Job Summary:

In accordance with the Purpose, Vision, Values and Coast Salish Teachings, and strategic direction of PHSA, safety, including both patient and employee safety, is a priority and a responsibility shared by everyone at PHSA. As such, the requirement to continuously improve quality and safety is inherent in all aspects of this position.

The Concurrent Disorder Counsellor reports operationally to the Health Care Manager and for practice general supervision to the Mental Health & Addictions Supervisor, and works as part of an inter-professional health care team, providing counselling services to clients with substance use dependence, concurrent disorders and chronic disease. The Concurrent Disorder Counsellor performs individual psychosocial assessments, provides individual therapeutic counselling, conducts group counselling sessions, and delivers psycho educational groups. The Concurrent Disorder Counsellor plans, implements and assesses individualized client treatment programs for clients with substance dependence, mental illness, concurrent disorder, trauma and/or chronic disease through the lens of cultural competency within a trauma informed framework.

Duties/Accountabilities:

1.    Provides trauma informed individualized therapeutic counselling services including crisis intervention and stabilization, in alignment with evidence-based practice, including comprehensive assessment, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy, motivational interviewing and therapy, social skills training and relapse prevention.

2.    Facilitates psycho-education and process oriented group therapy, with an assigned number of clients using methods such as reviewing learning needs; assisting with understanding of illness(es); teaching containment skills, relapse prevention and coping strategies; suggesting positive behavior modifications, encouraging socialization, social skill development, and behavioural modeling; providing education regarding health care for immune compromised and disadvantaged clients to maintain physical well-being; and supporting patients and their families to take responsibility for their health through education, collaboration, and goal setting.

3.    Participates in the development and implementation of individualized treatment plans by methods such as working with clients to develop their goals for treatment and the criteria to measure progress towards these goals, collecting data from these criteria, and meeting with clients on a regular basis to review progress, and evaluating the treatment plan as required.
4.    Performs enrollment to programs according to established protocols by methods such as working with the interprofessional team and BC Corrections staff to identify appropriate clients for interventions, preparing discharge planning information and resources that will assist clients in their ongoing recovery and treatment, and meeting with clients, and referring/after-care agencies to gather information. Liaises with referring/after-care agencies (community clinics, professionals, private practitioners) to facilitate treatment planning and discharge care.

5.    Acts as an advocate for clients during inter-professional team meetings to evaluate and change the treatment plan; completes forms relevant to ongoing and after care planning and gathers information from substance use and mental health resources, and refers clients to other services as required to assist clients in reaching their treatment goals.

6.    Monitors systems which ensure the safety of clients including substance use, communications by methods such as requesting urine samples, alerting other staff regarding client concerns, maintaining awareness of client’s physical and emotional conditions, maintaining safety and security protocols during all programming and 1:1 sessions, and bringing any safety issues to the attention of the Health Care Manager or designate.

7.    Performs regular security functions to maintain the safety and security of client’s staff, families and the general public at all times and takes immediate action to mitigate risks, as well as reporting all real and potential risk issues. Assesses individual client risks factors and incorporates risk mitigation strategies into clients’ care plans in order to optimize safety and security for staff, other clients and the general public.

8.    Develops and presents seminars about substance use, concurrent disorder, mental illness, trauma and other related issues to clients in consultation with the inter-professional team and professional practice leaders. Participates in the orientation and continuing education of counselling and health care professions and students by preceptoring and role modeling. Contributes as a member of the inter-professional team through contributing information in rounds, committees and staff meetings.

9.    Maintains accurate client files, referral and assessment forms, and other relevant statistical information.  Prepares discharge summaries for referring/after-care sources for assigned patients. Completes documentation under professional practice guidelines and within policies of PHSA.

10.    Meets regularly with the Health Care Manager to discuss program development/changes, program needs, and specific client concerns.  Participates as required in program measurement, planning, and evaluation processes. Represents Correctional Health Services in the community through committee participation and public education.

11.    Participates in collegial support, supervision of practicum students and consultation on a daily basis. Maintains an updated knowledge of current developments in substance use and mental health issues particularly related to offenders, women, chronic disease, counselling therapy, and trauma by reviewing relevant literature, consulting with clinical and community experts within the field, evaluating clinical practice, and participating in professional development activities in order to improve care through new practices

12.    Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Education, Training and Experience

•    Master’s Degree in an allied health discipline (counselling and/or social work) from an approved and accredited post-secondary institution.  
•    Three (3) years’ of recent related clinical experience, including at least one (1) years’ experience in a concurrent disorder, substance use or mental health program providing therapeutic individual and group counselling.


Skills and Abilities

•    Comprehensive knowledge of substance dependence and concurrent disorder.
•    Broad knowledge of psychopharmacology (indications and side-effects), trauma informed practice, and chronic disease such as HIV and Hepatitis C.
•    Demonstrated skill in and experience with motivational interviewing/therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy.
•    Broad knowledge of adult education principles, methods and tools.
•    Comprehensive knowledge of and experience in group dynamics, individual counselling and family therapy.
•    Demonstrated ability to teach, demonstrate and coach clients.
•    Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; and good interpersonal communication and public relation skills.
•    Demonstrated ability to establish rapport with multi-barrier clients and a positive attitude toward clients with substance dependence and concurrent disorder.
•    Demonstrated ability to collaborate on program evaluation.
•    Demonstrated ability to work well as a member of an interprofessional team and to use initiative and function independently.
•    Demonstrated ability to adjust to new or unexpected events, problem solve, establish priorities, and to deal effectively with conflict situations.
•    Ability to operate related equipment including basic computer literacy to operate a computerized clinical information system and word processing, spreadsheet, Internet and e-mail software.
•    Physical ability to perform the duties of the job.
•    Ability to travel to other Correctional Health Centres as required.