Mental Health Advisor

Title : Mental Health Advisor - Friendly Calls

Employee Working Location : Hybrid (Montreal or Quebec City)

Employment status : Temporary full-time (3 months)

Hourly rate : $36.13

The Canadian Red Cross (CRC) one of the most inspirational not-for-profit organizations on this planet and an awardee on the Forbes list of Canada’s Best Employers 2024 - is seeking a Mental Health Advisor to join our team.

We are guided by our Fundamental Principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.

We help people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and support them in strengthening their resilience.

Starting with the hiring process, we are committed to having an accessible, diverse, inclusive, and barrier-free work environment where everyone can reach their full potential.

We encourage all qualified persons who share our values and want to contribute to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace to apply.

The incumbent will advance the provision of mental health and psychosocial support across operations and programs, primarily to those impacted by emergencies and crises, with a focus on improving access to underserved and under-resourced populations, such as Indigenous communities, remote communities, people experiencing homelessness, migrant workers, and other priority populations.

The contract for this position is a reservist casual contract. Experience with Indigenous communities is an asset. We encourage candidates who self-identify as Indigenous to apply.

In this role, you will :

• Deploy nationally, including to Indigenous communities and remote and / or fly-in communities, to support impacted populations.
• Work in close collaboration with other Red Cross personnel and community partners to contribute to Red Cross commitments to service delivery, including :
• Conducting psychosocial (PSS) assessments to better understand impacts on affected communities, including existing strengths and capacities, develop recommendations to meet outstanding needs, and advocate to ensure recommendations are integrated into service design and delivery.
• Identifying and collaborating with community partners to ensure holistic support for impacted individuals that focuses on developing individual and community capacity and resiliency.
• Providing guidance to personnel working in the field on complex mental health, psychosocial and protection considerations.
• Leading capacity-building activities as relevant to the operation or program based on Advisor’s specialized and professional knowledge (e.

g., harm reduction approaches, traditional ways of knowing).

Contribute to continuous improvement of mental health services by providing recommendations and feedback through end-of-mission reporting and debriefing and participating in a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Advisor Community of Practice.

We are looking for :

• Registered professionals (in good standing) with a degree in public health, medicine, psychology, social work, nursing or other mental health related field.
• Training and / or experience in Psychological First Aid and crisis and / or suicide intervention.
• Experience in an emergency environment (e.g., response to disasters, crisis events, humanitarian crises).
• Demonstrated ability to :
• Place affected individuals and communities at the centre of activities, prioritizing their safety, wellbeing, and mental health;
• Coordinate and foster effective working relationships with various stakeholders (e.g., personnel, management, external and community-based partners);
• Explore and analyze complex issues and prepare written evaluations and recommendations for leadership;
• Think critically and strategically about how specific actions and messages will impact different stakeholders; and
• Advocate for and reinforce self-determination and coping mechanisms (i.e., aiding in re-establishment of traditional forms of support and coping found in community).
• Understanding of and experience in working effectively in a complex matrix environment.
• Advanced level of reflexivity to work effectively and professionally in a fast-paced and changing environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication in English is essential.
• French / English bilingual is a strong asset and mandatory in Quebec.
• Knowledge of the Canadian Red Cross culture, programs and principles is an asset.
• Experience with Indigenous populations is an asset.

Working conditions :

• Advisors are deployed based on operational and programmatic needs within an activation window of 24-48 hours for 2-3 weeks.
• Field missions can involve working in environments that are unstable and unpredictable, requiring non-traditional working hours and strict adherence to security regulations, and may have limited access to basic services;

therefore, a demonstrated ability to work in stressful and often ambiguous conditions is required.

Eligibility to work in Canada : At this time, we welcome applications from candidates eligible to work in Canada. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, we encourage you to carefully review your visa to find out whether you are eligible to work in the job you are considering applying for.

Refer to our FAQ for more information.

• If you are selected for this role, you will be required to complete a successful pre-employment screening process which includes a satisfactory Enhanced Police Information Check (E-PIC).
• At this time, the CRC has temporarily suspended our Covid-19 vaccination policy and does not require but continues to strongly encourage full vaccination of all our personnel.

Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible - those who apply after the selection process has started may be held for a second review if needed OR reviewed for alternative roles.

We appreciate the time and effort it takes to apply and thank you in advance.