Crisis Line / Seniors Safety Line Relief Counsellor  

Position: Relief Counsellor 

Location: West End Toronto; TTC accessible; This position works on-site 

Start Date: July/August 2022

Salary: Starting rate $26.10 / hour with premium for working overnight 

Schedule: Rotating Shift through the week and weekends - day, evening, overnight 

*Candidates are asked to indicate their availability for specific shifts (day/evening/overnight availability) in the cover letter.*

The Assaulted Women’s Helpline (AWHL) is a responsive and dynamic community-based organization providing 24-hour, 7-day-a-week telephone, TTY and online crisis counselling and referral service for any woman in the province of Ontario experiencing abuse. We work from an integrated feminist, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive framework. AWHL’s team of trained counsellors provide crisis counselling, safety planning, emotional support, information and referrals.  The AWHL also operates the Seniors Safety Line, a 24/7 crisis line service for Ontario seniors experiencing abuse or neglect. 

The Helpline staff team is committed to working in a coordinated way with community partners and sister agencies towards bridging gaps in service and identifying emerging issues or trends relevant to the women and seniors we work with. 

We are seeking compassionate, dedicated individuals to work as Relief Counsellors. This position requires flexibility to work, day, evening and overnight shifts rotating through the week and on weekends.  Relief counsellors will support both the Assaulted Women’s Helpline and the Seniors Safety Line. 

As a Relief Counsellor your responsibilities will be to:  

• Provide telephone counselling focused on ‘in the moment’ support and crisis counselling;
• Conduct a thorough assessment of client situations, including risk assessment and safety planning;
• Maintain a counselling model and structure within every counselling session
• Use different counseling methodologies to address client needs including strength based, solution focused, de-escalating crisis situations and providing information and referrals.
• Adhere to ethical, counselling and legal standards which govern service delivery as well as applicable policies, guidelines and laws which apply to the organization and to the province/territory in which the client resides.
• Maintain sound knowledge of various provincial laws affecting abused women and seniors to provide sound decision making support regarding appropriate referral to community resources.
• Participate actively in program development initiatives and clinical consultation to ensure the provision of high quality service to clients
• Work collaboratively with staff, students and volunteers across the organization
• Complete all duties within the allotted timelines as per agency policies and procedures

What qualifications will you bring to this role? 

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in social services (MSW preferred), or an equivalent mix of post-secondary education and work experience;
• Minimum of 3 years demonstrated experience in clinical counselling and crisis intervention (telephone counseling and/or online counselling preferred)
• Demonstrated clinical training, experience and competence in: brief therapy approaches; counseling abused women and seniors; trauma specific counselling; solution focused therapy
• Current knowledge of best practices in mental health (e.g. crisis de-escalation, risk assessment, gender based violence, suicide prevention, harm reduction)
• Knowledge of professional responsibilities regarding the duty to report abuse
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to create and maintain rapport with client
• The ability to engage clients in non judgemental problem-solving
• Computer literacy and experience using a computer database, familiarity with Salesforce is an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team and independently
• A demonstrated commitment to the principles of social justice, understanding of diverse cultural experiences, anti-oppression, equity and inclusion
• Bilingual fluency in a second language (written and verbal) is an asset

The AWHL is a unionized work environment. The AWHL is committed to the development of a staff team that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to equity, including: Black, Indigenous and racialized people, members of the LGBTQ2S+ community, people with disabilities, and people with lived experience of gender-based violence. 

A vulnerable sector police screening check will be required from the successful candidate within the first month of employment. 

Application Process: 

Please include a cover letter with your resume. Your cover letter should outline your essential skills and contextualize why you are interested in this role. Please also confirm your availability and interest to work in the aforementioned schedule. Resumes received without a cover letter will not be considered. 

Email your application with the reference number: AWHL Relief Ref #20220219 to .   

Closing date: July 30, 2022

If you are an individual with a disability, accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. 

No telephone inquiries please. AWHL thanks all applicants for their interest, only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. For more information about the Assaulted Women’s Helpline, visit www.awhl.org