Child and Family Therapist - Black Community Mental Health Focus

About the role

Reporting to the Manager of Clinical Services, the Child and Family Therapist will provide counselling support to black children/youth and families and will also provide training activities to support service providers to offer respectful, clinically, and culturally competent care to this community. 

The Therapist will remain knowledgeable about current research, best practices, and clinical and cultural competencies, and will collaborate with external organizations to improve access to competent care for the black children, youth, and families.

Responsibilities & Tasks

• Provide outreach, youth engagement, and community-based mental health services to black children, youth, and families in a variety of settings such as the home, school, or in the community.
• Work collaboratively with children/youth and their families as well as cross-sector service provider partners (i.e., school boards, children's mental health services providers, other community organizations) in developing effective, strengths-based, anti-racist/anti oppressive and culturally competent service plans using an Afrocentric lens.
• Manage a caseload of clients and ensure that data entry and written documentation for each file is consistently up to date, including completing initial client assessment, ongoing recording, and administering assessment tools.
• Develop and facilitate workshops and accessible knowledge exchange activities for children/youth and families, as well as service providers on the topics of mental health, anti-black racism, as well as accessible service provision to, and capacity building for Black children/youth and families.
• Advocate on behalf of children/youth and families to address gaps in service identified through the work and demonstrate an understanding of structural racism.
• Ensure that all learning initiatives comply with the organisation's  clinical and cultural competency framework as well as best practice and current standards of care, legislative regulations in order to ensure credible evidence-based workshops and other learning activities.
• Participate in working groups and quality improvement initiatives that specifically address access to competent care for Black populations.
• Participate in advisory committee(s), team-based projects as required to build greater capacity in resources for Black children/youth and families in York Region.

To thrive in this role, you"ll need:

1. A Masters Degree in Social Work, Counselling Psychology (or equivalent) and registration in good standing with an appropriate governing body or a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work or an MSW
2. Professional work experience in children's mental health, with at a minimum of 2 years experience in supporting black children, youth, and families.
3. To identify as Black and have experience delivering culturally competent interventions, including supporting black children/youth who have experienced oppression and racism.
4. Demonstrated and strong commitment to social justice and issues of diversity.
5. Knowledge, sensitivity and understanding of the social, political, personal, and cross-cultural needs, concerns, and interests Black communities.
6. Ability to motivate, problem-solve and deal with complex issues with sensitivity and respect.
7. Demonstrated ability to provide service in anti-oppressive/anti-racist, child/youth friendly, accessible, culturally competent and community led and based ways that are responsive to the needs of children, youth, and families.
8. Familiarity with evidenced based/informed treatment modalities including DBT, CBT, SST, SFBT and EFST.
9. Familiarity with applying Black/African-centered principles towards healing and empowerment
10. Ability to be creative in developing community engagement strategies
11. Excellent assessment and collaborative intervention skills with children/youth and families.
12. Ability to work a flexible schedule, including two evenings, in order to meet client needs.
13. A capacity to build and nurture working relationships with colleagues, referral sources and partner agencies.
14. An ability to work independently, as well as within a team structure.
15. Above-average oral and written communication skills including report writing, excellent organizational abilities and time management.
16. Willingness to travel and provide services throughout York Region (i.e., community hubs, health centres, schools), and an understanding of the geographic, ethno-racial and intersectional diversity of York Regions Black populations.
17. Willingness to work weekends and evenings
18. Demonstrated software skills (MS Office, Power point, Excel, Teams and Zoom).
19. Valid driver's license.