Counselling Manager, Internship Program

at  Queens University

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JOB SUMMARY

Reporting to the Executive Director, Student Wellness Services (SWS) Counselling Manager, Internship Program is a key member of the SWS leadership team overseeing the professional operations of the Counselling Intern Program, as well as providing expert clinical guidance to the Counselling Services team. This position ensures provision of a robust Intern Practicum program including recruitment, on-boarding, orientation, clinical supervision and administrative, and clinical leadership to SWS’s intern counselling (and other) students which can be located within both central SWS and across the university within faculties and services. The Manager fosters a positive, motivating and supportive team environment, ensures consistency and cohesiveness across central and embedded services and builds relationships with colleagues within Student Affairs and throughout the university. In consultation with the Manager(s) of Mental Health Services the Counselling Manager, Internship Program follows through on service priorities, and makes recommendations regarding strategic administrative, staffing, and intern program decisions in regards to Mental Health Services. The Counselling Manager, Internship Program also oversees operations of the daily Mental Health Afternoon Walk-In Clinic.
The Counselling Manager, Internship Program contributes to the strategic goals of SWS through continuous assessment of the intern program as they relate to student needs and ensures availability of timely, evidenced-based, professional counselling services for Queen’s students with regard to their mental health and well-being. The Manager provides close supervision to interns and new staff and provides clinical consultation for the SWS counselling team members on complex cases.
The Manager serves as designate for the Counselling Managers as needed for the Student at Risk Committee, and other university and community committees.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum of Master’s level education in Psychology, Clinical Social Work or Counselling, with five or more years of demonstrated experience working as a regulated health professional, providing treatment for mental disorders.
• Minimum of 5 years experience working with other counselling professionals, including provision of clinical supervision.
• Registered and in good standing with a regulatory college of Ontario (Psychology, Social Work, Psychotherapy) for autonomous practice, and in possession of professional liability insurance.
• Experience providing trauma-informed psychotherapy, and mastery of a variety of therapeutic modalities such as brief solution focused, CBT, DBT or Mindfulness. Certification in trauma processing would be an asset.
• Extensive experience with cross-cultural and diversity/sexual identity/equity issues.
• Expert knowledge of current research and professional literature pertaining to effective interventions for a variety of personal behavioural, emotional and cognitive difficulties.
• Knowledge of the unique issues facing university students and knowledge of university life and the intersecting nature of issues of social identities and health and wellness.
• Satisfactory Criminal Records Check and Vulnerable Sector Screening required.

SPECIAL SKILLS:

• Knowledge of the impact of physical, sexual and/or psychological abuse and violence on youths, and skill working with clients with these presenting issues.
• Knowledge of human development.
• Excellent management of intern learners using leadership and teaching skills.
• Excellent psychotherapy skills, including the ability to establish an empathic relationship and to engender trust; sound clinical judgment; a non-judgmental stance.
• Strong case conceptualization and treatment planning skills. Demonstrated use of standardized measures an asset.
• Exceptional risk-assessment skills. This includes the ability to assess a student’s level of risk to self as well as to others.
• Comprehensive sensitivity to, and understanding of diversity and cultural issues working with a diverse population; demonstrated respect of diversity and promotion of inclusion.
• Strong team member; openness to sharing strengths with colleagues, and openness to learning from others.
• Strong leadership skills including people management as it relates to the counsellor roles.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and oral), an understanding of the dynamics of human relations and the ability to communicate effectively with students and with others in the department and the university.
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to work independently.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and cope with demands on time and energy especially during peak periods of the academic year. High tolerance for stress, with good self-care skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and lead interns with a range of experiences in a team-oriented environment.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Familiarity and comfortable with the use of computers, electronic medical records, and technologies often used in health care.

• As a member of the SWS leadership team, leads the planning and execution of strategic plans, goals and priorities for the Internship Programs and is a key contributor to strategic planning for Mental Health Services, including related to staffing, resourcing, and assessment of service, and oversight of the daily mental health afternoon walk in clinic.
• Manage the provision of a broad range of intern program counselling services in relation to the growing and diverse student population with increasingly wide-ranging needs, in collaboration with the Counselling Manager(s), Student Wellness Services as well as the Executive Director.
• Monitor intern operations and analyze progress, and maintain overall responsibility and accountability for day to day service, ensuring appropriate response to evolving student needs and increased efficiency and effectiveness.
• Leads the implementation of quality management of the interns and develops and implements improvements to existing processes related to the intern counselling program.
• Oversee intern access to, and experience with, services, including tracking and reporting access data and measuring impact of the intern program. Leads the implementation of effective processes for responding to any complaints and issues, and review feedback with the interns to enhance processes, service delivery, and efficiency.
• Provides clinical supervision to interns completing a counseling rotation or practicum routinely, as needed, and for complex cases, and makes recommendations on provision of care which may include referral to other resources. Provide reports and updates to the Counselling Manager(s) and Executive Director on complex cases.
• As an expert resource to the Mental Health Services team, provides clinical supervision and consultation on complex cases.
• Liaison to external stakeholders including outreach to schools looking to place interns and as a resource for students investigating options for internship programs
• Implements and leads intern programs that promote the integration of counselling services within the broader services of SWS, fostering holistic student-centred care
• Supports and promotes high quality intern training programs in counselling related to internships and practicums by conducting training and educational opportunities.
• Maintains awareness of intern counselling staff clinical caseloads and adjusts as needed to promote intern well-being balanced with a robust learning experience.
• Facilitates positive intern team dynamics, seeks feedback from students and staff and makes recommendations for service or process changes
• Demonstrates attitudes, beliefs, values and skills that align with the Student Wellness Services mission and values as required for change and innovation.
• Understands diverse student needs and contributes to innovative approaches in mental health care delivery and to reduce barriers to access mental health care
• Leads development and implementation of the delivery of psycho-educational workshops and a range of support and therapy groups for students.
• Ensures that applicable legal/ethical standards are maintained with regard to confidentiality and other professional obligations.
• Plans, prioritizes and manages the work of the interns, providing strategic and tactical advice, guidance and coaching.
• Identifies the need for intern resources, leads committees, and makes intern hiring decisions with input from the leadership team.
• Manages intern performance by establishing performance standards, reviewing and evaluating performance and conducting formal performance reviews on an ongoing basis.
• Assesses intern training and development needs, and ensures that interns receive training required to improve and sustain successful performance.
• Investigates, addresses and resolves intern issues, communicating issues and their resolution with the counselling manager(s).