Occupational Therapist - Downtown West Clinic-camh

The Clinical Care Program is seeking a full time, permanent Occupational Therapist to work in the Downtown West Outpatient Services as part of the Alternate Level of Care (ALC) Interdisciplinary Transition Team. This team is part of the Toronto Central LHIN’s support for the discharge of high needs clients, who have been designated as being in need of an Alternate Level of Care (ALC) into high support housing. The objective is to address gaps across the continuum of care for individuals with mental health and addictions and to support flow of patients from hospital to appropriate community settings. The aim is to ensure clients are receiving the right care, at the right place, at the right time. The initiative will benefit all sectors and will focus on reducing the percentage of clients within this population group who are ALC for 40 days or longer, reducing repeat ED visits and increasing the level of specialized supports for this population. Specifically, the project aims to:

Reporting to the Program Manager, you will be responsible for coordinating a client caseload. You will assist clients in their rehabilitation, and help them to maintain their highest level of functioning in the community. Using a new evidence based intervention, clients are provided with specialized psychiatric and discipline specific assessment along with intensive care using Cognitive Adaptation Training principles. You will be required to formulate treatment plans, monitor client response to therapeutic intervention, and communicate with clients’ social and community networks. You will assess, plan, organize and implement occupational therapy programs as part of an interprofessional team. You will liaise with other services in the Complex Care and Recovery Program and the community to coordinate care and you will refer and link clients to appropriate services and resources. You will be able to work with clients from diverse populations; contribute to program development; provide education support and supervision to students, and participate in the research activities of the program. Your skills include the ability to work with the clients requiring alternative level of care (ALC), make behavioral observations, mental status assessments, physical/functional mobility assessments, psychosocial interventions, documentation and ongoing communication with other team members. You will have sound knowledge of emergency psychiatry, crisis intervention, addiction issues and severe and persistent mental illness. You will support a workplace that embraces diversity, encourages teamwork and complies with all applicable and regulatory requirements. It is an expectation of the position that services will be primarily provided in the community. This position will consist of regular work hours Monday to Friday, with the expectation of some weekend and evening hour’s rotation. This position is located at 10 White Squirrel Way

You must be registered and in good standing with the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO). You must possess a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy (or a Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy plus a Master’s degree in OT, Rehab Sciences or a related field), combined with three years of experience working with individuals who have a serious mental illness. You must also have membership in either the Ontario Society of Occupational Therapy and/or Canadian Association of Occupational Therapy and be a holder of COTO’s pre-requisite Professional Liability Insurance. You also must be eligible for adjunct/status-only appointments with university faculties associated with Occupational Therapy that has affiliation agreements with CAMH. Experience with physical functional mobility assessment and intervention is also required. You will have experience and training specific to working with concurrent disorders. You will possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills to enable you to develop a professional therapeutic relationship with clients and work within a collaborative and diverse inter-professional team. Preference will be given to those candidates with community experience, and a solid understanding of recovery principles and their application to client service. Knowledge of emergency psychiatry and crisis intervention principles and theory are required. The ability to work with clients of diverse ethnoracial and cultural backgrounds is required. Bilingualism (French/English) or proficiency in a second language would be an asset. Weekend and evening shifts will be required.