Counsellor

Toronto Metropolitan University; Toronto; On-site; CAD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Extended health

Vision

Dental insurance

Tuition waiver

Pension plan

5 weeks vacation

Professional development days

Job summary

Toronto Metropolitan University in downtown Toronto invites applications for two Professional Counsellor positions, effective January 11, 2027, subject to final budget approval. The Counsellors provide single-session appointments, brief therapy, and both individual and group psychotherapy within a trauma-informed, anti-oppressive framework; they will contribute to campus-wide wellbeing initiatives.

Requirements include a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology or Social Work with at least five

Qualifications

• Minimum Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology or Social Work.
• Minimum five years postgraduate therapy experience including individual and group therapy, crisis intervention, and program development.
• Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology or related discipline welcome without the five-year requirement.
• Membership, in good standing, of an Ontario regulatory college.
• Evidence of trauma-informed, client-focused practice.
• Experience with diverse student populations.

Responsibilities

• Provide single-session appointments and brief therapy; deliver individual and group psychotherapy.
• Support students with mental health needs, addressing depression, anxiety, and related concerns.
• Engage in community building, program development, and campus-wide wellbeing initiatives.
• Provide consultative support to faculty and staff on student mental health needs.
• Work within a stepped care model, with referrals and crisis intervention as needed.
• Collaborate with other student wellbeing staff and function autonomously when required.

Skills

Trauma-informed care

Crisis intervention

Brief therapy

Group therapy

Risk assessment

Professional boundaries

Interpersonal communication

Program development

Team collaboration

Education

Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology or Social Work

Doctoral degree (Clinical Psychology or related) welcomed

Job description

Located in downtown Toronto, the largest and most culturally diverse city in Canada and on the territory of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee and the Wendat Peoples, The Centre for Student Development and Counselling at Toronto Metropolitan University invites applications for two career-stream positions as Professional Counsellors, effective 11 January 2027, subject to final budgetary approval.

The successful candidates will primarily focus on supporting students in accordance with an anti-oppressive and trauma-informed framework. The Counsellors will provide care for all student populations and will be responsible for: providing single-session appointments and brief therapy; providing individual and group counselling and psychotherapy to students living with the impacts of mental health issues, including but not limited to depression, anxiety, social relationships, eating concerns, trauma, difficult family dynamics; engaging in community building, program development, and campus-wide initiatives to support student wellbeing on campus; and providing consultative support to university faculty and staff around student mental health needs.

The Counsellor position enhances the student experience at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), and embodies TMU’s commitment to a Whole Campus Whole Health approach to student development, health, and wellness. Counsellors engage in innovative program development and delivery aimed at fostering mental health and wellbeing and resilience in our diverse student population. This includes, but is not limited to working within a stepped care model of service delivery with a mandate to provide community referrals, individual and group psychotherapy, and crisis intervention. In addition to direct psychotherapy provision, these roles also contain a component of upstream and prevention work in collaboration with other units within the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students (OVPS).

Candidates must hold a minimum Master's degree in Counselling Psychology or Social Work with a minimum of 5 years postgraduate experience in individual therapy, group therapy, crisis intervention, and program development. Candidates holding a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology or a related discipline are also welcome to apply without the minimum 5 years postgraduate experience.

Candidates shall further provide evidence of:

• Dynamic, innovative, evidence-informed counselling with a trauma-informed client-focused approach.
• Strong generalist counselling skills and an ability to work with a diverse client population in a brief/short-term goal-directed therapy practice model.
• Training and demonstrated practice of evidence-based trauma-informed therapeutic modalities such as, but not limited to CPT, DBT, EMDR, IFS, EFT, AEDP.
• Effective use of clinical judgment and decision-making skills to deliver counselling and crisis intervention services for students, including risk-assessment, complex case management, outreach and referrals.
• Strong interpersonal skills with an understanding and use of professional boundaries, roles and responsibilities; and strong collaboration and conflict resolution skills.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience in program development/coordination and developing and delivering community level initiatives.
• An ability to function independently and as part of multiple teams, working with other student well-being staff who will be delivering programs to TMU students.
• An ability to effectively prioritize and ensure the completion of assigned work, to change priorities as the need arises, and to work efficiently.
• Experience or demonstrated capacity to thrive in a post-secondary setting.
• Membership, in good standing, of a regulatory college that is responsible for regulating the act of psychotherapy in the province of Ontario.

This position falls under the jurisdiction of the Toronto Metropolitan University Faculty Association (TFA) (www.tfanet.ca). The TFA collective agreement can be viewed here.

Working at TMU

At the intersection of mind and action, TMU is on a transformative path to become Canada’s leading comprehensive innovation university. At TMU, we firmly believe that equity, diversity and inclusion are integral to this path; our current academic plan outlines each as core values and we work to embed them in all that we do.

Dedicated to a people first culture, TMU is proud to have been selected as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers and a Greater Toronto’s Top Employer. We invite you to explore the range of benefits and supports available to Professional Counsellors, including extended health, vision, and dental insurance, tuition waiver benefits, access to the TMU Retirement Pension Plan, five [5] weeks’ vacation per completed year of service and eight (8) professional development days per year. Counsellors also have access to our diverse faculty and staff networks.

Visit us on X: @torontomet, and our LinkedIn page.

TMU is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. To find out more about legal and policy obligations please visit the accessibility and Human Rights websites.

TMU welcomes those who have demonstrated a commitment to upholding the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion and will assist us to expand our capacity for diversity in the broadest sense. In addition, to correct the conditions of disadvantage in employment in Canada, we encourage applications from members of groups that have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, Indigenous peoples of North America, Black-identified persons, other racialized persons, persons with disabilities, and those who identify as women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

About Student Integrated Health & Wellbeing

The Student Integrated Health and Wellbeing includes the Medical Centre, Centre for Student Development and Counselling, and Health Promotion Programs. In Student Integrated Health and Wellbeing, a comprehensive, holistic model of health is engaged to support students’ health and wellbeing. The Medical Centre provides health care services on campus including assessments, immunizations, physicals, and more. The Centre for Student Development and Counselling offers free, confidential counselling services from a team of professional counsellors and counselling interns. Using a personalized care model, the team works with students to develop a personal wellbeing plan, and services offered including group and one-on-one care. Finally, Health Promotion Programs shares health tips and strategies to students at TMU and runs the peer support program, because healthy students make better learners.

Contacts

Any confidential inquiries about the opportunity can be directed to Clara Tam, Director, Student Integrated Health & Wellbeing, at [e-mail].

Indigenous candidates who would like to learn more about working at TMU are welcome to contact James McKay, the Indigenous Human Resources Lead at [e-mail]..

Black identified candidates who wish to learn more about working at TMU are welcome to contact the Black Faculty & Staff Community Network at [e-mail].

For any confidential accommodation needs in order to participate in the recruitment and selection process and/or inquiries regarding accessing the Faculty Recruitment Portal, please contact Human Resources using this AskHR webform.