Join us as Youth Substance Use & Family Counsellor! 

Overview

Job Title: Youth Substance Use & Family Counsellor
Reports to: Clinical Supervisor
Position Duration: permanent (3-month probation)
Hours/week: 32 hours/week
Hourly wage: $38/hour
Vacation: 8% accrual
Benefits: Full benefits paid by employer, 5% RRSP Contribution (following probation)
Office Location(s): Grand Forks, BC

Position Summary

The Youth Substance Use and Family Counsellor provides evidence-based counselling and treatment services to youth aged 12-19 experiencing moderate to severe substance use concerns, including concurrent disorders. This position works collaboratively with youth, families/caregivers, and community partners to develop and implement participant-centered care plans that support recovery, wellness, and improved health outcomes across multiple life domains.

Key Competencies

Clinical Excellence
  • Expertise in youth substance use assessment and treatment
  • Skilled in family therapy and systemic interventions
  • Ability to engage with hard-to-reach youth populations
  • Strong crisis management and risk assessment capabilities
 
Relationship Building
  • Ability to create warm, authentic, and trusting relationships with youth and families
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
  • Capacity to work collaboratively with diverse partners
  • Skilled in shared decision-making and collaborative care planning
 
Cultural Responsiveness
  • Commitment to cultural safety, humility, and anti-racism
  • Understanding of distinctions-based approaches for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples
  • Respect for intersectionality including age, gender, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, abilities, belief, and socioeconomic status
  • Ability to connect youth with culturally appropriate supports
 
Adaptability and Innovation
  • Flexible service delivery approach (office, school, home, community settings)
  • Creative problem-solving abilities
  • Openness to emerging best practices and new research
  • Youth empowerment focus with strengths-based orientation
 
Working Conditions
  • Services delivered at flexible locations based on participant needs and mutual safety
  • Combination of office-based work, outreach, and community settings
  • Regular travel throughout the Kootenay Boundary region required
  • Regular clinical supervision provided
 
Supervision and Reporting
  • Receives clinical supervision from qualified supervisor
  • Participates in case consultation with supervisor for services extending beyond 6 months
  • Contract manager review required for services extending beyond 12 months

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Service Delivery
  • Provide comprehensive assessments and psychosocial interventions for youth with moderate to severe substance use concerns
  • Develop participant-centered collaborative care plans in partnership with youth and their families/caregivers
  • Deliver individual, family, and group counselling using evidence-informed therapeutic approaches
  • Provide psychoeducation to youth and families/caregivers regarding substance use, harm reduction, and wellness strategies
  • Facilitate crisis intervention and safety planning as needed
  • Implement psychosocial rehabilitation strategies, including vocational and recreational activities that support treatment goals
  • Engage youth's Circle of Care, including family/caregivers, informal social supports, healthcare team, and cultural supports as appropriate
 
Collaboration and Care Coordination
  • Provide consultation and liaison with community agencies, schools, hospitals, MCFD programs, and other youth-serving organizations
  • Ensure warm handovers and effective transitions between services
  • Participate in collaborative case reviews and care planning with supervisors and contract managers
  • Work closely with Interior Health and youth service partners to ensure best-fit service delivery
  • Connect youth with community resources, supports, and wellness activities
 
Family and Caregiver Support
  • Deliver family counselling/therapy as indicated by collaborative care plans
  • Provide psychoeducation and psychosocial support to families/caregivers
  • Increase family/caregiver skills, confidence, and capacity to support youth's needs and treatment goals
  • Facilitate connection of families to formal and informal supports, including culturally appropriate resources
 
Program Development and Quality Assurance
  • Utilize standardized screening tools and participant surveys to measure outcomes
  • Maintain accurate and timely clinical documentation
  • Participate in program evaluation and quality improvement initiatives
  • Stay current with federal and provincial best practice guidelines
  • Contribute to service development informed by youth with lived and living experience
 
Transportation and Outreach
  • Meet youth where they are at by providing services in flexible, accessible locations that suit client needs
  • Deliver counselling and support in community settings including offices, schools, homes, parks, and other mutually safe environments
  • Work collaboratively with participants to determine optimal service locations that support engagement, safety, and discretion
  • Provide transportation to clients as required, ensuring appropriate additional insurance coverage is maintained
  • Travel throughout the Kootenay Boundary region to deliver services across all communities served
 
Administration and Other Duties
  • Manage program budget and monitor expenditures
  • Collect and maintain program data for reporting and evaluation purposes
  • Prepare statistical, outcome, and narrative reports as required
  • Maintain current and accurate client files and other records in compliance with confidentiality and privacy standards
  • Participate in strategic planning initiatives for program development and enhancement
  • Participate in fundraising activities to support program sustainability
  • Attend general staff meetings and contribute to team functioning
  • Engage in and prepare for regular clinical supervision sessions
  • Seek out and participate in relevant training opportunities to enhance professional competencies
  • Perform all duties in accordance with Freedom Quest's Policy Manual

Knowledge Skills, and Abilities
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Education
  • Master's degree in a relevant healthcare field such as social work, psychology, nursing, or equivalent (REQUIRED)
 
Experience
  • Minimum two (2) years of clinical experience working in child and youth mental health services
  • Minimum two (2) years of experience working in substance use services
  • Experience providing a wide range of community-based mental health and substance use services
  • Demonstrated experience with youth-centered, harm reduction approaches
  • Demonstrated experience working with LBGTQ2S+ youth and their families
  • Experience and confidence driving in all seasons

Knowledge and Skills
  • Strong knowledge of best-practice approaches to youth substance use interventions
  • Understanding of concurrent disorders and integrated treatment approaches
  • Proficiency in evidence-informed therapeutic modalities
  • Ability to work from a biopsychosocial-spiritual lens within an ecological framework
  • Knowledge of trauma-informed and culturally safe practice principles
  • Understanding of harm reduction principles and recovery-oriented care
  • Strong assessment, crisis intervention, and case management skills
  • Willingness to engage in life-long learning and self-reflexivity practices to understand Indigenous worldviews and the important role of culture in facilitating healing.
  • Recognition that colonization continues to impact the health and wellness of Indigenous Peoples. This includes recognizing the role of trauma and offering trauma-informed care.
  • Competence in budget management and financial tracking
  • Proficiency in data collection, analysis, and report writing
  • Strong organizational and time management abilities
 
Other Requirements
  • Valid BC Class V Driver’s License (REQUIRED)
  • Satisfactory Driver’s Abstract (REQUIRED)
  • Satisfactory Driver Factor Report (REQUIRED)
  • Valid First Aid and CPR Certification (REQUIRED)
  • Reliable Vehicle with appropriate insurance coverage (REQUIRED)
  • Satisfactory Criminal Record Check for working with children and vulnerable adults (REQUIRED)
  • Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASSET)
  • Commitment to ongoing professional development and clinical supervision (REQUIRED)