Youth Care Counsellor

Who Are We Looking For?

Kelowna General Hospital in Kelowna B.C. are hiring a casual Youth Care Counsellor to join our team on the Adolescent Psychiatric Unit (APU) to provide one-on-one care for youth at risk needing constant observation on the unit. We are seeking applicants with a relevant Bachelor’s degree that includes course content relevant to adolescent mental health as well as two years’ experience working with adolescent mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, psychosis, etc. The successful candidate(s) will work rotating days and evenings from 09:00 to 20:00 on an as-needed basis.

How Will You Make an Impact?
The Adolescent Psychiatric Unit is a tertiary mental health, psychiatric unit for youth between ages 12 to 17 where the average length of stay is 7 to 21 days. There are eight beds staffed with a comprehensive, multidisciplinary team offering psycho-educational programming. A collaborative problem solving philosophy and model of practice is utilized. The Youth Care Counsellor works collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team within an evidence based model of care, to support all aspects of therapeutic care of patients with behavioural, emotional, and psychiatric problems and their families/caregivers.

What Will You Work On?
Under the direction of the Manager (or designate), this position is responsible for maintaining a physically and emotionally safe therapeutic milieu, providing activities and care appropriate to the adolescent’s stage of development, supportive counselling, and psychosocial assessment, including working with families/caregivers in accordance with established standards, policies and procedures.

How Will We Help You Grow?
Abundance of opportunity lives here in the Okanagan region and with Interior Health! Interior Health offers excellent benefits and many opportunities to maximize your skills. We are an organization where you have room to grow in a place where life outside of work is just as important to us as it is to you.

Baccalaureate in a recognized health related discipline (such as Child and Youth Care, Arts with a Major in Psychology or Clinical Counselling) that includes course content relevant to Adolescent Mental Health (such as Adolescent Development, Fundamentals of Clinical Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, and Group and Family Processes).
Two (2) years’ recent, related experience working in an adolescent setting.
Appropriate valid BC driver’s license.
Skills and Abilities:

Broad knowledge of the normal growth and development of adolescents.

Basic knowledge of mental health disorders in adolescents.

Broad knowledge of Collaborative Problem Solving.

Broad Knowledge of Attachment and Self-Regulation Theory and Strategies.

Broad knowledge of and demonstrated ability in recognizing and managing transference and counter-transference.

Broad knowledge of and demonstrated ability in engaging and supporting individuals, milieu, and group processes.

Demonstrated initiative in providing and participating in age appropriate activities.

Demonstrated ability to problem solve, adjust to new or unexpected events, and to deal effectively with conflict situations.

Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively within a team environment.

Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.

Demonstrated ability to organize work.

Demonstrated ability to apply computer skills and operate related equipment.

Physical ability to carry out the duties of the position.

We invite applicants to self-identify as First Nation, Métis or Inuit within cover letters and/or resumes.

Interior Health now offers assistance from an Aboriginal Employment Advisor. If you self-identify as Aboriginal (First Nations, Métis or Inuit) and if you would like assistance with the application process, job readiness, interview readiness or tips for resume and cover letter writing, send your question via email to AboriginalEmployment@interiorhealth.ca to be redirected to the Employment Advisor.