Child & Youth Counsellor, Eating Disorders Program (EDP)

The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto; On-site; CAD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto is seeking a Child and Youth Counsellor to support the Eating Disorders Day Hospital program, providing direct clinical care to youth and families under supervision. The role focuses on integrated therapeutic care and collaboration with the interprofessional team.

Responsibilities include contributing to treatment plans, meal support, academic components, and precise documentation in the electronic health record.

Qualifications

• Diploma in Child and Youth Counselling (preferred) and related Bachelor's degree.
• Professional membership with OACYC preferred.
• Experience in child and youth mental health acute psychiatry or eating disorders preferred.
• Excellent communication and therapeutic engagement with youth and families.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed and culturally competent care.
• Ability to assess risk and implement safety planning.
• Proficient with Office 365 and electronic health records.

Responsibilities

• Provide oversight and supervision of up to 8-day hospital patients inclusive of.
• Contribute to the delivery of treatment plans with the interprofessional team of the day hospital.
• Deliver therapeutic care and interventions informed by DBT, EFFT, and FBT with the clinical team and groups.
• Understand the therapeutic role of meal support and provide meal support during program.
• Support the academic components of the program.
• Document effectively in the electronic health record to record patient progress.

Skills

Therapeutic engagement

Team collaboration

Critical thinking

Organizational skills

Communication skills

OACYC membership

Education

Child and Youth Counselling Diploma

Baccalaureate degree in related field

Tools

Office 365

Electronic health records

Job description

Dedicated exclusively to children and their families, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is one of the largest and most respected paediatric healthcare centres in the world. As innovators in child health, we lead and partner to improve the health of children through the integration of healthcare, leading-edge research and education. Our reputation would not have been built - nor could it be maintained - without the skills, knowledge and experience of the extraordinary people who come to work here every day. SickKids is committed to ongoing learning and development, and features a caring and supportive work environment that combines exceptionally high standards of practice.

When you join SickKids, you become part of our community. We share a commitment and determination to fulfil our vision of Healthier Children. A Better World. Don't miss out on the opportunity to work alongside the world's best in paediatric healthcare.

The Hospital for Sick Children is a leading tertiary pediatric center providing medical and mental health care to the most complex children and youth and their families. A dynamic clinical, education and research environment, SickKids is committed to excellence in integrated inter-professional care. It is a center of excellence in the delivery of cutting-edge health care to the pediatric population.

The Eating Disorders Program (EDP) at SickKids provides a broad scope of services with the goal of providing highly integrated medical stabilization and mental health assessment and treatment services to patients and families. These services cross inpatient, day treatment and outpatient care as a fully integrated and collaborative model between the Division of Adolescent Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry. Treatment will focus on the delivery of high-quality evidence-based, culturally sensitive, trauma informed models that ensure care optimizes patients' recovery while supporting their parents and caregivers.

Reporting to the Adolescent Medicine, Senior Clinical Manager and working primarily and collaboratively with the interdisciplinary team in the Eating Disorder Day Hospital (EDDH) the Child and Youth Counsellor (CYC) will provide direct clinical care and support to youth and their families. The Eating Disorder Day Hospital is an intensive outpatient Monday to Friday program delivered in partnership with the Toronto District School Board. Patients attend daily and engage in an integrated program of both therapeutic, nutritional, and academic activities. Parents and caregivers are engaged in the program emphasizing family involvement and education.

Key Responsibilities

Here's What You'll Get to Do

• Provide oversight and supervision of up to 8-day hospital patients inclusive of:
• Contribute to the delivery of treatment plans with the interprofessional team of the day hospital
• Deliver therapeutic care and interventions informed primarily by the evidence-based models of DBT, EFFT, and FBT and inclusive of skill building approaches that increase a young person's coping, problem solving and self-management skills. This will include collaborating and delivering with the clinical team, therapy groups, classroom supports, caregiver night, and all other aspects of the program that are needed to ensure patient safety and quality care.
• Understand the therapeutic role of meal support and provide meal support during program
• Support the academic components of the program
• Document effectively in the electronic health record to record the progress of the patients

Here's What You'll Need

• Child and Youth Counselling Diploma from a community college with a Baccalaureate degree in a related field (preferred)
• Professional membership with the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Counsellors (OACYC)
• Experience in child and youth mental health acute psychiatry or specialized eating disorders programs preferred
• Excellent communication and therapeutic engagement skills particularly with youth, families and the interdisciplinary team
• Understanding of culturally competent care and trauma informed care
• Knowledge of major domains of major mental illness such as mood, anxiety and depression disorders as well as eating disorders
• Demonstrated ability to understand a clinical care plan and implement its goals
• Demonstrated ability to manage the diverse emotional needs of patients, respond to escalating emotions and crises in a thoughtful, independent manner
• Able to work collaboratively with colleagues and effectively within a team
• Ability to assess risk, implement safety planning and seek consultation when required
• Demonstrated ability to utilize critical thinking and problem-solving
• Excellent organizational, communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent written communication skills and capacity to use technology platforms such as Office 365 and an electronic documentation system
• Demonstrated commitment and actions in advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion objectives

Employment Type

• Temporary, 18-month contract, Full-time 1.0 FTE (37.5 hours) Monday to Friday

SickKids is committed to championing equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do, fostering an intentionally inclusive and culturally safe environment that reflects the diversity of the patients, families and communities we serve. Learn more about workplace inclusion.

If you require accommodation during the application process, please reach out to our aSKHR team. SickKids can provide access and inclusion supports to eligible candidates to support their full engagement during the interview and selection process as well as to ensure candidates are able to perform their duties once successfully hired. If you are invited for an interview and require accommodation, please let us know at the time of your invitation to interview. Information received related to access, inclusion or accommodation will be addressed confidentially.

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Every application is reviewed by a human recruiter and all hiring decisions are made by people. In some cases, AI-assisted tools are used to help review applications based on job-related qualifications.

All positions posted on the SickKids Hospital's Careers Site represent current vacancies, unless otherwise posted in the job description.