Mental Health Counsellor - NH

Mental Health Counsellor – Job Description

Job Title:

Mental Health Counsellor

Job Status:
Part time (10–15 hours/week)

Employment Type:

Independent Contractor

Reports to:

Mental Health Lead

Location:

Nisa Homes Edmonton (In Person)

Nisa Foundation is a community-based charity that has promoted safety, security, and mental wellness for racialized women across Canada since 2014. The organization provides toll‑free peer‑to‑peer counseling services, transitional homes for women & children fleeing abuse or homelessness, and facilitates educational workshops. Nisa Foundation’s mission is to transform communities by engaging, equipping, and enriching the lives of women and children to reach their full potential.

• Provide one‑on‑one peer‑to‑peer supportive counseling sessions with residents on a weekly basis to set and achieve goals, address challenges, and refer to external resources.
• Develop and implement regular mental health and wellness support groups on topics such as self‑esteem building, empowerment, self‑care strategies, and addressing depression, anxiety, and stress for the women in the home.
• Use basic counseling skills to create a safe connection with clients to work on supportive care, goals, and referrals to community professionals and resources for ongoing mental health needs.
• Work with residents and their caseworkers to support the housing process and integration into the community.
• Provide training to staff and volunteers on trauma‑informed practices, mental health resources and other training as needed.
• Assign and oversee counseling volunteers to residents.
• Attend training provided by NF and external training opportunities important to counseling skill development.
• Participate in intake assessments when needed to assess eligibility, flag signs of referrals for increased mental health care.
• Coordinate with caseworkers to ensure the best service and case management available to clients.
• Summarize and organize information for discussion in events that a unique case has arisen for current residents for decision making.
• Provide weekly updates to House Manager on client progress.
• Report to Mental Health Lead weekly for briefing sessions, concerns, directions, collective support, case management.
• Maintain counseling notes, incident records and other documentation on CRM database according to regulations.
• Liaise with other services, agencies, and professionals.
• Maintain current knowledge of issues and resources related to abuse and violence to provide presentations and public awareness activities about services and issues of abuse.
• Facilitate community networking, attend meetings and workshops as needed.
• Participate in additional meetings and undertake related responsibilities as reasonably assigned, including special projects, cross‑departmental initiatives, and other tasks necessary to support the effective operation of the organization.

• Must speak and write English proficiently.
• Clear Vulnerable sector check.
• Language proficiency in a second language would be an asset (Urdu, Arabic, Hindi, Somali, Punjabi, Dari, Pashto, French).
• Relevant degree such as Social Work, Psychology, Counseling, or related field, especially with regard to homelessness and vulnerable women, and a minimum of 2–3 years experience.
• Ability to adhere to highest standards of ethical care and confidentiality policies.
• Demonstrates a commitment to professional practice, adheres to professional code of ethics.
• Demonstrate wellness practices:
  Can identify personal stressors and knows when to ask for help; can identify and manage signs of burnout.
• Communication skills & active listening.
• Positive attitude.
• Building trust.
• Emotional intelligence.
• Conflict management skills.
• Crisis intervention skills.
• Counseling skills.
• Assessment skills.

French speaking is a must, Arabic, Urdu or Somali is an asset.