Counsellor Therapist

Ontario University Athletics; Guelph; Hybrid; CAD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Guelph invites applications for a Counsellor/Therapist within Student Wellness Services. Reporting to the Manager of Counselling Services, the role provides individual and group therapy to support students' goals and academic success.

The position requires a Master’s degree in Social Work or Counselling, registration with a regulated college, and 3–6 years of supervised clinical experience.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Social Work, Counselling, or equivalent; 3–6 years supervised clinical experience.
• Membership in a regulated professional college is required.
• Experience in brief therapy and group therapy; able to handle drop-in counselling and single-session work.
• Experience working with diverse identities and equity-deserving communities.
• Experience with crises, risk assessment, and case management.
• Knowledge of adolescent and young adult development and privacy legislation.
• Willingness to consult with an interdisciplinary team.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills; proficient in documentation.

Responsibilities

• Provide individual and group clinical work with students.
• Offer brief counselling and single-session work; participate in drop-in service.
• Provide crisis intervention, training, consultation, and support to students and campus community.
• Contribute to development of a large, collaborative team.
• Work at multiple campus locations; occasional on-campus and one virtual day per week.

Skills

Brief therapy

Group therapy

Crisis intervention

Diversity sensitivity

Team collaboration

Documentation skills

Privacy knowledge

Education

Master's degree in Social Work

Master's degree in Counselling

Tools

EHR systems

MS Office

Job description

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Primary Category Page: Staff and Management

Requisition ID: 2918

Department:Student Wellness Services
This position is represented by the agreement between the Professional Staff Association and the University of Guelph

Temporary full-time from 09/30/2026to04/30/2027

General Purpose

Reporting to the Manager of Counselling Services, the therapist uses evidence-based clinical practice to provide individual and group therapy for students to meet their goals. The therapist assists students to develop skills and understandings that help foster a sense of self-efficacy, belonging, empowerment, and contribute to students’ academic success.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Counsellor/Therapist provides individual and group clinical work with students. In consultation with the student and through professional assessment, counsellors offer brief counselling for a variety of developmental and mental health presenting concerns. This position will focus primarily on single session work as well as work in the daily Drop-in Service which runs weekdays for 2.5 hours with 30-minute sessions. Students access drop-in services for same day access to a counsellor. The drop-in service will be changing format as services evolve to meet student needs. Experience providing single session and being able to develop those skills on the team will be a primary focus of the role. The Counsellor/Therapist also provides crisis intervention, training, consultation and /or support to students, faculty, and the university community. Further responsibilities include contributing to development of a large team.

Requirements

• Masters degree in Social Work, Counselling, or equivalent. 3-6 years experience as a supervised clinical experience in individual and group therapy. Previous post-secondary experience is considered an asset. A combination of education and experience may be considered for the position.
• Membership in a regulated professional college is required
• Demonstrated brief therapy and group therapy skills as well as experience with drop-in counselling and single session work. Triaging and organising a busy caseload within a brief clinical context are essential.
• Experience working with individuals with diverse and intersecting identities and/or lived experience within equity deserving communities, contributes to our anti-oppressive, anti-racist and trauma-informed practice with students.
• Experience with the breadth of problems presented by students, (anxiety, depression, interpersonal problems, trauma, loss) as well as the complexity. Mental health service experience an asset.
• Experience in crisis intervention, risk assessment as well as case management.
• Clinical understanding of adolescent and young adulthood development.
• Understanding the broader mental health system, including emergency mental health services, procedures, and legislation. Clear understanding of privacy legislation.
• Willingness to consult with and develop the interdisciplinary team.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills; strong written, oral and presentation skills.
• Electronic record keeping skills; proficiency with computers, MS Office or other word processing, and presentation software.
• Counsellors will work in different locations in the university depending on service need.

Flexible work hours, some evenings may be required.

This appointment is regularly performed on campus. There is presently an option for one virtual day per week and is dependent on operational requirements.

Employee Type: Temporary
Position Number: 10921726

At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion is an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.

Posting Date: 09/18/2026
Closing Date: 09/25/2026