Department:  Counselling
Reporting to:  Manager, Culturally Appropriate Counselling (CAC)
Location: Scarborough, ON
Start Date: ASAP
Regular Hours: 9:00 AM — 5:00 PM 5 days/week

About the Organisation

Tropicana Community Services, a Toronto-based multi-service organization, provides all youth, newcomers, people of Black and Caribbean heritage, and others in need with opportunities and alternatives that lead to success and positive life choices. Our mission is achieved through culturally appropriate programs such as counseling, childcare, educational, and employment services, and youth development.

About the Position

Provide culturally appropriate clinical counselling to children, youth, adults, and seniors, especially from the Black, African, and Caribbean communities, to address challenges that may be having significant impacts on various aspects of their lives. Services aim to engage often hard-to-reach clients and work collaboratively with families to develop treatment plans that manage risky behaviours, build on strengths, and facilitate pro-social opportunities for improved outcomes. Using a client-centered anti-Black racism lens, clients are supported to achieve their goals through individual and family counselling and/or group and workshop facilitation including Stop Now and Plan (SNAP®). Success through Aggression Replacement Training (START) and Youth Mentorship.

Areas of Responsibilities

Clinical Counselling & Group Facilitation:

  • Clinical application and documentation of social work theories, assessments, and outcomes to counsel children, youth, adults, and seniors to identify solutions for presenting challenges
  • Anti-oppressive, trauma-informed counselling and education to women experiencing gender-based violence to help them develop actionable plans that facilitate their well-being and achievement of goals for themselves and their dependents including safety planning, information sharing, advocacy, system navigation, and accompaniment
  • Assess child and family strengths and needs, including risk identification, for their eligibility into the Stop Now and Plan (SNAP®) program and, where necessary, develop and facilitate treatment plans to achieve goals, external case management, and service coordination
  • Assess children, youth, and adult strengths and needs for their eligibility into the Success through Aggression Replacement Training (START) program and, where necessary, facilitate individual and group programming of skills streaming, anger-control, and moral reasoning sessions
  • Supportive counselling to assist newcomers, with a focus on people of Black, African, and Caribbean heritage, to settle effectively into Canadian society
  • Advocate on behalf of clients within the various systems (e.g., child protection, housing, schools, courts, police, and social assistance) to help clients remove barriers to service

Workshop Facilitation:

  • Develop and facilitate educational workshops for women & children experiencing gender-based violence using Feminist, trauma-informed and anti-oppressive, and anti-racist foundation
  • Recruit and train Black & Caribbean volunteer mentors to support and guide mentees to develop positive social skills
  • Develop and facilitate life-skills workshops for youth
  • Develop and facilitate social programming for adults and seniors in the Women Empowering Women Support Network, Gentlemen’s Forum, and Caribbean Lime service

Service Evaluation:

  • Follow program guidelines including the reporting and record-keeping
  • Participate in quality assurance, evaluation, data collection, and research activities
  • Conduct performance management activities to evaluate service outcomes

Committee Participation & Outreach:

  • Develop positive links and partnerships with organizations through committee membership to enhance service delivery and ensure that members of the Black, African and Caribbean community are receiving fair and equitable treatment
  • Conduct community visits to promote services to agencies including, but not limited to, social services, education, immigration, medical and legal systems

Practicum Supervision:

  • Provide supervision and direction to students and program volunteers inclusive of recruiting, orientation, coaching, training, and evaluation

Skills and Qualifications

Education

  • Bachelor’s degree in social work and related work experience in counselling individuals and families from the Black, African, and Caribbean community

Work Experience

  • Related work experience counselling individuals and families from the Black, African, and Caribbean community
  • Experience providing culturally informed advanced counselling, crisis intervention, and group facilitation to families from the Black, African, and Caribbean community
  • Familiarity with the fundamentals of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Parent Management Training, and Behaviour Management Systems Training
  • Knowledge of a variety of theoretical approaches including, but not limited to, Solution Focussed Brief Therapy, Systems, Attachment, Feminist, Aggression Replacement Training, and Transtheoretical Model
  • Ability to attract the community to the agency using innovative and exciting strategies

Licenses & Certifications

  • Current registration in good standing with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers
  • Valid police clearance with vulnerable sector check

Language & Communication Skills

  • Ability to communicate effectively in English, both oral and written

Transferable Skills

  • Lived experience of the Black, African & Caribbean culture, in particular, understanding of anti-Black racism issues
  • Understanding of trauma and attachment in relation to gender violence issues
  • Proven time-management, organization, engagement, and sustainability skills
  • Ability to work well in a team setting and with minimal supervision
  • Ability to attract the community to the agency using innovative and exciting strategies
  • Demonstrated initiative, enthusiasm, creativity, versatility, adaptability, and ability to engage persons of all ages
  • Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills
  • Excellent facilitation skills with children, youth, adults, and seniors
  • Computer proficiency in Windows environment Microsoft Office and Internet

How to Apply

All candidates should submit a completed résumé, and cover letter, to https://tropicana.bamboohr.com/careers/72.

Although we appreciate each application, only those candidates being considered for the position will be contacted.

Tropicana Community Services commits to promoting inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) through its information and support, advocacy, programming, internal policies, and governance structures. Tropicana Community Services will aim to ensure that our staff reflect the experience, skills and diversity of the communities we serve and create an inclusive, barrier-free work environment, beginning with the recruitment process. If you have restrictions that need to be accommodated to fully participate in any phase of the recruitment process, please contact Human resources. All information received in relation to accommodation will be kept confidential.

It is a condition of employment that new employees provide proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to the start date of employment. This means that all new employees must have received all doses of a COVID-19 vaccine approved by Health Canada prior to their start date.  Applicants who have appropriate written proof of a medical reason, or a reason pursuant to the Ontario Human Rights Code, for not being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 may provide such documentation to the Human Resources department. Such situations will be considered on a case-by-case basis.