Psychotherapist

                                                                                                  Career Opportunity

Job Title:                      Psychotherapist
Classification:             Therapist
Department:                Primary Health Care and Regional Programs, ONHC

Job Type:                     Term 0.5 FTE (17.5hs/week)

Location:                      219 Argyle Avenue
Reporting to:                Manager, Ottawa Newcomer Health Centre

Compensation:            $37.13 to $43.77  plus Benefits Package 

Deadline to apply:         February 15, 2026 by 5:00pm or until suitable candidate is found

Apply to:                           https://swchc.bamboohr.com/careers/751 

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About Us

We are Somerset West Community Health Centre (SWCHC), a non-profit, community-governed organization that serves over 18,000 clients annually. Established in 1978, SWCHC provides a wide range of health care services such as primary health care, health promotion, community development, mental health, and harm reduction. We are deeply connected to the communities we serve and committed to removing barriers to accessing services for people who experience vulnerabilities because of their age, income, ability, sexual orientation or gender identity, and language or culture.

SWCHC strives to ensure that our team reflects the communities we serve. We work within an anti-racist, anti-oppressive framework that acknowledges the existence and impacts of systemic racism and seeks to ensure that systems are fair and equitable for everyone.

What the Program Entails

The Ottawa Newcomer Health Centre (ONHC) is a proud program of the Somerset West Community Health Centre that provide healthcare, offers timely, coordinated and culturally appropriate health and social services to newcomers. Our approach to care is through a health equity lens with a focus on addressing the social determinants of health to improve the lives and wellbeing of our clients.

What You’ll Do

Reporting to the Manager of the Ottawa Newcomer Health Centre, the Psychotherapist
provides therapeutic counselling, group facilitation, client care, and advocacy for individuals and families experiencing mental health challenges. The role involves conducting comprehensive psychotherapy assessments, delivering trauma-informed and evidence-based interventions, and using culturally responsive approaches when working with refugee and immigrant populations. Using theoretically informed, strengths-based, and culturally sensitive treatment modalities, the Psychotherapist supports clients presenting with a wide range of concerns related to pre- and post-migration experiences, including trauma, grief, loss, and complex mental health needs. This role includes both on-site and community-based work and requires close collaboration with an interdisciplinary team to support clients throughout their mental health journey.

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What We’re Looking For

◈ Your Education Path

• Master’s-level clinical degree in Counselling, Social Work, Psychology, psychotherapy Education (M.Ed.), or a related field.


• Registration and good standing with one of the following:
  
  
  
  • College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO)
  
  
  • Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA – CCC)
  
  
  • Ontario Association of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometrists and Psychotherapists (OACCPP)
  
  
  
  

◈ Life and Work Experience

• Minimum 3–5 years of counselling experience in a community-based setting, with a focus on psychotherapy, crisis intervention, and mental health.


• At least 3 years’ experience working with marginalized and diverse populations, particularly refugees and immigrants.


• Experience providing outreach services in community settings.


• Experience facilitating psycho-educational and therapeutic groups.


• Experience working with individuals facing multiple and complex challenges, including physical and mental health concerns.


• Demonstrated experience providing advocacy for individuals facing systemic barriers.
  

 ◈ Required Language

• Fluency in English is required.


• Fluency in Arabic and French is highly desirable.


• Proficiency in additional languages is considered a strong asset.
  

What You Bring to the Table

• Strong understanding of short- and long-term, strengths-based counselling approaches in a community health context.


• Commitment to evidence-based practice and reflective clinical practice.


• Clinical expertise in one or more of the following: brief counselling, narrative therapy, solution-focused therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based approaches, and trauma-informed interventions.


• Experience with crisis intervention, safety planning, suicide risk assessment, and prevention.


• Ability to provide individual, family, and couples counselling in brief-therapy models.


• Client-centred, empowering, and culturally responsive practice approach.


• Ability to collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary teams, including settlement workers, healthcare providers, and allied health professionals.


• Demonstrated experience working with newcomers affected by war-related trauma, grief and loss, addictions, family violence, poverty, and chronic stress.


• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.


• Strong commitment to anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice.


• Maintain accurate, timely, and confidential client records.


• Proven advocacy skills to support client access to services.


• Valid CPR and First Aid certification.
  

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Your Day-to-Day at a Glance

As our Psychotherapist, you will:

• Provide in-depth individual, family, and couples psychotherapy for clients presenting with PTSD, complex trauma, grief, loss, and comorbid mental health concerns, using trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches.


• Conduct comprehensive assessments and contribute to nuanced care planning for clients with high clinical complexity, often shaped by pre- and post-migration experiences.


• Offer clinical leadership through consultation, mentorship, and case conferencing with interdisciplinary team members, supporting trauma-informed practice across the centre.


• Collaborate closely with Mental Health Navigators, settlement partners, and interpreters to ensure culturally safe, accessible, and coordinated care.


• Support risk assessment, safety planning, and crisis intervention when needed, drawing on advanced clinical judgment.


• Contribute to clinical supervision, student mentorship, quality improvement initiatives, and the evolution of trauma-informed models of care.


• Participate in reflective practice, interdisciplinary learning, and organizational initiatives that advance equity, anti-racism, and decolonizing approaches to care
  

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Ready to Apply?

Take your career to the next level! Submit a cover letter and your resume by 5:00pm on February 15, 2026 or until suitable candidate is found to: https://swchc.bamboohr.com/careers/751 

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Somerset West Community Health Centre is an equal opportunity employer who values the diversity of individuals in our programs and services.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of Indigenous, Black and racialized communities, Two-Spirit, nonbinary, LGBTQ+ people; people with disabilities; and members of other equity seeking groups. Applicants are encouraged to share accessibility needs in the application process, and every attempt will be made to accommodate them.

We sincerely appreciate your interest in working with us. Due to high volume of applicants, we can neither confirm receipt of nor respond to inquiries regarding your application. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.