Position Description

The University of Calgary Student Wellness Services, within Student and Enrolment Services, is seeking to fill a 2-year Contingent Term Counsellor (Instructor) position to provide individual and group counselling to University of Calgary Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) students.

Student Wellness Services is the collaboration of Student Health, Mental Health Services and Health Promotion. We support UCalgary by providing integrated and expanded health and wellness services promoting the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of students within a supportive community. Mental Health Services' (MHS) mission is to support student mental health by providing culturally inclusive direct care and support that is responsive to the needs of students. Counselling Services uses a brief counselling model, with an emphasis on single session counselling.

UCVM is dedicated to meeting the animal and public health needs of Alberta through its education, research and outreach programs. We offer the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program, supervision leading to graduate degrees (MSc, PhD) in Veterinary Medical Sciences, and advanced clinical training programs (internships, fellowships, and residencies).

This Academic position reports to the Associate Director (Counselling). The Counsellor provides individual and group counselling to UCVM students to meet their personal, career and academic counselling needs. The Counsellor must work effectively with a diverse inter-professional Wellness Services team and must build relationships with a diverse community of students, faculty, other Student and Enrolment Services units and external stakeholders. The Counsellor must also work closely with UCVM, aligning mental health services with the needs of the Faculty. This Academic position is required to contribute scholarly professional knowledge through publication and presentations and maintain competency through scholarly activity and professional development.

Qualifications:

• Graduate Degree in Counselling Psychology, Clinical Psychology or Social Work (Clinical).
• Professional designation as a Registered Psychologist or Registered Social Worker in Alberta is a requirement.
• 3-5 years related counselling experience preferred
• Demonstrated ability to work with diverse groups of people using an intersectional lens.
• Highly developed oral, written and presentation skills.
• Knowledge and understanding of Veterinary Medicine context is preferred.
• Experience in providing single session counselling and/or working with a post-secondary population would be an asset. Knowledge of working within a brief counselling model required.

Duties and Responsibilities:
Note: Evening and weekend hours will be required to meet needs of UCVM students.

Teaching/Counselling:

• Provide individual and group counselling for UCVM students. Demonstrate range, depth and flexibility in responding to client needs for preventative, developmental or therapeutic counselling. Issues might include educational, vocational, personal, interpersonal and social concerns.
• Function as an independent, responsible professional in accordance with professional codes of ethics.  Consult and collaborate with Student Wellness Services and UCVM staff and faculty/staff on campus within an inter-professional model.
• Respond to urgent mental health situations, as appropriate.
• In collaboration with Student Support Advisors, provide information to UCVM students to facilitate the appropriate use of on-campus and off-campus resources.
• Show diplomacy and good judgment in interpreting various aspects of university policy and procedures to clients, members of the campus community and the general public. 
• Respond to requests by members of the UCVM community for participation in specialized educational activities (e.g. workshops, seminars).

Scholarship:

• Participate in continuing professional education, as required by the scientist/practitioner model and professional code of ethics, particularly as it relates to supporting UCVM students' mental health
• Engage in program development to support UCVM student well-being.
• Contribute to the profession through publication and conference presentations.

Service:

• Contribute to Student Wellness Services, Student Enrolment Services, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, the University and community at large as an active member of committees/task forces or other service-related activities.

The emphasis/weightings of duties and responsibilities of individual Counsellors (Instructor) are set at 80% Teaching/Counselling, 10% Scholarship, 10% Service.

Start Date of Appointment: 
Appointment will start at a mutually agreed upon date. 

Salary and Benefits:
Commensurate with qualifications and experience, at the Counsellor (Instructor) level.
For salary and benefits information, please refer to Schedule A of the Collective Agreement at: www.ucalgary.ca/hr/tucfa-ca

Application Procedure:
Interested individuals should submit an application online via the 'Apply Now' button and must include:

1. curriculum vitae,
2. a statement of counselling and scholarly interests, along with
3. the names of three referees.

Review of applications will begin April 30, 2022 and will continue until suitable candidates are selected. 

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy in line with the foundational goals of Eyes High, committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion ([email protected]) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources ([email protected]).

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. In this connection, at the time of your application, please answer the following question: Are you a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada? (Yes/No)

Additional Information

To view a listing of all available academic opportunities and to find out more about what the University of Calgary has to offer, please visit our Academic Careers website.

The University strongly recommends all faculty and staff are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

About the University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is Canada’s leading next-generation university – a living, growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nation’s most enterprising city, the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery, creativity and innovation across all disciplines. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

About Calgary, Alberta

Calgary is one of the world's cleanest cities and has been named one of the world's most livable cities for years. Calgary is a city of leaders - in business, community, philanthropy and volunteerism. Calgarians benefit from a growing number of world-class dining and cultural events and enjoy more days of sunshine per year than any other major Canadian city. Calgary is less than an hour's drive from the majestic Rocky Mountains and boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America.