Job Description
City:Ottawa, ON
State:Ontario
Company:beBeecounsellingcentre
Job Title: Counselling Centre Director
About the Role
This dynamic leadership opportunity exists within our counselling services department, where you will have the chance to shape the future of our team.
- In this critical role, you will be responsible for developing a comprehensive strategy for our centre and overseeing its implementation. This includes training students in counselling and spirituality through a supervised framework that allows them to apply their clinical knowledge and skills effectively with clients.
- You will serve our community by providing accessible, bilingual (French and English) psychotherapy services for individuals, couples, or families, ensuring a high standard of care is maintained at all times.
- Additionally, you will advance knowledge through research in counselling, psychotherapy, and spirituality, staying up-to-date on industry developments and best practices.
We are looking for an experienced leader who can drive innovation, improve processes, and promote excellence within our team. If you have a strong background in counselling, excellent communication skills, and a proven track record of success in leadership roles, we encourage you to apply.
Key Responsibilities
- To define the vision, orientations, and action plans for the centre, aligning them with academic, clinical, and institutional objectives.
- To develop grant applications in collaboration with faculty members and relevant university services, supporting the development of the centre and its main activities.
- To monitor performance indicators (attendance statistics, financial profitability statistics, satisfaction of clients, students, and partners) and develop strategies to optimize outcomes.
- To ensure the smooth operation of the service, develop policies to guarantee compliance with existing regulations and procedures, and review them regularly.
- To drive innovation and continuous improvement of processes and services offered to both clients and students.
- To build relationships with professional orders, professional associations, other universities, regional and provincial funding bodies, and partners.
- In collaboration with the Communications Service, to promote the services the centre can offer to reach target clientele.
- To represent the centre to the media and the public, coordinating efforts with the Communications Service and consulting with the strategic supervisor/partner (i.e., the Dean and the School).
- To oversee the overall operations of the centre, directly supervising administrative staff and ensuring effective coordination of human, material, financial, and communication resources.
- To support, guide, and evaluate the work of centre staff by ensuring work planning, performance evaluation, ongoing professional development, and staff engagement toward the centre’s objectives.
- To supervise the hiring and onboarding process for clinical supervisors, assess the quality of their work, and ensure compliance with their clinical and contractual obligations.
- To plan and recommend the annual operations budget (revenues and expenses), taking into account projections and recurring and extraordinary needs of the centre.
- To ensure the accuracy of monthly financial reports provided to the Finance Department, track revenues, and maximize income.
- To develop strategies to ensure the safety of employees, students, and clients, and protocols for emergency intervention, including risks of violence and suicide.
- To be available at all times to support staff or students in managing emergency situations.
- To be available by email or for meetings for clinical or administrative consultations.
- To ensure compliance of the centre’s policies and procedures with applicable laws (PHIPA, PIPEDA) in collaboration with the University Secretary (Custodian of Personal Health Information); manage access requests and third-party disclosure requests, and collaborate with the University Secretary in responding to court orders (subpoenas).
- To ensure that existing policies and procedures are respected and implemented, particularly that file documentation standards are met through regular file audits.
- To report any contentious cases to designated persons in accordance with the University’s internal policies.
- To promote a safe, healthy, and inclusive internship environment for all trainees at the Counselling Centre.
- To collaborate with the School of Counselling, Psychotherapy, and Spirituality and its various stakeholders (directors of clinical training, clinical professors, etc.) to ensure coherence between theoretical learning acquired in the classroom and the application of clinical knowledge and skills at the Counselling Centre.
- To maintain excellent communication with students, supervisors, professors, the School, and the Faculty.
- To coordinate clinical supervision groups for each academic term, ensuring that each student is exposed to various styles of clinical supervision.
- To develop strategies for orienting, training, and guiding students in the Centre’s operations.
- To develop and update tools, templates, guides, and schedules to effectively support students during their internships.
- To collaborate with directors of clinical training to resolve issues related to student training or the quality of their internship experience.
- To ensure that the clinical experience and clinical supervision meet CRPO definitions and record the hours at the end of the program of study.
- To closely track trainees’ client contact hours and clinical supervision hours, ensuring progress toward meeting program requirements (150 hours). Any risk of not meeting objectives requires early intervention and close collaboration with the trainees concerned.
- To ensure that the service coordinates the trainee evaluation process and the collection and retention of evaluation forms.
Essential Skills and Qualifications
- A graduate degree in counselling or a related discipline authorizing the practice of psychotherapy.
- A member in good standing with the CRPO with autonomous practice rights or another equivalent professional order.
- Five years of experience in the mental health field, ideally including at least two years in a management role within an organization employing staff or contractors (associates).
- Excellent written and oral language skills in both official languages.
- In-depth knowledge of the laws, code of ethics, and professional practice standards governing psychotherapy in Ontario, as well as their application.
- Experience in administrative and budgetary management.
- Knowledge of the university environment (an asset).
- Excellent interpersonal skills.
- Strong clinical judgment, professional ethics, and integrity.
- An innovative, dynamic, insightful, and results-oriented personality.
- The ability to work efficiently and to plan and execute multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
- Availability (occasionally) in the evenings and on weekends to respond to emergencies.
