The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is the largest school board in Eastern Ontario and offers students and parents a world of choice for learning. Our nearly 150 schools offer a wide range of programs to promote learning excellence and meet the individual needs of students, parents, and the community at large. Our schools are teaching communities where principals, vice-principals, teachers and support staff nurture student well-being and challenge students to achieve their best.

We are seeking creative, dynamic, committed educational leaders To Join The Following Initiative

Mental Health and Addictions Counsellor100% Regular (10 month work year)

$73,434 to $82,959

Learning Support Services, 133 Greenbank Road, Nepean

Under the supervision of the General Manager of Learning Support Services and the Program Manager of Social Work Services, the Mental Health and Addictions Counsellor provides individual, group and family support around substance use, behavioural addictions and related mental health issues. This position includes support across the continuum from prevention and early intervention to crisis management and ongoing support. This includes designing and facilitating psychoeducation workshops for students and families.

The Mental

Health and Addictions Counsellor will work to re-engage students struggling with dependency to facilitate a successful return to their educational pathways.

Candidate Profile

- Master’s degree in Social Work, Clinical Psychology, or a related field
- Minimum of three years of experience providing clinical services to youth, ideally in a school setting
- Proficient in addressing the complexities of concurrent disorders, including the interplay between mental health, substance use, and behavioural dependencies like gambling and technology.
- Superior knowledge base in community based addiction and mental health services.
- Strong cultural competency and the ability to work with diverse student populations.
- Exceptional communication skills for collaborating with administrators, parents/caregivers, educators,



multi-disciplinary team members and external agencies .

Major Responsibilities

- Delivers evidence-based clinical support both individual and group across the care continuum, including intake, assessment, and interventions (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy & Motivational Interviewing) for substance use, problematic technology use and related mental health issues which includes crisis interventions (Violence Threat Risk Assessment, suicide risk assessments, and human trafficking protocols).
- Identifies and supports students whose educational pathways have been disrupted by dependency, working to dismantle the barriers that hinder their progress and develops tailored re-integration plans to facilitate a successful return to school life
- Designs and facilitates psychoeducational workshops and harm-reduction presentations for students, staff, parents, and caregivers, focusing on emerging substance use trends, prevention strategies, and healthy technology habits.
- Serve as a primary clinical resource for families, offering crisis support, psychoeducation, and referrals to community-based treatment programs to ensure a holistic support system for students struggling with substance use and behavioural addictions.
- Cultivates and maintains strategic partnerships with community healthcare providers and coordinates closely with a multi-disciplinary team to provide integrated and wraparound support for students with substance related needs.

Additional Requirements

- Adverse physical and social conditions include: travel within Board jurisdiction in unpredictable weather conditions; lack of privacy; dealing with a variety of personalities and situations; dealing with people who may be demanding,



verbally abusive and/or violent; exposure, noise, communicable and infectious diseases; occasional overtime; access to a personal vehicle to travel to Board sites and valid Ontario Class G license is required.

Application Process The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board uses Applytoeducation (ATE) to manage applications for job competitions. OCDSB employees can apply to this job posting using their existing ATE account. Please ensure your resume is in the Board approved format before submitting your application. A copy of the template can be found on PSSP conference on GEM. External applicants will submit via applytoeducation.com by providing a cover letter and resume. Please clearly indicate on your resume your full time and/or part-time regular work experience with school aged children.

Applications will be considered in accordance with the terms of the Professional Student Support Personnel’s Collective Agreement and in accordance with Policy Equitable Recruitment, Hiring and Promotion.

Personal information gathered through the application process is collected under the authority of the Municipal Act, RSO 1980, c302 (as amended), and will be used to determine the qualification for employment with the OCDSB. Questions about this collection should be directed to the Manager, Employee Services, 133 Greenbank Road, Nepean, Ontario K2H 6L3.

OCDSB employees serve students, colleagues, families and community partners. We invite people of all abilities, orientations, faiths, ethnicities, races, genders and ages to join us as we create learning and working spaces that honour the unceded and unsurrendered land of the Algonquin people, and respect, value and increasingly reflect the diversity of Ottawa. Your lived experience is an essential contribution to deliver the education every student deserves with dignity.

If you require accommodations at any point in the selection process, please send an email to [email protected] at any time.

EDUCATING FOR SUCCESS - BUILDING BRIGHTER FUTURES TOGETHER

📌 Mental Health & Addictions Counsellor - 100% Regular - Learning Support Services (Nepean)
🏢 Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB)
📍 Nepean