Peer Helper Jobs in Toronto, ON (NOW HIRING)

Why join CMHA Peel Dufferin?

Support your community. Advance your career. Fulfill your purpose.

Joiningthe Canadian Mental Health Association - Peel Dufferin Branch means you'll be part of something meaningful. For starters, we're honored to have received the Canadian Non-Profit Employer of Choice Award for our efforts to help people live better. Providing support and services to those who live with mental illness and addictions, we're committed to increasing awareness and addressing the stigma surrounding mental health. That's why we've made it a priority to create a diverse organization that represents the communities we serve - and the people we help.

What We Offer

As a community-based agency, we're dedicated to the mental, physical, and social health of everyone - including our team members. That's why we're proud to offer a total rewards package that helps our team members balance their professional and home life. You'll also be empowered to keep learning new skills and reaching your goals - from developing a career growth plan to participating in training sessions.

In addition to competitive benefits like Employee Family Assistance Plan and optional extended health and dental benefits, we offer our team members some unique perks that really stand out:

• 4 weeks accrued vacation
• Up to 18 sick days accrued per year
• HOOPP Pension Plan enrollment
• Ongoing professional development plus $250 annual funding for continuing education and certifications
• $350 annual allowance to invest in achieving your personal wellness goals
• Mileage reimbursement for work-related travel

We're looking for a full-time Peer Support Worker to join our team!

As part of the Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) team, the Peer Support Worker will provide responsive integrated care to individuals seeking treatment for substance use/concurrent disorders and collaborate on treatment plans and clinical case presentations.

Status: Permanent full-time position, 37.5 hours per week, some evenings and weekends required. Note, this posting is for an active vacancy.
Salary: $62,425.03 - $73,441.21 annually. (Candidate qualifications will be considered when determining the starting salary)
Location: This position is based out of 60 West Drive office and there will be the need to travel throughout the region to attend to clinics. Although we operate within a hybrid workplace model, staff are required to have on-site and/or community presence as per program/client needs.

What you will do

• Provide short-term mental health and addictions consultation as follows:
• Assist in providing responsive integrated care to individuals seeking treatment for substance use disorders
• Collaborate on treatment plans and bi-weekly for clinical case presentations
• Orientate new clients to the program
• Establish a supportive, ongoing relationship with clients and their support systems
• Listen and allow client to talk and share thoughts and feelings
• Normalize the experience and acknowledge thoughts and feelings
• Provide information, as appropriate to issues disclosed, about stress reaction or post-traumatic stress
• Identify stress management techniques and information on self-care
• Encourage and facilitate, as appropriate, safety reporting where necessary
• Develop a Wellness Plan with each client and their supports which will support and maintain client wellness
• Contribute to comprehensive assessments with clients and their supports which identifies client strengths and needs
• Establish and implement Recovery Plans to guide the mutual work towards client recovery
• Provide on-going supportive counselling, life skills coaching, pre-vocational/vocational coaching and appropriate referrals that will enable clients to achieve their goals
• Consult, advocate and liaise with community resources and agencies to assist clients in achieving their goals
  

This posting description indicates the key responsibilities and core functions of the position. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities.

What you need to join our team

• Degree/Diploma in Social Services or relevant discipline
• Lived experience with substance use and mental health and established recovery, as well as a willingness to share experience is required
• Peer certification is an asset
• Minimum 2 years of experience working with vulnerable populations (i.e. mental illness, addiction, trauma)
• Wellness and Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) training is an asset
• Experience facilitating and creating peer support groups is an asset

• Ability to connect and engage with clients who are experiencing mental illness/addiction challenges
• Knowledgeable about trauma informed approaches to care
• Demonstrated diversity and cultural competence; demonstrated understanding of the impact of oppression and social determinants of health
• Familiarity and knowledge of all programs offered by CMHA Peel, partnering agencies, and outside referral sources
• Well-developed and demonstrated knowledge of mental health, mental illness, stress management, anti-stigma, workplace wellness, mental health system issues and health promotion principles (Knowledge of concurrent disorder, addictions, and dual diagnosis would be an asset)

• Strong interpersonal skills with proven ability to approach, listen, build trust, and communicate across diverse cultures and intersectionality. Willingness to continually improve understanding around cultural competence
• Openness to operate from an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, 2SLGBTQ+ affirming and intersectional framework
• Willingness to learn and apply practical understanding of different elements of diversity, such as gender identity/expression, race/cultural background, religion, sexual orientation, disability, immigration and precarious status, family status, etc.
• Fluency in a second language, including ASL (American Sign Language) is considered an asset
• Valid Canadian driver's license and access to an insured automobile in good repair
• A satisfactory Vulnerable Sector Screening (Police Check) report

Deadline to Apply: Open until Filled

At the Canadian Mental Health Association - Peel Dufferin Branch, we provide a wide array of community services, resources, and care for people with mental illness. In your role, you'll not only assist people who are struggling, you'll help them return to good health and reintegrate into the community. In everything we do, we work together to make the world a better place - one person at a time.

Apply Now and EMPOWER your career!

CMHA Peel Dufferin strives to be an equitable employer. We are committed to supporting inclusive recruitment and selection processes, work environments and a qualified workforce reflective of the diverse populations we serve. We acknowledge that removing existing barriers and preventing new barriers is required to foster dignity and independence for people of all ages, genders, cultures, and abilities. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including but not limited to, First Nations, Inuit, Metis, and Urban Indigenous (FNIMUI) populations, ethno-racial communities, people with disabilities, *2SLGBTQIA+ communities, women and gender diverse people, low-income communities, those with a personal lived or living experience navigating mental health, substance use and/or addiction challenges and personal recovery and all equity-deserving groups.

*2SLGBTQIA+ (Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and a range of gender and sexual diversity categories not listed).

Accessibility Statement

When contacted by CMHA Peel Dufferin for a career opportunity, please advise the People and Culture Department of any accommodation needs that may make your experience through the recruitment process more comfortable. We are committed to working with you to meet these needs by providing reasonable accommodations, ensuring you have access to a fair and equitable process. We are continuously working to improve our accessibility practices and welcome any feedback or suggestions on how we can better accommodate candidates with accessibility needs. Should you have feedback, please email us atHRrecords@cmhapeel.ca

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Recruitment
To streamline our recruitment process, we utilize an applicant tracking system (ATS) to manage and organize applications. While the ATS aids in efficiency, the essential review and evaluation of candidates is carried out by members of our People and Culture team. This approach ensures a personalized assessment that allows us to gain a comprehensive view of a candidate's experience, skills and potential. AI is not used to make any decisions in our recruitment process.

Next Steps

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.We retain all applications submitted for one (1) year after the closing date of the posting for consideration in future career opportunities.