Overview:
Reporting to the Associate Director, Counselling Services (AD), the position of Manager, Counselling Services (MCS) encompasses supervisory responsibilities of a multidisciplinary team of approximately 10 members each, along with administrative and clinical responsibilities for the department which assists in enabling Campus Wellness to accelerate its journey to achieving wellness for all.
This position will help lead their team to use inclusive, integrative, anti-racist, anti-oppressive, and trauma-informed approaches in all aspects of client-care and employee management, centering employee safety and engagement alongside client-centeredness. The services provided by the Counselling team focus on campus community mental health, psychological wellness, and safety at the University of Waterloo (UW). This is vital for the personal and academic success of UW’s members.
The Manager, Counselling Services will employ a participatory style of leadership to fortify a culture of caring and achieve cohesion within their team and in all interactions across Campus Wellness. They are pivotal in working with their teams to create a transformative, future-ready service in a world changed by a racial reckoning, a mental health awakening, and a global pandemic.
The incumbent will work closely with other members of the department leadership team to ensure programs offered to students are contributing to the vibrant student experience and the wellness of our campus community. This position is responsible for effectively managing staff, policies, processes, and programs involved in the provision of counselling services.
The MCS performs their duties conscientiously and responsibly, adheres to high personal standards of behaviour with students, colleagues, members of the University community and clients of the University, community colleagues and resources, and in a manner consistent with the ethics and responsibilities of their own profession.
Responsibilities:
Multidisciplinary Team Management and Coaching:
The MCS provides leadership in the development and facilitation of multidisciplinary service delivery disposition teams in the provision of mental health treatment on campus. They demonstrate skill in the following areas including:
Meet individually with team members with an emphasis on both clinical consultation, and professional growth with an emphasis on their development
Managing and coaching an allocation of clinical staff and providing a supportive environment that encourages productivity, staff success as well as efficient and healthy workload management
Provides clinical consultation to team members and provides supervision to counsellors who are new to the profession
Effective recruitment, selection, procedures and standards, as well as focusing Team efforts on University of Waterloo goals are necessary
Overseeing the professional training and development of team members, including an emphasis on counsellor development through the career path
Facilitating staff annual performance appraisals
Relationships/Partnerships:
Cultivating and stewarding strong working relationships and partnerships, including:
Working closely with others within Campus Wellness and other relevant stakeholders on and off campus to help provide the best programs and services to the students
Taking a collaborative approach to developing strategies that strive to achieve the institutional vision of a vibrant student experience
Creating partnerships with wellness service providers on campus to contribute to a comprehensive wellness strategy for the campus community
Clinical Responsibilities:
The MCS provides clinical psychotherapy with individual clients at a reduced clinical load to allow them to meet their administrative, managerial and coordination responsibilities. It is expected that no more than 25% of the MCS’s is devoted to clinical service delivery to allow for an emphasis on staff development at both an individual and team level
Coordination of Specific Responsibilities: Each MCS oversees the coordination of and is responsible for one or more areas of Counselling Services. These areas include:
Coordination of Intake and Crisis Response: The MCS maintains a thorough knowledge and expertise in the area of best evidence-based intake practices and ensures these practices are well designed, implemented and evaluated to fit the needs of Waterloo students. The MCS works with lead clinicians and intake specialists to ensure adequate intake and immediate response coverage. The MCS also oversees intake procedures around student clients who are seeking a change in clinicians is being followed. They respond to requests from professionals and others both within Campus Wellness as well as from the broader University community and beyond regarding intake information, crises, and other related queries. The MCS manages procedures related to new student clients entering Campus Wellness with mental health concerns, as well any waiting list related to intake. In conjunction with the Intern/Resident coordinator, they determine which clients are seen by practicum students/interns/residents providing counselling services
Coordination of Internship/Residency/Practicum Student Training: The MCS maintains a thorough knowledge and expertise in the area of graduate student supervision and training for those entering a mental health field, and ensures these practices are well designed, implemented and evaluated. The MCS is responsible for coordinating recruitment, orientation, supervision, and evaluation of all undergraduate and graduate-level trainees. They respond to all inquiries regarding training and oversees and coordinates all efforts of those providing supervision for trainees
Coordination of Quality Assurance Activities: The MCS maintains a thorough knowledge and expertise in the area of quality assurance, data analysis, service evaluation and privacy/confidentiality. They ensure appropriate evaluation mechanisms are in place for all service delivery including for example, client satisfaction, service effectiveness and service efficiency. In collaboration with other units across Campus Wellness, the MCS ensures that documented policy and procedure is current and accessible
Coordination of Groups and Workshops: The MCS works with the clinical team to ensure evidence-based groups and workshops are provided that meet the diverse needs of the student population. They are responsible for ensuring groups and workshops are evaluated and feedback is woven into the future iterations of group and workshop delivery
Qualifications:
Completion of a Master’s degree in a mental health field is necessary. PhD in a related field is beneficial.
Licensed in a regulated mental health profession within the Province of Ontario
Progressive clinical and administrative experience in a student-focused post-secondary environment with a background highlighted by mental health and student development expertise
Competencies will include strategic thinking, leadership, human resource management, organization, and communication as well as an appreciation of the benefits of collaborative intra- and inter-departmental functioning in an ever-changing environment
There will be unusual hours and schedules
A Clear Vulnerable Sector Check is required
Vaccination Requirement Statement:
Effective May 1, 2022, the University suspended its Vaccination Requirement. Prior to May 1, pursuant to this Requirement, all University employees were required to submit proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 (subject to the University’s obligations under the Human Rights Code to accommodate employees who were unable to receive a vaccination). The University’s Vaccination Requirement website can be found here: https://uwaterloo.ca/coronavirus/return/vaccination-requirement.
The pandemic is ongoing and public health advice continues to evolve. Accordingly, the University reserves the absolute right to reinstate the Vaccination Requirement on short notice, and upon such reinstatement you will be required to comply. You shall also be required to comply with any new health and safety policies/requirements implemented by the University from time to time, including new policies/requirements related to mandatory employee vaccination. As the University may need to reinstate the Requirement on short notice, it will continue to collect and maintain up-to-date information on employee vaccination status. Please submit your Covid-19 vaccine status (QR code) to: https://checkin.uwaterloo.ca/
Failure to comply with the Vaccination Requirement if it is reinstated, including failure to comply with any future amendments to the Vaccination Requirement, or failure to comply with new health and safety policies/requirements implemented by the University, including those related to new mandatory employee vaccination, shall result in discipline up to and including termination of employment.
The requirement to be vaccinated, if reinstated, will be subject to the duty to accommodate pursuant to the Human Rights Code. If you are unable to be vaccinated for reasons related to a ground protected under the Human Rights Code, you may submit a written request for accommodation with an explanation of the reasons and/or any supporting documentation. If you request accommodation, the University may follow up with you for further information if necessary.
Equity Statement:
The University of Waterloo is committed to implementing the Calls to Action framed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River.
The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuit/Inuk, Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.