ENVIROS – Who We Are:
Enviros is an innovative social services agency that provides critical, individualized programs to children, youth, adults, and families in vulnerable situations to meet their desired outcomes and wellness.
Enviros helps our clients make strength-based changes to move to independence within a healthy community.
Enviros focuses programs on the unique needs of individual clients practicing experiential learning to provide opportunities for personal discovery and growth.
Enviros focus is on building relationships and is the foundation of the work we do. This enables clients to develop skills, healthy trust, and independence.
Since our founding in 1976, Enviros has been an early adopter of new evidence-based best practices and has developed and informed other leading practices.
Why People Choose Enviros
Simply stated, our vision is: “The Power of Human Relationships Invites Belonging and Inspires Growth”. Enviros’ vision, mission, and values inform our decisions and guide the direction that we take, and they can be found on our website.
Enviros Principles of Practice
Enviros’ Principle Based Practice is a model that utilizes principles to guide and drive action in practice, a decision-making tool in our interventions addressing critical areas of need, and the foundational structure of support for the crucial work we do incorporating strengths and culture into our day-to-day interactions. This model utilizes core principles to ensure a holistic approach is taken when supporting people. It ensures there is direction from the person served and an integrated planning mechanism where natural supports are present. This practice supports individuals to reach their vision for themselves and reduce reliance on systems. Enviros developed our principles to reach across the organization and to be applicable in all areas of our service delivery continuum. They represent our core beliefs in supporting people. The definition and resulting action of principles are interwoven into the therapeutic models in each program and create a basis for implementation of other leading practices. Our nine principles can be found on our website.
The Program – Shunda Creek Recovery Center
Enviros Shunda Creek Recovery Center is a 12 week live in, Adventure Therapy Addiction recovery program. Shunda Creek Recovery serves 18-24 yrs. old males who have substance abuse issues and who often struggle with diagnosed/undiagnosed mental health concerns. Shunda Creek Recovery has been providing treatment since 2009 and operates 85 km west of Rocky Mountain House in the Nordegg Alberta area. The site is 3 hours SW of Edmonton, 3 hours NW of Calgary and 2 hours west of Red Deer. Shunda Creek Recovery is open to all males 18-24 years of age within Alberta.
Shunda Creek Recovery, funded by Alberta Health Services, is currently a 10-bed facility. The program is projected to move late April early May 2023 to a newer site west of the current location and expand the bed capacity to 18.
Shunda Creek Recovery is an adventure therapy recovery program that utilizes intensive wilderness and adventure-based programming coupled with a live-in treatment approach to help clients understand and moderate their addiction. Shunda’s philosophical approach is based on the concept that professional and clinical staff are not “the expert.” The staff leaders do not know what a client should do and cannot tell them how they should change. Instead, staff invite the new participant into a process of shared journey and discovery. Staff walk alongside clients as they learn about themselves, their addiction, and about whom they want to become. Staff are deliberate and intentional in recognizing power differentials and work to take responsibility for this differential in compassionate, intentional, and attentive ways. Clients, clinicians, and staff “journey” together to meet client needs. Shunda Creek Recovery’s approach to adventure therapy capitalizes on its remote location to use client-driven and mindfulness-based adventure experiences (MBEs). Shunda integrates MBEs throughout treatment to help clients be present, open, and aware of their substance use treatment/recovery process. MBEs facilitated in adventure environments might include reflective practices like meditation, yoga, sweats, solos, and silent hiking in nature. Most often they involve multi-day back country challenges. These trips that are referred to as “mindfulness in action” are client-initiated staff supported and designed with planned goals, themes and foci.
The Position – Therapist
As the Shunda Creek Recovery Therapist your primary responsibility is to direct the delivery of an adventure therapy addiction treatment program in accordance with agency directives, policies, priorities within the Service Operating Requirements established within the Young Adult Treatment provincial program. As well, in partnership with the Program Supervisor and Manager, you must ensure the daily program activities are in compliance with accreditation and wilderness industry standards so as to ensure an integrated, effective and therapeutic service. As the Therapist you are responsible for using an experiential approach, adventure therapy and principle-based philosophy to ensure programming is intentional and safe. The Therapist is responsible for overseeing all intake assessments and working with staff members to develop and implement treatment plans that address the needs of each client. The Therapist, along with the Program Supervisor, ensures the provision of individual and group therapies, and provides supervision and consultation to staff members regarding Clients and families. The Therapist supports the Enviros Community through liaison, program development, and participation, and will provide emergency clinical on call consultation as needed by the program.
This role involves the coaching of and consulting with a staff team capable of providing the wilderness component of treatment as well as the addiction treatment component.
The position is a 3-day 12 hour shift live in. The therapist stays on site for rotation.
Qualifications
- Master’s degree in social work, Psychology or Counselling
- Registration in relevant professional association or college
- Experience in counselling, family, and group therapy
- Minimum of 1 year experience, previous experience in an adventure-based environment an asset
- Experience with experiential learning, adventure therapy and strength-based practice
- A current criminal record check including vulnerable sector (completed within the last 6 months)
- A current Alberta Intervention Record check (completed within the last 12 months)
- A current First Aid and CPR/AED ‘C’ certificate
- A Class 4 or 5 Driver’s License required if qualified to lead trips
- A 5-year drivers abstract with no major violations (such as a DUI or Distracted Driving charge) if participating in wilderness trips
For Consideration Applicants Will Need to Demonstrate the Following
In carrying out your responsibilities as program therapist, you are expected to represent an agency perspective in all your communications and actions.
- Ensure Clients have a voice and choice in their treatment.
- Provide individual therapy to clients.
- Support staff in developing positive and professional relationships with Clients.
- Consult with Program Supervisor and Manager (as appropriate) regarding overall therapeutic delivery of program.
- Work collaboratively with other therapists in determining therapeutic direction of the program.
- Ensure treatment teams are consistent in the therapeutic direction set for individual Clients.
- Provide clinical support to the staff team as it relates to Clients assisting staff in acquiring further knowledge regarding mental health and how it impacts Clients in recovery.
- Provide clinical support to Alumni who call into Shunda Creek.
- Support connection to the client family through phone or video calls, scheduled time with family and client for therapy sessions and supporting the quarterly family treatment weekends at Shunda Creek.
- Consult with Alberta Health Services regarding the screening of incoming Clients as appropriate.
- Ensure that all relevant documentation is completed including research, case planning, CIR’s, home visits and daily case notes.
- Complete monthly and quarterly reports as required.
- Ensure that all wilderness trips are developed with the clients and incorporate individual recovery work with client therapeutic intentions at the forefront.
- Monitor the implementation of My Recovery Plan.
- Ensure your practice adheres to OH&S standards.
How to Apply
Please submit your cover letter and resume to careers@enviros.org, attention: Bev Oldham. Quote job reference # 2315. Competition for this posting remains open until a suitable candidate is found.
Enviros believes in the power of diversity, and we are dedicated to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment. We ensure equal opportunity for all applicants and encourage people of all visible minorities, including Indigenous applicants, and those of any religion, sex, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression to apply.
Additionally, Enviros is committed to having a workforce of skilled and diversified representation of the population we serve. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however in our commitment to the population we serve, preference will be given to candidates self-identifying as an Indigenous Person.
Enviros is an equal opportunity employer. We thank all candidates for their interest; however only those selected for an interview will be contacted. We regret that we are unable to accept telephone inquiries.