HAMILTON URBAN CORE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE

Strong Core Healthier Lives

Job Type: Temporary (0.24 FTE) Part-Time (18 Month Contract with the Possibility of Extension)

Position Type: On-Site

Benefits: 4% in lieu of Vacation and Benefits

Position Summary The Psychologist – Substance Use Health provides psychological services across the HART Hub continuum of care.

The Psychologist will provide assessment, consultation, treatment and therapeutic intervention to HART Hub clients receiving community-based services at Hamilton Urban Core’s main site, as well as residents participating in the HART Hub Residential Treatment & Recovery Program.

Working as part of an interdisciplinary team, the Psychologist will support individuals experiencing substance-use concerns, concurrent mental health challenges, trauma, housing instability and other complex health and social needs. The role will provide both individual and group-based psychological interventions, contribute to treatment and recovery planning, provide consultation to staff, support transitions across levels of care, and strengthen psychologically informed practice across the HART Hub.

The Psychologist will use evidence-informed, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, recovery-oriented and person-centred approaches that promote psychological safety, dignity, stability and sustained recovery.

The Psychologist contributes psychological expertise throughout the HART Hub’s five-stage recovery pathway:

Engagement → Contemplation → Preparation → Community Residential Treatment → Therapeutic

Recovery Maintenance The Psychologist supports clients at different stages of readiness and recovery, including individuals receiving community-based HART Hub services, clients preparing for residential treatment, residents participating in the structured 12-week residential treatment program and individuals transitioning back to community-based recovery supports. Through integrated psychological assessment, treatment, consultation and care coordination, the Psychologist plays an important role in ensuring that mental health and psychological needs are addressed throughout the recovery journey.

Accountability The Psychologist – Substance Use Health reports to the Substance Use Health Manager, with overall accountability to the Executive Director.

Key Responsibilities

Psychological Assessment & Clinical Formulation:

- Conduct psychological and clinical assessments to identify mental health, emotional, behavioural and recovery-related needs.
- Assess mental health symptoms, trauma-related concerns, emotional functioning, behavioural patterns, psychological barriers to recovery and factors affecting treatment participation.
- Identify client strengths, protective factors, risks and priority treatment needs.
- Provide short-term, goal-focused psychological interventions appropriate to the client’s needs, readiness and stage of recovery.
- Provide individual psychological counselling and therapy.
- Support clients experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma-related symptoms, grief, shame, emotional dysregulation, interpersonal difficulties and other concurrent mental health concerns.
- Assist clients to develop effective strategies for managing stress, cravings, triggers, conflict, distress and other high-risk situations without returning to substance use.
- Conduct suicide, self-harm, harm-to-others and other psychological risk assessments and contribute to safety planning and appropriate escalation of care.
- Identify when a client requires specialized psychiatric, psychological or community mental health services and facilitate appropriate referrals.
- Support continuity of psychological care as clients transition between community-based services, withdrawal management, residential treatment and ongoing recovery supports.

Group-Based Treatment and Therapeutic Programming

- Facilitate and co-facilitate evidence-informed therapeutic groups within the HART Hub.
- Deliver structured psychological and recovery-focused programming addressing areas such as emotional regulation; coping with life without substances; trauma and recovery; anxiety and mood management; healthy relationships and interpersonal effectiveness; shame, self-worth and self-compassion; stress management; relapse prevention; resilience and psychological wellness.
- Incorporate evidence-informed approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy skills, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Motivational Interviewing and trauma-informed interventions.
- Adapt group content and delivery to client literacy, cognitive, cultural, developmental and psychosocial needs.
- Support clients in applying psychological skills within daily routines, interpersonal relationships and recovery planning.
- Reinforce learning across both structured treatment sessions and the broader therapeutic community setting.

Treatment Planning and Care Coordination

- Participate in interdisciplinary case conferences, clinical rounds and treatment-planning meetings.
- Contribute psychological expertise to individualized care, treatment and recovery plans.
- Provide recommendations related to treatment engagement, readiness, behavioural concerns, psychological barriers and recovery goals.
- Collaborate with physicians,



nurse practitioners, nurses, counsellors, case managers, outreach workers, residential staff and other interdisciplinary team members.
- Support coordinated transitions between HART Hub services, withdrawal management, residential treatment, community-based treatment and therapeutic recovery maintenance.
- Participate in discharge and continuing-care planning to support sustained recovery and continuity of mental health care.
- Assist with treatment readiness and preparation for clients entering residential treatment.
- Support clients transitioning from residential treatment back to community-based services and ongoing recovery supports.

Clinical Consultation and Staff Support

- Provide psychological consultation to interdisciplinary team members regarding complex clinical presentations.
- Support staff in understanding client behaviours through trauma-informed, recovery-oriented and psychologically informed perspectives.
- Provide guidance regarding effective approaches for clients experiencing emotional dysregulation, trauma responses, interpersonal conflict, treatment resistance or other complex behavioural presentations.
- Support consistent therapeutic approaches, boundaries and communication across the HART Hub.
- Participate in clinical debriefing following significant or critical incidents where appropriate.
- Provide consultation regarding risk, treatment engagement, therapeutic interventions and behavioural management.
- Support staff in identifying when additional psychological, psychiatric or mental health intervention may be required.

Staff Education and Capacity Building

- Provide education and professional-development support to HART Hub staff in areas related to mental health, trauma, substance use and concurrent disorders.
- Support staff development in trauma-informed care, psychological safety, emotional regulation, therapeutic communication and recovery-oriented practice.
- Contribute to the development of clinical resources, treatment tools, protocols and psychologically informed programming.
- Share evidence-informed practices and emerging research relevant to substance-use treatment and mental health care.
- Support consistent application of evidence-informed and psychologically safe approaches across HART Hub services.

Therapeutic Community and Recovery-Oriented Practice

- Support the principles of the therapeutic-community model, recognizing that treatment occurs through formal programming as well as daily routines, responsibilities, relationships and community participation.
- Assist clients and residents in applying therapeutic skills to real-life interactions and challenges.
- Promote accountability, respectful communication, healthy boundaries, emotional regulation and constructive conflict resolution.
- Support residents in strengthening recovery skills within the structured residential environment.
- Promote client autonomy, self-efficacy, resilience and meaningful participation in recovery planning.
- Encourage recovery-oriented approaches that recognize individual strengths, goals, preferences and stages of readiness for change.

Culturally Responsive and Equity-Oriented Care

- Provide care that recognizes the impact of racism, stigma, discrimination, poverty, homelessness, trauma and other social determinants of health on psychological wellbeing and substance use.
- Provide culturally safe and responsive psychological services to diverse and equity-deserving populations.
- Recognize and address stigma experienced by people who use substances.
- Incorporate client culture, identity, lived experience, values, strengths and preferences into psychological care.
- Promote dignity, respect, autonomy, inclusion and equitable access to psychological services.
- Support approaches that are anti-racist, anti-oppressive, trauma-informed and culturally responsive.

Documentation, Quality Improvement and Professional Practice

- Complete timely, accurate and confidential clinical documentation.
- Document assessments, interventions, treatment recommendations, consultations, risk assessments and follow-up plans.
- Maintain professional standards related to consent, confidentiality, privacy and record keeping.
- Practice within professional scope, ethical requirements and applicable regulatory standards.
- Participate in program evaluation, quality-improvement and outcome-measurement activities.
- Contribute to the development and refinement of clinical pathways, psychological services and treatment protocols.
- Participate in organizational and program meetings as required.
- Maintain current knowledge of evidence and emerging best practices related to substance use, trauma, concurrent disorders and recovery-oriented care.

Performance Targets

TBD

Qualifications

- Doctoral degree in Psychology (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) from an accredited institution.




- Registered and in valuable standing with the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO) in the appropriate area(s) of practice.
- Authorized to provide psychological services to the population relevant to the position.
- Demonstrated experience working with adults experiencing substance-use concerns and concurrent mental health conditions.
- Experience conducting psychological assessment, treatment planning and evidence-informed psychological intervention.
- Experience providing individual and group-based psychological treatment.
- Demonstrated knowledge of substance use, addiction, trauma, concurrent disorders and recovery-oriented care.
- Demonstrated competency in evidence-informed approaches such as CBT, DBT, ACT, Motivational Interviewing and trauma-informed practice.
- Demonstrated ability to assess and respond to suicide, self-harm and other psychological risks.
- Strong clinical judgement, communication, consultation and interpersonal skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively within an interdisciplinary healthcare environment.
- Commitment to health equity, cultural safety, anti-racism, anti-oppression and person-centred care.

Preferred

- Experience within community health, addiction medicine, mental health, residential treatment, withdrawal management or concurrent-disorders settings.
- Experience working across both community-based and residential treatment environments.
- Experience supporting individuals experiencing homelessness, housing instability, poverty or other complex social circumstances.
- Experience working with Black, Indigenous, racialized, newcomer, refugee, 2SLGBTQIA+ and other equity-deserving populations.
- Experience providing clinical consultation, education or capacity-building to interdisciplinary teams.
- Knowledge of Hamilton’s mental health, addictions, housing and social-service systems.

Core Competencies The successful candidate will demonstrate:

- Psychological assessment and clinical judgement
- Recovery-oriented practice
- Trauma-informed care
- Concurrent-disorders competency
- Therapeutic relationship building
- Risk assessment and safety planning
- Group facilitation
- Interdisciplinary collaboration
- Cultural humility and responsiveness
- Health-equity orientation
- Professional accountability and ethical practice
- Effective communication
- Sound decision-making
- Adaptability
- Respect for client dignity, autonomy and confidentiality
- Commitment to continuous quality improvement
- Working Conditions
- Part-time position providing services across Hamilton Urban Core’s HART Hub continuum of care.
- Work will be provided at both the main community health centre site and the HART Hub Residential Treatment & Recovery Program.
- Some flexibility may be required to participate in clinical meetings, therapeutic groups and case conferences.
- The role involves working with individuals experiencing complex substance-use, mental health, trauma and social needs.
- The Psychologist must be comfortable working within both community-based and structured residential treatment environments.

Professional Practice:

- The Psychologist is responsible for maintaining professional competence and practicing within the scope of registration, applicable legislation, regulatory standards, organizational policies, and ethical requirements.
- The Psychologist will maintain appropriate qualified boundaries and participate in ongoing professional development, clinical consultation, supervision, and reflective practice as required.

Core Practice Philosophy:

- The program is grounded in the principles of: Trauma-Informed Care | Recovery-Oriented Practice | Person-Centred Care | Harm Reduction | Motivational Interviewing | Evidence-Informed Practice | Cultural Safety | Equity, Anti-Racism & Anti-Oppression | Interdisciplinary Collaboration | Resident Voice & Choice.

Success in the Role:

- Build trusting therapeutic relationships with residents.
- Provide high-quality, evidence-informed psychological care.
- Integrate mental health and substance use treatment.
- Support residents through stabilization, treatment, recovery, and transition to community.
- Contribute meaningfully to interdisciplinary clinical decision-making.
- Identify and respond appropriately to clinical risk.
- Promote resident autonomy, dignity, hope, and self-determined recovery.
- Strengthen continuity between residential treatment and community-based services.
- Contribute to a protected, equitable, inclusive, and recovery-oriented treatment environment.

Pay: $30,716.88 per year

Perks

- Company events
- Company pension
- Employee assistance program
- Mileage reimbursement
- On-site parking

Application question(s):
- Do you have a • Doctoral degree in Psychology (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) from an accredited institution?
- Are you registered and in good standing with the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO) in the appropriate area(s) of practice?
- Do you have experience conducting psychological assessment, treatment planning and evidence-informed psychological intervention?
- Can you describe how you have used evidence-informed approaches such as CBT, DBT, ACT, Motivational Interviewing, and trauma-informed practice when working with clients? Please provide an example.

Work Location: In person

📌 Psychologist - Substance Use Health (0.24 FTE) (Canada)
🏢 Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre
📍 Canada