Counsellor
The Healing Institute
The Healing Institute is a premier addiction and mental health treatment center located on the beautiful Gabriola Island, British Columbia, situated on the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation. Set on 7 acres of oceanfront and forested land overlooking the Pacific Ocean, our lodge-style retreat offers a peaceful and intimate environment for our residents. Private rooms with ensuite bathrooms, many featuring ocean and forest views, allow participants to begin each day immersed in the natural beauty of coastal British Columbia. At our center, we believe that personal growth and healing flourish in connection with others and with nature.
Our mission is to help individuals struggling with addiction and mental health challenges find their path to lasting recovery and a renewed sense of purpose. We specialize in individualized treatment programs addressing addiction, anxiety, depression and trauma using the most up-to-date evidence-based practices. Our multidisciplinary team maintains a high staff-to-participant ratio and creates personalized treatment plans to ensure that every participant receives focused interventions designed to support sustainable recovery.
Reporting to the Clinical Director, the Counsellor provides primary clinical services to clients, including individual therapy, group facilitation, assessment, treatment planning, and continuing care coordination. This role requires strong clinical presence, emotional attunement, and the ability to work within a highly collaborative, recovery-oriented environment. The Counsellor plays a central role in supporting psychological stabilization, trauma processing, emotional regulation, and relapse prevention while contributing to the overall integrity of the Therapeutic Community.
Role-Specific Accountabilities
Clinical Counselling & Therapeutic Intervention
- Provide individual psychotherapy using evidence-based and trauma-informed modalities (e.g., CBT, DBT, MI, EMDR, somatic and attachment-based approaches).
- Facilitate process-oriented and psychoeducational group therapy.
- Support clients in developing emotional regulation, insight, coping strategies, and recovery goals.
- Maintain strong therapeutic alliance grounded in safety, trust, dignity, and cultural humility.
- Integrate relapse prevention, stabilization, and identity-based recovery work.
Assessment, Case Formulation & Treatment Planning
- Conduct comprehensive biopsychosocial and trauma-informed assessments.
- Develop and update individualized treatment plans and continuing care plans.
- Participate in interdisciplinary case conferencing and clinical rounds.
- Contribute to risk assessment, safety planning, and crisis response.
- Utilize measurement-based care and clinical outcome monitoring where applicable.
Therapeutic Community & Interdisciplinary Collaboration
- Work collaboratively with Medical, Nursing, Psychiatry, Support, and Recreation teams.
- Support the Therapeutic Community model by reinforcing treatment norms, relational accountability, and emotional safety.
- Provide consultation and guidance to Support Workers regarding client emotional regulation and group dynamics.
- Contribute to clinical supervision, reflective practice, and program development.
Documentation, Ethics & Professional Standards
- Maintain timely, accurate, and clinically sound documentation (progress notes, assessments, discharge summaries, and care plans).
- Uphold professional ethical standards, confidentiality, and regulatory requirements.
- Engage in ongoing professional development, clinical supervision, and training.
- Practice in accordance with trauma-informed, culturally safe, and anti-oppressive principles
- Ability to meet the physical and emotional demands of working in a residential treatment environment.
Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology, Clinical Social Work, Psychology, or related field (preferred).
- Registered or eligible for registration with a recognized professional body (e.g., RCC, CCC, RSW, RP).
- Minimum of 2 years of clinical experience in mental health, addiction, and/or trauma treatment.
- Training and experience in evidence-based therapies (CBT, DBT, EMDR, MI, somatic approaches).
- Demonstrated competence in trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, and emotional regulation work.
- Strong understanding of attachment, developmental trauma, and substance use disorders.
- Ability to work effectively within an interdisciplinary residential treatment setting.
- Commitment to cultural humility and respect for Indigenous ways of knowing and healing.
- Excellent clinical judgment, boundaries, documentation, and communication skills.
Conditions of Employment
- Successfully complete and pass a Criminal Records Review Program record check.
- Proof of up-to-date immunizations in accordance with public health guidelines, including TB (Tuberculosis) screening.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $60,000.00-$93,000.00 per year
Application question(s):
- Do you have a Master's Degree in Counselling Psychology, Clinical Social Work, Psychology, or a related field?
- How many years of clinical experience in mental health, addiction, and/or trauma treatment do you have?
Work Location: In person
