Family Counsellor

Artsloungenyc; Calgary; On-site; CAD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Brenda Strafford Foundation Ltd. in Calgary, Alberta is hiring a full-time Family Counsellor to support participants on a healing journey.

The role involves providing trauma-informed, harm-reduction oriented counselling and coordinating with the clinical team to address housing, legal, and mental health needs. You will work across counselling, case management support, and administrative duties to maintain client records, develop service plans, and connect participants with community supports.

Responsibilities

• Provide individual therapeutic support and counseling to adults affected by family violence.
• Manage risk with clients, including risks to self/others and to children.
• Maintain participant files with regular meetings, case notes, and engagement (case conference meetings).
• Plan and facilitate group counseling and supportive programs relevant to needs of participants.
• Conduct family interventions targeted to enhance stability and well-being.
• Administer tools and instruments related to assessments, monitoring, and evaluations of participants and their needs.
• Support a range of in-house programming designed to address participant needs.
• Provide comprehensive and ongoing assessments to provide referrals to housing, mental health supports and community resources.
• Co-create community support and discharge plans with participants and other team members.

Job description

Brenda Strafford Foundation Ltd. is hiring a full-time Family Counsellor to join their medical team. Located in Calgary, Alberta, the Family Counselor will play a vital role in supporting participants through their journey towards healing and stability.

Applications are received year round. Across three basic functions, the Counsellor will perform the following responsibilities:

Counselling:

• Provide individual therapeutic support and counseling to adults impacted by family violence from a harm reduction and trauma informed lens.
• Managing risk with clients, including identifying risk to self or others, and/or risks of harm to children
• Manage and maintain participant files through regular meetings, case notes, and engagement (case conference meetings)
• Plan and facilitate group counseling and supportive programs relevant to needs of participants
• Conduct family interventions targeted to enhance stability and well-being
• Administer tools and instruments related to assessments, monitoring, and evaluations of participants and their needs.
• Support a range of inhouse programming designed to address participant needs
• Provide comprehensive and ongoing assessments to provide referrals to appropriate community supports, housing assistance, and mental health systems advocacy (This is carried out mainly by case managers, however counsellors are involved detecting these needs and support case manager, regarding mental health, counsellors can refer clients to specialized services if is need it)
• Co-create community support and discharge plans with participants and other team members.

Case Management Support:

• Use case management contacts (i.e. check ins about housing, income, legal, school/childcare, health appointments etc.) as a low-barrier touch point to build trust, normalize help-seeking, and hold informal, supportive conversations that connect back to counselling goals.
• Complete structured assessments; develop and update holistic service plans linking counselling goals to practical needs (housing stability, legal advocacy, parenting support, income benefits, etc.).
• Track progress toward program goals, anticipate barriers, problem solve collaboratively, and celebrate milestones to sustain client engagement.

Administrative:

• Complete all administrative duties relevant to participant services.
• Establish and maintain appropriate participant and HHN documentation, record keeping, and statistics.
• Participate in the professional design, development, promotion, delivery, and evaluation of the program activities
• Maintain resource and referral guides for both local and regional programs that assist families and individuals
• Work closely with the Community Services Team to monitor and evaluate program impacts