SUMMARY:

NAN Hope is seeking a dedicated Virtual Care Counsellor to provide remote mental health counselling services to NAN community members. The successful candidate will offer compassionate, culturally sensitive counselling and guidance, utilizing a virtual platform to assist clients in accessing appropriate services and resources. This position is open to licensed mental health professionals, Traditional Healers and Spiritual Counsellors.

RESPONSIBILITES AND DUTIES:

• Provide brief, client-centered, crisis counselling and support via video, phone, and other digital platforms, ensuring accessibility for clients.
• Utilize extensive knowledge of community resources, mental health services, and social supports to connect clients with appropriate long-term services tailored to their unique needs.
• Directly handle each client’s case from initiation to resolution, ensuring the coordination of necessary support, effective information management, resolution of client issues, and seamless collaboration with relevant service providers and partners.
• Conduct thorough assessments of client mental health, as well as other strengths and needs. Assist community members in developing and setting realistic goals to guide clients towards meeting their own holistic needs.
• Offer immediate support and stabilization during crises, assessment/management of risk, stabilization and the developing safety plans with community members and their circle of care, connecting clients to urgent resources as needed.
• Deliver holistic counselling that respects and integrates the cultural values and practices of NAN communities/individual community members.
• Advocate for clients’ needs, ensuring they receive the necessary support and navigating complex systems to facilitate access to services. Coordinate care, collaborate and refer to community/regional resources or specialists.
• Develop therapeutic processes to guide community members in the development of skills and strategies for dealing with their challenges. Uses trauma-informed best practices.
• Promote harm reduction strategies.
• Evaluate community member’s progress regularly and adjust interventions as necessary to meet their needs.
• Engage in ongoing training and development to stay informed about best practices and emerging trends in virtual care and mental health.
• Maintain accurate, factual, and objective records in the case management system in a timely manner on all aspects of clinical care. Complete reports as required.
• Monitor files closely to ensure there is active care, and close inactive files when necessary.
• Protect confidentiality, secure all records, and maintain integrity of the client/community members records.
• Follow Duty to Report requirements as necessary.
• Provide regular updates to K.O. Mental Health Program Supervisor, NAN Hope Virtual Care Coordinator, Health Director, and Chief and Council.
• Participate in regular supervision meetings to review all cases/issues, receive education and direction, and for debriefing.
• Participate in ongoing education on all areas of mental wellness and team meetings.
• Develop and deliver presentations and group work in-house and in communities as requested.
• Develop and maintain good working relationships with community-based staff, CTCs, mental health workers, NNADAP, Choose Life, health staff etc. and offer support/resources/mentoring.
• Potential travel to NAN communities to provide education, counselling, support/guidance, intervention, etc. as required. Often by small aircraft.
• Potential travel to other K.O. office sites as needed (i.e., Thunder Bay, Balmertown, Sioux Lookout, Dryden).
• Other duties that may be deemed necessary by your supervisor or the Executive Team.

ACCOUNTABILITY

This position reports to the NAN Hope Program Coordinators and all Mental Health Staff report to the KO Mental Health Program Supervisor.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum Bachelor’s Degree with a major in Social Work, Counselling Psychology, or a related field. And/or experience with traditional counselling and spiritual healing practices.
• Registration with the College of Social Workers, College of Registered Psychotherapists or another recognized professional body is considered an asset.
• Prefer at least 2 years’ experience working with children, youth and/or families in a clinical capacity.
• Knowledge of techniques and principles of trauma-informed care, the family systems theory, crisis therapy intervention, individual/family/group therapy, trauma response, child abuse and family violence, addictions and harm reduction strategies, de-escalation strategies, suicide intervention strategies, and understanding of cognitive behavioral therapy and/or other relevant techniques.
• Must have experience in assessing high risk clients and responding appropriately.
• Knowledge of mandatory reporting requirements.
• Experience developing presentations and facilitating group work/therapy.
• Can approach work holistically using a wellness model, highlighting, and encouraging community members’ strengths.
• Support system and self-care strategies in place to maintain own well-being.
• Strong interpersonal skills to establish and maintain rapport and effectively communicate with community members and resource partners.
• Excellent verbal, written and computer skills.
• Strong interviewing, analytical, problem-solving, organizational and time management skills.
• Self-starter who can take initiative, work both independently and as part of a team and is highly adaptable.
• Knowledge of First Nation culture, history, community-based services, geographic realities, and social conditions within remote First Nations communities particularly in a regional context is considered an asset.
• Knowledge of traditional Indigenous healing, medicines or ceremonies is considered an asset.
• Previous experience working with First Nations communities is an asset.
• Ability to communicate in one of the First Nations dialects from the K.O. communities is an asset.
• Provide a criminal record check and clear vulnerable sector search.
• Potential willingness and ability to travel to the NAN remote communities and other regional offices etc.
• A valid Class “G” Driver’s License.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. The employee may perform other related duties as required to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.

Applicants are encouraged to self identify as Indigenous. More specifically if they originate from any of the six First Nation communities Keewaytinook Okimakanak serves.