Community Addiction Worker Addictions Medicine, St. Joseph's Health Centre

Job summary

Provide counseling, system navigation, and follow-up support to patients experiencing substance use difficulties in emergency and inpatient settings, helping them identify recovery goals and access treatment and community resources. Coordinate referrals and transitions between hospital and community services, support patients experiencing withdrawal, and contribute to interprofessional care planning and program improvement.

Job details

Unity Health Toronto - St. Joseph's Health Centre’s Substance Use Services provide specialized substance use assessment, treatment, and connection to internal and external community resources for patients experiencing difficulties with substance use in St. Joseph’s Emergency Department, inpatient and outpatient units. The Community Caseworker – Substance Use Services is responsible for providing system navigation, counseling, and follow-up support for patients in the Emergency Department and/or inpatient units, ensuring continuity of care and supporting recovery-oriented outcomes within the Substance Use Disorder–Integrated Care Pathway (SUD-ICP) programs. Duties & Responsibilities Meets new patients in the Emergency Department and/or inpatient units and acquaints them with available internal and external resources. Provides support to patients in identifying personal goals, recovery plans, and lifestyle changes Provides counseling and support while clients are awaiting placement in treatment programs, ensuring continuity of care across ED and community settings Facilitates transitions between hospital and community services Completes provincial and standardized assessment tools as required Acts as a liaison with hospital teams, primary care providers, and community agencies to ensure appropriate referrals and coordinated care Networks with community agencies and advocates for patients to reduce barriers to accessing services Demonstrates strong ability to build collaborative relationships across hospital teams and community partners Supports patients experiencing withdrawal and coordinates access to withdrawal management and treatment services Applies evidence-informed approaches such as Motivational Interviewing and Community Reinforcement Approach Participates in interprofessional team meetings, care planning, and documentation consistent with hospital standards Contributes to program development, quality improvement initiatives, and integration of recovery-oriented practices within the ED Qualifications Two-year college diploma in Human Services Counseling, Social Service Worker, or related field; university degree preferred with related coursework in addictions or concurrent disorders Minimum 2 years of experience working in the addictions field Experience working as a community addictions caseworker preferred Experience supporting clients experiencing withdrawal and/or concurrent disorders Experience with Motivational Interviewing, Community Reinforcement Approach, and/or Dialectical Behavioural Therapy preferred Extensive knowledge of withdrawal management services, addictions treatment, and community resources Experience working in a cross-disciplinary or healthcare environment, preferably Emergency Department settings Crisis intervention training is required CPR/First Aid certification is required Excellent written and verbal communication skills Demonstrated ability to work with diverse and complex populations Strong organizational, problem-solving, and system navigation skills Competency in Microsoft Office applications Unity Health Toronto is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We strive to provide a recruitment process that is barrier-free and in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code. We understand that you may require an accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process. When you are contacted, please inform the Talent Acquisition Specialist and we will work with you to meet your accommodation needs. We want to emphasize that all accommodation requests are handled with the utmost confidentiality, respecting your privacy and dignity.

What you’ll do

Provide counseling, system navigation, and follow-up support to patients experiencing substance use difficulties in emergency and inpatient settings, helping them identify recovery goals and access treatment and community resources. Coordinate referrals and transitions between hospital and community services, support patients experiencing withdrawal, and contribute to interprofessional care planning and program improvement.

Requirements

Requires a two-year college diploma in human services, counseling, social service work, or a related field; a university degree is preferred. Candidates need at least two years of addictions-field experience, knowledge of withdrawal management and community resources, crisis intervention training, CPR/First Aid certification, and strong communication and organizational skills.

Listed skills

• case management · Preferred
• crisis intervention · Preferred
• Interprofessional Collaboration · Preferred
• assessment · Preferred
• Documentation · Preferred
• Quality Improvement · Preferred
• Microsoft Office · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Addiction Counseling
• Case Management
• System Navigation
• Motivational Interviewing
• Community Reinforcement Approach
• Crisis Intervention
• Withdrawal Support
• Concurrent Disorders Support
• Care Coordination
• Patient Advocacy
• Interprofessional Collaboration
• Assessment
• Documentation
• Quality Improvement
• Microsoft Office

Job areas

• Healthcare
• Social Services

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