Full-time/Part-Time, permanent

Location: London, ON and Muncey, ON (Chippewa Site)

Hours: 28 to 35 hours/week

Salary: $103,280 to $129,100 per year

Paid Time Off: 3 weeks’ vacation, 12 health & 3 personal days, 5 spiritual/cultural days, professional development and your birthday off

Benefits: Comprehensive health, dental, life insurance, and more

Pension: HOOPP (defined benefit plan)

Posting Date: July 10, 2025

Deadline: July 24, 2025

Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC) is a diverse, dynamic, multiservice Indigenous health and wellness agency. We strive to provide quality, wholistic health services by sharing and promoting traditional and western health practices to enable people to live in a more balanced state of well-being. SOAHAC provides services to Indigenous people including those who live on and off reserve, status, non-status, Inuit, and Metis within the Southwest, Waterloo Wellington and Erie St Clair regions. SOAHAC has a mandate of ensuring that health services are accessible, of high quality, and are culturally appropriate. It is SOAHAC’s objective to build health care capacity within Indigenous communities. Currently, we are seeking the services of a Traditional Practitioner to join our interdisciplinary staff team to work at our London and Chippewa sites.

Reporting to the Traditional Healing Manager at our Chippewa site, the Traditional Practitioner will use ancestral knowledge, ceremony, sacred medicine, and Indigenous ways of knowing to promote spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional wellness. This role is a core part of our interdisciplinary team and contributes to a culturally grounded model of care.

This position will play an active role in:

• Providing ceremony and spiritual care across the organization’s programs
• Supporting individuals and families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
• Contributing to culturally safe, values-based palliative care
• Offering guidance and teachings to staff, clients, families, and the broader community
• Mentoring future Traditional Practitioners and supporting the preservation and sharing of traditional knowledge

Responsibilities

• Deliver traditional healing services, including sacred ceremonies, herbal remedies, smudging, prayer, and cultural counseling
• Provide cultural support and wellness strategies to individuals and families impacted by FASD
• Support clients and families in palliative care through ceremony and end-of-life guidance that honours Indigenous values
• Mentor and train apprentices, helpers, and knowledge holders-in-training in preparation, fire keeping, medicine gathering, and spiritual protocols
• Offer group teachings and one-on-one supports for clients, staff, and community members
• Participate in program planning, community events, and ceremonial gatherings as a cultural leader
• Contribute to the development of educational materials that promote Indigenous wellness, prevention, and cultural safety
• Document cultural care activities in a manner that is respectful of traditional practices and organizational requirements

Requirements

• Recognized by an Indigenous community, council of Elders, or cultural authority as a Traditional Healer or Practitioner
• Demonstrated expertise in ceremony, traditional medicines, spiritual guidance, and cultural teachings
• Minimum of 3 years of direct experience or equivalent traditional training/apprenticeship
• Skilled in providing trauma-informed, culturally safe support in health or community-based settings
• Strong ability to work as part of an interdisciplinary team while maintaining cultural integrity and independence
• Valid Ontario G-class driver’s license, access to a reliable vehicle, and a clean driver’s abstract with ability to travel regularly within London Middlesex and other SOAHAC sites as required
• Satisfactory vulnerable sector police check and up-to-date immunizations
• Experience working within healthcare systems, including hospitals or primary care considered an asset
• Familiarity with FASD, palliative care, and Indigenous mental health and wellness models considered an asset
• Knowledge of local Indigenous languages and cultural traditions considered an asset

Flexible Work Arrangements Available: This position is available for full-time or part-time schedules. Compensation, paid time off, benefits, and pension eligibility will be adjusted accordingly. Interested candidates are encouraged to indicate their preferred work arrangement (PT or FT) in their application.

This job may require additional responsibilities and duties as assigned by Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre.

SOAHAC values diversity and is an equal opportunity employer; however, hiring preference will be given to qualified Indigenous applicants (please self-identify). SOAHAC is committed to providing employment accommodation in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. If you require accommodation to apply or if selected to participate in an assessment process, please advise Human Resources.

Please apply by submitting your resume and cover letter.

If you are unable to submit your application on our careers portal, please send to careers@soahac.on.ca.

Please visit Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre online at: www.soahac.on.ca or like us on www.facebook.com/soahac to learn more about us!

We thank all those for applying but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.