Mental Health Therapist Provincial-Addiction & Mental Health Helpline

This position will be part of Primary Care Alberta effective November 18, 2024. By applying on this posting, if you are the successful candidate, you agree to and will become an employee of Primary Care Alberta. The AHS Addiction and Mental Health Helpline, operated by Health Link, is a province-wide, 24/7 service for Albertans seeking addiction and mental health support. Reporting to the Clinical Manager and with the support of the Clinical Supervisors, the Mental Health Therapist is accountable for tele-triage of addiction and mental health calls and responds to callers by providing information, supportive listening/clinical intervention, psychoeducation, triage/assessment, referrals, and connecting callers with urgent or emergency services as needed. You will receive calls from the public, address the needs at hand, provide appropriate information or referral, and triage urgent situations. You are required to respond to callers in crisis, quickly assess risk and de-escalate active suicidal behaviour, other risk of violence, or substance-related crises. You must be comfortable providing brief intervention and advice over the phone, largely independently. You will also participate in supporting on-shift colleagues and debriefing with colleagues and Clinical Supervisors. Additional responsibilities include participation in shift exchange process, clinical supervision and quality assurance activities, evaluation and quality improvement activities, and other administrative duties. AHS is Canada’s first and largest province-wide, fully integrated health system, and has been named among Canada’s Top 100 Employers, Alberta’s Top 75 Employers and a top employer for young people and diversity. Imagine a supportive employer, endless opportunities for professional development, and comprehensive benefits, including health and dental, you and your family can truly thrive.

As the Mental Health Therapist, you will be required to use a variety of treatment modalities (individual, family, and group) to persons experiencing significant mental health difficulties. Working both independently and as a member of a collaborative multidisciplinary team, you will provide evidence informed and best practices in crisis intervention, assessment, consultation, referral, case management and treatment.

Master's degree in Psychology; or master's degree in Social Work (clinical specialization) including education in mental health assessment and psychotherapy; or master's or bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy including training and experience in mental health assessment and provision of psychotherapy; or master's degree in Nursing or Psychiatric Nursing including training and experience in mental health assessment and provision of psychotherapy. Active or eligible for registration with the applicable Alberta regulatory college.

Active registration for those eligible under the Health Professions Act. Minimum of 3-5 years’ experience providing frontline Addiction and Mental Health services in a variety of healthcare settings (e.g., urgent, acute, community). An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered, including advanced education in Addiction Counselling. Ability to manage a wide variety of clinical situations with varying levels of acuity and a heterogeneous caller population. Strong knowledge of mental health and substance use concerns across populations, including areas of high risk such as substance withdrawal, suicidality, and/or violent behaviour. Competency in concurrent capable practice within addiction and mental health. Advanced computer skills essential, including working knowledge of the following: Office 365 applications; Genesys (computer-based phone software); EchoAccess (teletriage clinical assessment software and protocols). Ability to learn and utilize multiple electronic platforms concurrently. Strong working knowledge of the addiction and mental health system across the province and the ability to locate resources that may be useful for callers based on clinical judgement. Advanced skills in assessment and intervention for individuals of all ages with addiction and mental health concerns, including skill and experience in crisis intervention and teletriage assessment. Customer Service focus.

Psychological First Aid (PFA) training preferred. Previous contact centre experience is an asset.