Clinical Interventionist, Provincial Preschool Autism Services (Western Zone, Bridgewater)

Nova Scotia Health; Town of Bridgewater; On-site; CAD 58,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Signing bonus up to $2,500

Job summary

IWK Health is seeking a Clinical Interventionist for the Provincial Preschool Autism Service in Bridgewater. The role supports preschool-age children with autism and their families, delivering evidence-based interventions across interprofessional teams.

Reporting to Clinical Manager, you will implement planned interventions, coordinate with Program Implementers, and provide caregiver education within a flexible schedule that may include evenings and weekends.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a relevant clinical field or BCBA certification.
• Registration or eligible for registration with the appropriate Nova Scotia professional body.
• CPR certification within the last 12 months and First Aid certification.

Responsibilities

• Provide assessment and intervention services to preschool children with autism (0–6 years) and families.
• Facilitate goal-setting, assessment, and development of intervention plans.
• Coordinate and supervise intervention teams and programs, including caregiver-mediated and EIBI models.
• Engage in family education and participate in quality improvement initiatives.

Skills

Communication skills

Interprofessional collaboration

Time management

Organizational skills

Supervision

Education

Master's in Clinical Psychology, School Psychology, Speech Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy or BCBA

Job description

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Clinical Interventionist, Provincial Preschool Autism Services (Western Zone, Bridgewater)

Req ID: 225217
Department/Program: WZ Provincial Preschool Autism Services , Provincial Preschool Autism Services
Location: Bridgewater
Type of Employment: TemporaryHourly FT long-assignment (100% FTE) for 12 months x 1position(s)
Start Date: ASAP
Union Status:NSGEU Hlthcare, Healthcare Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $42.2138-$58.3034 /hour (based on designation)
Closing Date: November 22, 2026 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)
Successful candidates may be eligible for a signing bonus incentive of up to $2,500 with a recommended return of service period of 12 months.

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia . People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values , and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti-racist environment, and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care, is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

Provincial Preschool Autism Service

The Provincial Preschool Autism Service (PPAS) is a partnership between IWK Health (IWK), Nova Scotia Health (NSH), Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia (HSNS) and Autism Nova Scotia (Autism NS). It provides person and family-centred services to preschoolers across Nova Scotia who are suspected of or have a diagnosis of autism. The goal of the service is to provide an efficient, sustainable, and integrated continuum of health services that follows a needs-based model responsive to the individual needs of children and their families.

Services include a range of interventions and supports available for children and families. Service streams include:

• Clinical intake and care coordination
• Family and health professional education
• QuickStart NS parent coaching toddler program
• Autism diagnostic assessment
• Interprofessional autism interventions (focused interventions based on care pathways and manualized comprehensive programs),
• A 12-month intensive intervention for children with the greatest social communication and behaviour needs (formerly EIBI)
• Transition to school supports
• Travel will be required.

Services and programs are flexible and able to be scaled up and down based on the needs and progress of each child and their family. There is a comprehensive scope of services that can be matched to best meet the needs of preschool-age children. The goal of all interventions is to empower caregivers to teach and support their child’s development.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Clinical Manager, Provincial Preschool Autism Services, the PPAS Clinical Interventionist is part of an interprofessional team with a provincial service delivery mandate. The role provides services to preschool age children (ages 0-6) with autism and is responsible to facilitate a goal setting process with families related to their identified needs for their child; to provide assessment related to the goal(s); and to develop, implement and coordinate the resulting intervention programs. The Clinical Interventionist will contribute to and participate in family education; will work within a variety of intervention frameworks that include but may not be limited to a 12-month intensive intervention model (EIBI); a manualize caregiver mediated program; and focused interventions guided by care pathways. Clinical Interventionists will provide direct supervision to Program Implementers who will be part of the implementation teams for the 12-month intensive intervention model, the manualized caregiver mediated program and part of the implementation for focused interventions as appropriate. Clinical practice will be guided by Clinical Leaders and an Autism Advanced Practice Leader.

Hours of Work

Monday – Friday, 37.5 hours bi-weekly
Flexibility in hours available to work (including some evenings, weekends) required.

Your Qualifications

• Master's in Clinical Psychology, School Psychology, Speech Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy or Board-certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) required.
• Registration or eligible for registration with the appropriate professional body in Nova Scotia is required.
• CPR certification within the last 12 months and certification in First Aid.
• Two years recent experience working with children with autism (ages 0-6 years old) and their families.
• Valid minimal Class 5 Nova Scotia driver’s license and reliable vehicle.
• Demonstrated knowledge of best practices in intervention for children with autism.
• Demonstrated excellence in clinical care; ability to provide assessment and development, implementation, monitoring and coordination of intervention plans to address parent goals.
• Demonstrated ability to work within an interprofessional collaborative practice framework; and ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrated excellent presentation, facilitation, and communication skills; both verbal and written.
• Demonstrated excellent interpersonal skills; ability to develop and maintain internal/external partnerships.
• Demonstrated excellent time management, organization, and solution focused skills.
• Demonstrated excellence in supervision of intervention by other levels of healthcare provider.
• Demonstrated understanding and commitment to family centered care.
• Committed to promoting a culture that supports safety, ethical practices, and organizational health.
• Education, training and/or experience in evidence-based autism interventions (E.g., Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT), Positive Behavior Support (PBS), Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to participate in quality improvement and innovation initiatives related to processes and practice.
• Certification in Non-Violent Crisis Intervention an asset.
• Competencies in other languages an asset.
  Where there are no qualified candidates who meet the minimum requirements for (2) two years' experience working with young children (0-6 years old) with ASD, consideration may be given to Registered Professionals without the required experience.

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