Trauma Therapist – Designated (Full-time, Permanent)

Employment Opportunity: Trauma Therapist – Designated (Full-time, Permanent)

Avalon Sexual Assault Centre is seeking applicants for the position of Trauma Therapist. Please note that this position is designated for African Nova Scotian, Indigenous, and Racialized applicants.

Reporting to the Therapeutic Counselling Supervisor and the Coordinator of Counselling, the Trauma Therapist will provide individual and group therapeutic counselling services to women, trans and nonbinary individuals, 16 years and older, who have experienced childhood sexual abuse, adult sexual assault, and/or other forms sexualized violence, and information sessions to non-offending parents and partners. The Trauma Therapist will carry a combined caseload reflecting all three phases of Avalon’s Therapeutic Counselling Program. This position is also responsible for providing support and back-up to the Intake and Initial Response Counsellor when needed.

At Avalon, we believe that the response to sexualized violence must be community-driven and inclusive. We are deeply committed to feminist, anti-racist and anti-oppressive values, and approach our work by centering equity, diversity, and inclusion. We are a proudly unionized workplace that is dedicated to fostering a collaborative, supportive, and holistic staff environment. We are seeking a dynamic team member with a passion for delivering trauma-informed, culturally responsive, community-based support services for individuals impacted by sexualized violence.

Responsibilities

Direct Counselling Related Duties

• Complete initial consultation sessions with those seeking services to explore individual’s needs and the suitability of our specialized counselling program and to determine the appropriate counselling stream
• Provide individual and culturally relevant therapeutic counselling sessions for clients in all stages of our work
• Complete Waitlist Check-in sessions for clients on waitlists when support needs are more urgent
• Provide supportive and information-based sessions to non-offending parents and partners
• Participate in regular individual supervision and team peer consultation sessions

Administrative Duties

• Record and maintain updated formal client records in accordance with professional college requirements
• Enter and maintain updated client profiles and client session statistics on Jane app
• Ensure inactive client files are closed in a timely manner
• Assist with maintaining intake and waitlists as needed

Professional Liaising/Training

• Collaborate with internal and external community partners to ensure smooth referrals and client bridging between programs
• Network and strengthen professional relationships and referrals with key external organizations
• Ensure therapy skills remain updated in accordance with professional College annual requirements through participating in training, workshops, seminars, webinars, online courses and reading
• Ensure ongoing training around culturally relevant best practice
• Provide occasional professional training and presentations when time and resources allow

Other duties as required

Qualifications

Education and Experience Requirement

• Graduate level degree in Social Work, Counselling Psychotherapy or Psychology
• 3+ overall years of experience in providing individual counselling, crisis support and advocacy in the areas of gendered violence, sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse
• 1+ years of post-graduate specialized experience related to sexual assault/abuse with a focus on therapeutic counselling
• Experience working with diverse and marginalized populations is essential
• Advanced training, knowledge and skills in working with complex relational trauma and dissociation considered an asset
• Previous group counselling experience in this area of practice is preferred
• Strong knowledge of local community organizations and systems to facilitate referrals, collaboration and networking is preferred

Additional Competency Requirements

• Ability to engage and remain present with people who are highly activated in crisis states
• Knowledge of the intersectional dimension of systemic inequalities, including but not limited to racism, colonialism, sexism/misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, classism/poverty, ableism, ageism, etc.
• Demonstrated experience in networking, advocating and collaborating to improve marginalized populations’ access to services
• Proven ability to work as part of a collaborative team following relational values and practices
• Able to consult with supervisor in addressing challenging client situations and in monitoring and addressing vicarious trauma

Psychological Demands

• Working with clients who are at different stages of emotional healing and recovery
• Assisting and supporting clients experiencing extreme crisis states
• Manage a full-time caseload of clients who have experienced sexual assault/abuse
• Exposure to systems causing re-traumatization and secondary harm
• Vicarious trauma impacts due to the inherent risk associated with providing direct services to individuals who have experienced sexualized violence

Why Work for Avalon?

Avalon recognizes and values the complexity and skill required in providing support to historical and acute traumas. As a proudly unionized and anti-oppressive workplace we are committed to fostering an organizational culture that actively promotes healthy work-life balance and invests in the support and growth of staff. This includes:

• 20 paid vacation days
• 15 paid wellness days
• Employer shared health benefits package and RRSP contribution
• Employer paid professional development
• Internal promotion and advancement opportunities
• Value and appreciation of lived experience
• Flexible working location
• Internal practice groups and Clinical Supervision
• Supportive and responsive team regarding vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout

Working Conditions

• Hours: 35 hours/week (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30 pm OR 9:00am to 5:00pm, with 1-hour unpaid lunch break) with occasional evening work subject to Executive Director approval
• Location: This position requires regular reporting to the Avalon office, with occasional flexibility to work from home as requested and approved by the Executive Director.
• SEIU Local 2: Avalon is a unionized workplace. The successful candidate for this position will be a bargaining unit member with SEIU Local 2.
• Compensation: $59,590 per annum*

* Please note that the salary scale for this classification is under review and subject to increase as part of Avalon’s Community Network Model for Sexual Violence Trauma Therapy

Avalon Centre is committed to building a diverse staff team and encourages applications from candidates from equity-seeking groups who bring important perspectives to the work. Members of equity-seeking groups face collective barriers to participating in society due to social, political, and environmental marginalization base on race, gender, age, disability, economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, and other challenges to equal access, opportunities, and resources.

To Apply

Please send your resume and cover letter to the attention of Dr. Sarah Rodimon, Executive Director at jobs@avaloncentre.ca. Applications will be accepted until 11:59pm on Friday, September 2nd, 2022.

Please note that applicants cannot have been an Avalon client in the past two years.