Senior Mental Health Worker

Temporary assignment - approximately 52 weeks

POSITION SUMMARY:

CONNECT MHAP is a centralized intake service at St. Joseph's in the Mental Health and Addiction Program. The service handles all intake functions for outpatient referrals. The primary responsibility of the Senior Mental Health Worker is to contribute to core program functions: intake and screening; dispositioning; supportive counselling; care planning; education; system navigation; program and system development and evaluation. The Senior Mental Health Worker supports program management in operations and leads quality improvement and service evaluation initiatives. They work collaboratively with the interdisciplinary team to identify education/training needs, act as a subject matter expert, and support relationship building with stakeholders. They also develop and lead change management and communication strategies as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Clinical master's degree (OT, SW, psychology), required.
• Registration with a regulated healthcare College, required.
• 5+ years' experience in mental health and/or addictions.
• 2+ years of intake experience.
• Knowledge of mental illness, emotional disturbances, substance abuse, and basic psychotropic medications.
• Current knowledge of motivational interviewing techniques and interventions.
• Ability to perform comprehensive bio-psychosocial assessments and apply research to program development.
• Skill in engaging reluctant patients and establishing rapport.
• Understanding of adult learning principles and experience in education/facilitation.
• Experience in leading quality improvements and service evaluations.
• Expertise in crisis assessment and intervention.
• Ability to work collaboratively with teams and community agencies.
• Ability to ensure continuity of care and develop coordinated care plans.
• Strong communication and conflict resolution skills.
• Recovery-oriented, client-focused approach.
• Ability to work independently and prioritize tasks.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation (Mental Health Act, Healthcare Consent Act, etc.).
• Commitment to personal and professional development.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Identify quality improvement initiatives with management.
• Lead initiatives to enhance program operations, staff satisfaction, and client experience.
• Develop service evaluation plans with targets and data collection methods.
• Provide clinical support in triaging, risk assessment, and care planning.
• Lead direct service provision and manage difficult client issues.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to support referral flow and timely care.
• Identify and coordinate training needs, develop training materials, and facilitate training sessions.
• Oversee clinical onboarding and referral audits.
• Support management with documentation, reporting, and data submission.

About the company

St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton is a 777-bed academic health science centre in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, affiliated with the Michael G.