Mental Health Clinician - Barrie, Ontario

Are you passionate about youth, mental health, and the outdoors?

Take a Hike Foundation is seeking a Registered Mental Health Clinician with a passion for the land, education, and supporting vulnerable youth and families, to become part of our Programs Team.

THE ORGANIZATION:

Take a Hike Foundation is on a mission to empower vulnerable youth to unlock their full potential and achieve personal success. We move towards this mission by engaging vulnerable youth in a full-time program of intentional and continuous therapy, learning on and from the land, adventure, academics, and community. We have set an ambitious goal of partnering with every school district with the need, capacity, and commitment to equip vulnerable youth with the skills required to graduate high school, build healthy relationships, and navigate their own path to success. www.takeahikefoundation.org

THE OPPORTUNITY:

Each Take a Hike program has one full-time Mental Health Clinician to support vulnerable youth in changing their lives. The Mental Health Clinician will work regular classroom hours on designated Take a Hike school days, typically 5 days a week.

This role requires full participation in weekly field trips focused on learning from the land, as well as multi-day camping trips; typically, one to two trips per year ranging in length from 2 to 5 days. We are seeking a Mental Health Clinician who can represent TAH as a partner within the school district. This role is for a collaborator, and for someone who truly values the positive impact of spending time in nature, recognizing that therapeutic breakthroughs and meaningful social and emotional learning can happen in many environments, perhaps in a canoe or on a hiking trail.

KEY COMPETENCIES:

• Ability to apply counselling modalities for youth outside of a traditional clinical setting.
• Comfort with attachment-based and trauma-informed therapeutic models of support.
• Grounded in anti-oppressive practice with a commitment to Indigenous Reconciliation and Anti-Black Racism.
• Knowledge of or experience with family therapy and the ability to adapt practices to the needs of individuals and their caregivers.
• Collaborative team player, able to establish and maintain positive working relationships within a multi-disciplinary team and within an organizational partnership.
• Must be comfortable in the outdoors, able to care for self and others regardless of the weather and conditions.
• Ability and skills to camp overnight on self-propelled outdoor experiences and willingness to further develop outdoor skills.
• A passion for supporting vulnerable youth.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide individual therapy with youth during school hours and family therapy and supports for parents / guardians of youth
• Facilitate group counselling sessions addressing relevant youth issues
• Work as part of the classroom interdisciplinary team providing leadership in mental health learning and mental health practices
• Participate in all parts of the program including multi-day camping trips, volunteering, and events
• Liaise with the entire staff team, and external agencies that can provide additional support to youth
• Build relationships with school district and engage with community and philanthropic partners to ensure Take a Hike’s success within the community
• Facilitate timely youth assessments and contribute to other required data collection
• Support programming related to land-based learning and social and emotional learning

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS:

• Must have one of the following: a Master's in Counselling Psychology or a Master's in Social Work (clinical focus). Registered member in good standing with appropriate Regulatory College.
• 3 years of experience with youth and people in crisis and confident with group facilitation processes.
• Flexibility in work hours to accommodate scheduling needs across different time zones (eg: attending a meeting at 5 or 6pm EST).
• Previous experience in an educational setting is an asset.
• Valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle is an asset.

TERMS AND COMPENSATION:

We offer a salary of 81K-93K, commensurate with experience, based on a 37.5-hour work week. This is a full-time, permanent position located on site in Barrie, Ontario.

Take a Hike is proud to offer generous benefits that enable Take a Hike employees to thrive personally and professionally which include:

• Life Balance: 5 weeks' starting vacation for MHC + generous paid time off.
• Physical and Mental Wellbeing: Health Spending Account, Employee Assistance Program, employer paid Extended health and Dental, and travel health coverage.
• Financial Wellbeing: 4.5% RRSP matching program, short term and long-term disability coverage, and life insurance.

How to Apply:

If this position is of interest to you, please submit your cover letter and resume to our online portal, Collage. Applications will be evaluated, and interviews conducted, on a rolling basis and you are encouraged to apply early.

Take a Hike values the diversity of the people it hires and serves. Diversity at Take a Hike means fostering a workplace in which individual differences are recognized, appreciated, respected, and responded to in ways that fully develop and utilize each person’s talents and strengths. Individuals who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous, Black, people of color, people living with disabilities and candidates with lived experience in mental health are encouraged to consider this opportunity. In accordance with provincial Accessibility Acts, reasonable accommodation will be provided upon request throughout the recruitment process.

Our Commitment to Reconciliation can be found on our website here.