Employment Opportunity: Trauma Therapist (Full-time, Permanent based on funding)

About Leeside Society

Leeside Society operates a 15-bed domestic violence shelter for women and their children located within the Town of Port Hawkesbury. Leeside is a member of the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia.

We offer a 24/7 crisis support line, a women’s outreach drop-in resource center, supportive counselling, and assistance navigating various systems such as legal and social services. We provide outreach support in rural communities within Inverness and Richmond Counties. Leeside values promote safety within all relationships.

Leeside aims to increase public awareness and educate the public about domestic violence and sexualized violence. We aim to be community educators about healthy relationships, stress management and self-care, recognizing power and coercive control, maintaining healthy boundaries, transforming shame and guilt, and honoring your personal truth.

About the Role

Trauma Therapists provide individual and group therapeutic counselling services to individuals of all gender identities, aged 15 years and up, who have experienced sexualized and gender-based violence. Therapy services are offered in-person, via phone, and online.

Responsibilities

Direct Counselling Related Duties

- Provide individual trauma therapy counselling sessions for clients in all stages of our work
- Co-facilitate group-based trauma therapy sessions when available and as scheduled
- Provide supportive and information-based sessions to non-offending parents and partners
- Participate in regular individual supervision and team peer consultation sessions

Administrative Duties




- Record and maintain up-to-date formal client records in accordance with professional college requirements
- Enter and maintain updated client profiles and client session statistics on Jane app
- Ensure inactive client files are closed in a timely manner
- Assist with maintaining intake and waitlists as needed

Professional Liaising and Training
- Collaborate with internal and external community partners to ensure smooth referrals and client bridging between programs
- Network and strengthen professional relationships and referrals with key external organizations
- Ensure therapy skills remain updated in accordance with professional College requirements
- Ensure ongoing training around trauma-informed and culturally relevant best practices
- Provide occasional community-based training and presentations when time and resources allow

Additional Duties
- Contribute to organizational culture by attending team meetings, serving on committees or working groups, providing input and feedback on new policies and procedures, and/or participating in community events as appropriate.
- Supervise placement students as appropriate.
- Other duties as required.

Qualifications

Education and Experience Requirement

- Registered Counselling Therpasit, Counselling Psychotherapy, or Psychology and registered with associated regulatory body (NSCSW, NSCCT)




- 3+ overall years of experience in providing individual counselling, crisis support, and advocacy
- Experience working with diverse and marginalized populations is essential
- 1+ years of post-graduate specialized experience related to sexual assault/abuse with a focus on therapeutic counselling considered an asset
- Advanced training, knowledge, and skills in working with complex relational trauma and dissociation considered an asset
- Solid knowledge of local community organizations and systems to facilitate referrals, collaboration, and networking is preferred

Additional Competency Requirements
- Ability to engage and remain present with people who are highly activated in crisis states
- Knowledge of the intersectional dimension of systemic inequalities, including but not limited to racism, colonialism, sexism/misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, classism/poverty, ableism, ageism, etc.

Psychological Demands
- Working with clients who are at different stages of emotional healing and recovery
- Assisting and supporting clients experiencing extreme crisis states
- Manage a full-time caseload of clients who have experienced sexual assault/abuse
- Exposure to systems causing re-traumatization and secondary harm
- Vicarious trauma impacts due to the inherent risk associated with providing direct services to individuals who have experienced sexualized violence

Working Conditions ● Competive benefits package.

To Apply

Please send your resume and cover letter in one file to email resume to; [email protected]. The deadline to apply is Thursday September 17th

Expected hours: 40.0 per week

Work Location: In person

📌 Trauma Therapist (Port Hawkesbury)
🏢 Leeside Society
📍 Port Hawkesbury