Recreation Therapist, Adolescent Intensive Services

Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health•Halifax, NS

7d•CA$36 - CA$49•Onsite

About The Position

IWK Health is seeking a Recreation Therapist for the Adolescent Intensive Services (AIS) Trauma Day Stream within the Mental Health and Addictions program. This is a temporary, full-time, long-assignment position for one year, located in Halifax. The Recreation Therapist will work with adolescents and their families as part of an inter-disciplinary treatment team. AIS is a voluntary program for adolescents dealing with substance involvement, mental disorders, or concurrent mental health disorders. The role involves program development to enhance lifelong leisure skills, eliminate leisure barriers, and optimize client leisure involvement in partnership with families, therapists, and community groups. The therapist will promote leisure lifestyle development through individual, family, and group assessments and interventions. Responsibilities include assessing recreation and leisure needs, setting goals, designing and implementing interventions, documenting plans, and evaluating interventions within an interdisciplinary team approach.

Requirements

Baccalaureate degree in Recreation, Leisure Studies with an emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation.
Certified as a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCIRC).
Minimum two (2) years experience as a Recreation Therapist, required.
Experience working with adolescents in Mental Health and Addiction settings, preferred.
Experience working with adolescents of various ages and degrees of harmful involvement with substances and/or gambling and concurrent mental health diagnosis.
Demonstrated knowledge of best practices in leisure/recreation assessment and intervention for adolescents and families where an adolescent is, or is at risk of, harmful involvement with substances and/or gambling and often presents with a concurrent mental health diagnosis.
Knowledge of leisure education and leisure counselling process.
Effective counselling and communication skills (verbal/written).
Demonstrated ability to work as part of a collaborative, interdisciplinary team, as well as the ability to work independently.
Knowledge of various signs and symptoms of harmful involvement and the resulting impact on health, well-being and quality of life.
Excellent time management, organization and problem-solving skills; demonstrated ability to set priorities as required.
Demonstrated understanding of, and commitment to, family centred care.
Demonstrated ability to establish and promote interpersonal and community relationships.
Current successful completion of CPR-Level C Health Care Provider or Basic Life Support (BLS) course within the last 12 months required.
Valid Class 5 Nova Scotia driver’s license and ability to drive program vans.

Nice To Haves

Training and experience in Motivational Interviewing (MI) preferred.
Knowledge and experience working within a Harm Reduction Approach, Connect Model and Trauma Informed Practice preferred.
Competencies in other languages considered an asset.

Responsibilities

Actively involved in program development with the goal of enhancing the development of life-long leisure skills and attitudes.
Eliminating barriers to leisure, and optimizing the leisure involvement of adolescent clients in partnership with families, therapists and community groups.
Promote and enhance leisure lifestyle development for AIS clients through individual, family and group assessments and interventions.
Responsible for the assessment of an adolescent’s recreation and leisure needs.
Setting realistic goals with clients.
Designing and implementing appropriate interventions and plans.
Including appropriate documentation/recording of the plan.
Evaluating the interventions in an efficient manner.
These interventions are completed with the client and family within an interdisciplinary team approach.