Addictions Counsellor

Why work for CMHA York Region?

We deliver quality mental health and addictions services that promote recovery and health, and end stigma. 

Our Values:

• Responsive to the needs of our clients, their families, and our communities


• Respectful in how we meet the needs of our clients and staff in each interaction


• Committed to delivering the highest quality of care, every time


• Innovative in our approach to meeting our clients’ and communities’ needs


• Inclusive in how we work and serve our clients

Team Values:

• We create belonging


• We build better


• We deliver

We offer an inclusive, innovative, and high-performance work culture that helps us deliver transformational impact. The organization cares about the growth, safety and well-being of employees and offers:

• HOOPP (Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan) 


• Comprehensive Health + Dental Benefits


• Learning & development opportunities

Learn more about us by visiting: https://cmha-yr.on.ca/careers/

We are looking for an Addictions Counsellor in our Substance Treatment, Recovery, and Empowerment for Addiction Management (STREAM) Program!

Position: Permanent, Full-time, 35 Hours per Week, Evening Hours and Weekends may be required

Comprehensive Health Benefits: Excellent Benefits Package: Full Extended Health & Dental, Life Insurance, EAP, STD, LTD, & Pension Plan. Generous paid time off including vacation, sick, personal days

Salary: $56,444-68,429 per annum.   *Candidate experience will be considered when determining the starting salary.

Reason for Posting: An existing vacancy

Closing date: August 28, 2026

Location: The Addictions Counsellor will work predominantly in the community, directly with clients. The Addictions Counsellor will work from the Vaughan Office located at 8271 Keele St, Concord ON L4K 1Z1 on the days of on-site work and will be required to travel within York Region & South Simcoe for client meetings and staff training or other meetings. We have flexibility in approving the Addiction Counsellor's home office to one of our York Region locations dependent to their home address.

Program Profile:

Substance Treatment, Recovery, and Empowerment for Addiction Management (STREAM) program aims to reduce the harm associated with substance use. The program provides support to individuals using substances to make changes to their substance use, including voluntary withdrawal from alcohol and/ or other substances. The STREAM Program offers individuals an alternative to residential withdrawal management (or detox) for individuals who can safely withdraw in a supportive home environment or another supportive community environment. Care may be provided with or without drug therapy or other medical interventions. Individuals will also be supported to receive early recovery education as well as discharge and crisis support plans. 

The program, including a Nurse Practitioner (NP) and an Addictions Counsellor, will provide best practice assessment, treatment, navigation and support to individuals and families with concurrent disorders. The Addictions Counsellor will work in collaboration with clients and their families to provide assessment of substance use issues and appropriate client-centered intervention services.

Job Profile:

The Addictions Counsellor will provide individual and group counselling, and education using best practices. The Addictions Counsellor will also work with individuals to provide support around monitoring of withdrawal symptoms and crisis intervention support.

The Addictions Counsellor will additionally provide support and education around harm reduction, relapse prevention and self-care coping strategies. They will also provide family support and education to families supporting loved ones moving through the withdrawal process.

In addition to compliance with all organizational policies and procedures, the incumbent is also expected to behave ethically, demonstrate competence in effective communication and team building, demonstrate effectiveness in working in a collaborative environment, and demonstrate confidence in decision-making and in building relationships.

Duties: 

• Provide individual and group counselling to individuals suffering the effects of substance
  use and problematic behaviours


• Provide mental health and addiction counselling to individuals and families


• Perform client intakes, screenings and assessment of substance use and behavioural addiction issues.


• Assesses and track client’s stages of change readiness and stages of recovery.


• Design and implement goal-oriented care plans


• Use crisis intervention strategies, supporting and educating the client as appropriate in relapse prevention, community withdrawal management, treatment referral, self-care strategies, and family support/education.


• Educate families about addiction and recovery and provide them with resources that will help them support their loved ones in recovery.


• Provide client-centered advocacy and assist clients in identifying and advocating for their civil/legal rights.


• Facilitate connections to needed and wanted services, supports, and resources, including those in the broader community.


• Maintains a client caseload in accordance with the above standards and funding requirements, recognizing the need for extensive travel in some rural areas and intensiveness of contact with specific clients.

Requirements:

• Degree OR diploma plus 2 or more years of experience in a community-based organization working with adults with serious mental illness in the community, and providing addiction and withdrawal management counselling


• Registration in good standing with a regulatory College, including the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW), the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) cannot be in the qualifying stages


• Certification in addiction counselling an asset


• Lived experience related to substance use and/or mental health an asset


• Knowledge and experience with concurrent disorders and community withdrawal management (i.e. theories of addiction, treatment modalities, pharmacology knowledge, harm reduction, etc.)


• Experience working with individuals experiencing serious mental illness, concurrent disorders, and dual diagnosis (developmental disability and/or traumatic brain injury), is preferred


• Experience working with individuals experiencing serious mental illness, concurrent disorders, and dual diagnosis (developmental disability and/or traumatic brain injury), is preferred


• Strong reasoning and thinking skills


• Knowledge of the Ontario Mental Health Act, mental health reform principles, the Substitute Decisions Act, the Health Care Consent Act, and PHIPA requirements


• Ability to apply Recovery principles and empowerment-oriented philosophies and practices in work with clients


• Driver’s License Abstract required, and a valid Canadian driver’s license, a minimum $1,000,000 third-party liability insurance


• A satisfactory Vulnerable Sector Screening (Police Check)


• Additional training in harm reduction, trauma-informed care, recovery, mental health, and various therapeutic modalities such as motivational interviewing or crisis prevention management are strong assets 


• Experience in facilitation or co-facilitation of group programming  

The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by an individual assigned to the job. This information is not constructed to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel in the job.

This position reports to and is supervised by the Manager, People & Teams, Substance Treatment, Recovery, and Empowerment for Addiction Management.

Working Conditions:

Office work, community settings, meetings in clients’ home and travel with clients

Disclaimer: In keeping with mental health reform, best practices, funding, and direction this position may later require knowledge, skills, abilities, and working conditions not noted here.

To request this posting in an alternate format or to request accommodation in the application process, email [email protected]

Application Procedure:  If you are interested in this opportunity, please visit https://cmha-yr.on.ca/careers/ and search for Addictions Counsellor Job Posting, Click on the “Apply Now” button and proceed to upload your cover letter and resume.

Complete the application form and submit the following:

• Cover letter with 300 words or less and tell us why you would want this role and why you should be considered for the position (PDF or Word)


• Resume (PDF or Word) (applications without resumes will not be considered)

CMHA-YRSS is dedicated to promoting employment equity and dismantling obstacles to employment for marginalized communities. CMHA-YRSS supports the journey to mental wellness, and we welcome applicants with lived experience of mental illness.  In acknowledgment of the systemic underrepresentation faced by Black, Indigenous, racialized peoples, and those living with disabilities, this opportunity has been developed based on the special program provisions of the Ontario Human Rights Code. We therefore extend invitations for applications from the following groups:

• Racialized Persons


• Indigenous Persons


• Persons living with Disabilities

While we thank all candidates for their interest, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.