Job Description

Counsellor/Advocate

The Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region supports survivors of sexual violence. We listen, facilitate healing, and celebrate resiliency. Using an anti-racist, intersectional feminist approach, we work to transform systems which promote gender-based violence.

We’re recruiting for a full-time Counsellor/Advocate for a one-year contract with the possibility for renewal! Reporting to our Counselling Manager, the successful candidate should feel inspired by our work and have a genuine desire to support our mission, vision, and values. They will have experience providing support to individuals who have experienced sexual violence and a warmth and maturity about them.

Job Description – Counsellor/Advocate 

Reporting to the Counselling Manager, our Counsellor / Advocates are accountable to provide supportive, strengths-based, non-judgmental advocacy, psycho-education, and individual and group counselling to survivors and their families who have been impacted by sexual violence. The primary client population for this role will be post-secondary students.

Direct Service

• Provide an average of 17 individual counselling sessions per week for people, 16 years of age and older, who have experienced and/or have been impacted by sexual violence.
• Provide advocacy and accompaniments to survivors. Provide accompaniments to court, the hospital, the police station, mental health appointments, etc.
• Write letters of support/advocacy.
• Participate in case conferences and consultations.
• Make appropriate referrals to other community services and communicate with other service providers to support clients.
• Maintain and build community partnerships, within the scope of a Counsellor/Advocate role.
• Provide practical assistance to clients as necessary and available. (i.e., bus tickets, grocery vouchers, hygiene products, food items, book loans, etc.)
• Provide support with Group Counselling as requested by the Counselling Manager including recruiting, screening, and completing intake with participants. This position may also involve some group program preparation, facilitation, and evaluation.

Other

• Participate in regular clinical supervision sessions, and meetings with the Counselling Manager.
• Maintain client files. Respond to client inquiries, prepare for future sessions, complete monthly and quarterly statistics, provide information about SASC to community members and participate in team meetings.
• Ensure continuing competency by seeking out professional development opportunities, clinical consultation, and debriefing support.

Note: In a small agency, individuals may be required to perform tasks outside of their specific job description to accomplish the SASC’s purpose.

• Post-secondary education in a counselling-related program and 5 years of relevant experience.
• Knowledge and training pertaining to sexual violence, trauma and recovery.
• Proven skills in support, crisis intervention, safety planning, and advocacy with survivors of gender-based violence.
• Familiarity with community services.
• Knowledge of how sexual violence relates to forms of oppression.
• Demonstrated experience working with marginalized and at-risk communities.
• Experience supporting and advocating for survivors with mental health needs, safety concerns, etc.
• Exceptional organizational, time-management, and communication skills.
• A strong ability to work independently, with minimal supervision.
• Must attend and successfully complete volunteer training program upon initial employment.

Communications:

Strong communications and interpersonal/human relations skills are required in the position to articulate policy, concepts, etc., motivate others and effect change both inside and outside the organization. There is regular contact with clients, as well as community partners.

Working Conditions:

SASC has several offices throughout the community. This role will work primarily out of our office location at Wilfrid Laurier University (2 days a week), the Wilfrid Laurier Brantford Campus (1 day a week), SASC offices (1 day a week), and 1 day that can be worked remotely. Much of the work in the office involves sitting, but there is opportunity to stand and move about.

This job requires intense concentration during meetings with clients. Repeated exposure to details of violence and assault can lead to vicarious trauma. The need for debriefing, communication with management, self-care, and balance is critical for incumbents in this position.

Please note that a valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle is required for this role to travel to and from our satellite offices as well as provide client accompaniments within the Waterloo Region.

Direct Reports:

While no employees report to this position, our Counsellor/Advocate may supervise the work of students in the program.

We are a Living Wage employer as defined by the Ontario Living Wage Network. We use a 3:1 ratio meaning that the highest paid team member is not paid more than 3 times than the lowest paid team member.

Note: Most new team members will start at or close to the entry point of the range.

SASC has a 35-hour work week.

Pay Grade: 4

Min: $28.48 per hour; $51,833.60 per annum

Max: $33.50 per hour; $60,970.00 per annum

We have a health benefit plan including Extended Health Care (EHC), Dental, Employee Life Insurance, Dependent’s Life Insurance, Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D), Long-Term Disability (LTD), and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). We pay 100% of health benefit premiums for our full-time staff and their families.

Due to the nature of our work, our staff team starts with four weeks of vacation. We also have 125 hours of paid time off per year. These amounts are pro-rated based on the team member’s start date.

We offer RRSP matching after one year of employment.

We recognize that sexual violence disproportionately impacts women, trans, and non-binary people. We particularly recognize the impact of racism and colonialism on Black, Indigenous, and racialized women, girls, gender-diverse, and two-spirit survivors. 

 Given this, we encourage applications from women, trans, and non-binary candidates, especially those who identify as Black, First Nations, Metis, Inuit, racialized, as members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and/or as a person with a disability. We invite candidates to voluntarily self-identify as a member of a diverse and/or disenfranchised group as part of their application.

We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier-free work environment. We adhere to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). We strive to make our recruitment, assessment, and selection processes accessible and provide accommodations as requested for applicants with differing abilities. If you require accommodation at any point during the application and/or hiring process, please contact us at jo**@sa****.org.

How to Apply:

Please submit a cover letter along with your current resume as one PDF document to jo**@sa****.org.

We thank all candidates for their interest; however,

only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

 Unless you require accommodation, no phone calls or email inquiries please.

Job Categories: LGBT. Job Types: Full-Time. Salaries: 40,000 - 60,000.

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