Mental Health Clinician (Residential Substance Use)

Date: June 25, 2025

Competition Number: 61-25/26

Location: Kelowna, BC

Bgc Okanagan is hiring a part time position Mental Health Clinician for the residential program for vulnerable youth. Penny Lane is now a Low Barrier Short Term Stabilization Home.

The program is purposefully designed with a double staffing model, mental health and behavioral supports in place to help vulnerable youth become more stable so they can succeed in the future. The program has 3 beds and youth stay in the program for anywhere from a few weeks to 9 months. The program is very collaborative; working together with each youth and their Circle of Care to create trauma informed, culturally appropriate, strengths focused and person-centered service plans. We offer recreation outings, support navigating resources in the community, engagement with family & other supports all out of a comfortable home setting. Our goal is to overcome gaps in the system by ensuring that youth in our resource have every opportunity to overcome barriers, build positive relationships and develop their confidence and skills for life.

The Clinician works collaboratively with the youth and their care team. They will develop and implement a trauma informed and harm reduction-focused treatment plan aimed at minimizing the negative health, social and legal impacts associated with health behaviours. This role is temporary with working period lasts till August 31, 2026.

We can provide:

• Flexible hours and a fun, positive team environment
• Many opportunities for professional development
• Benefit package
• Child Care discount

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provides a range of mental health services to children and youth who include children/youths experiencing mental health and/or substance use issues, physical health issues, developmental disabilities and dual diagnoses, neurological disorders, complex trauma, and severe behavioural issues. Provides services without judgement, coercion, discrimination or requiring that they extinguish the problematic health behaviours completely as a precondition of support.
• Provides counselling support and education to children/youth, residential caregivers and their families.
• Assists families and other relevant caregivers of such children in methods of coping and management of relation to their childs mental health condition.
• Liaises with community professionals.
• Maintains appropriate clinical, client and administrative records.
• Participates in the delivery of an education service to community, agency staff and other service providers.
• Identifies crisis situations and implements interventions to deal with such episodes. Mitigating any barriers or challenges where appropriate (e.g., develop a safety plan for children or youth that display high-risk behaviours); Provide suicide assessments and crisis interventions.
• Prepare and deliver appropriate, clear, and concise communications to a range of internal and external audiences.
• Assists children/youth with significant support needs (inclusive of behavioural, mental health, substance use challenges) to experience improved transitions to adult care system.
• Maintains a basic knowledge of psychotropic medications as prescribed by a physician and maintains an awareness of how these medications affect the children/youth.
• Performs other duties as required.

Qualifications:

• Masters degree in Counselling Psychology or a related field.
• Minimum of two years clinical experience working in child and youth mental health services, with responsibility for providing community based mental health services.
• Basic understanding of child and youth psychological, social and cognitive development
• Basic understanding of major behavioural, emotional and mental health problems and disorders of children and youth
• Professional ethics and approaches to resolve ethical dilemmas in the work with clients
• Integrated case management skills
• Successful completion of Agency screening process, including criminal record check

This position is open to all applicants.

This position requires union membership

Hours: 25 hours per week, Monday 10:00 AM 6:00 PM, Tuesday 12:00 PM 6:00 PM, Wednesday 10:00 AM 6:00 PM, Thursday 10:00 AM -3:00 PM.

Rate of Pay: $45.52 per hour plus cost shared benefits.

Closing Date: Open until filled

As an equal opportunity employer, BGC Okanagan is committed to the prioritization of equitable and inclusive employment practices. Our goal is to be representative of the communities we serve, and we encourage applications from communities which are structurally marginalized based on race, disability, age, sex, religion, sexual orientation, nationality, social or ethnic origin, gender identity and/or expression. If any candidate needs any accessibility support throughout the hiring process, we will accommodate such requests when made. You will only be considered for a position with BGC Okanagan if youre legally entitled to work in Canada. Eligible applicants include: Canadian citizens, permanent residents and refugees in Canada with legal status. We appreciate and thank all applicants for their interest, however only short-listed candidates will be contacted.