Mental Health Worker at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

Position Details

Posting #: 33226
Department: Forensic Outpatient Program
Employee Type: Regular, Full Time
If Temporary, Number of Weeks:
Union: OPSEU
Openings Remaining: 1
Reason for Posting: This position is for an existing vacancy.

Schedule

Work Days: Monday to Friday
Time of Day: Days
Shift: 7.5 hour
Shift Start: Hours are subject to change based on operational requirements.
This position may be scheduled at any of the following sites: West 5th Campus (Hamilton Mountain)

Application Dates

Opening Date: 08/01/2026
Closing Date: 15/01/2026 Applications must be received online by 12:00 midnight on the Closing Date

Position Description

UNIT PROFILE:
The Forensic Psychiatry Program work towards restoring and maintaining the mental health and well-being of mentally disordered adult offenders while managing risk as mandated by the Criminal Code of Canada and ordered by the Ontario Review Board. This multi-disciplinary team includes nursing and allied health professionals working together to provide a wide range of assessment, treatment and rehabilitation services. In this capacity the Forensic Psychiatry Program provides clinical, risk and medico-legal assessments, inpatient treatments in General and Secure environments, and outpatient treatment and community reintegration services/support for the Central-South region and Halton.

• Maintains confidentiality and release of information in accordance with hospital policy at all times.
• Obligation to review and commit to applicable departmental and hospital policies and procedures at all times.
• Works with the attending psychiatrist, clinical team including inpatient units and the outpatient clinic, hospital, and housing provider facility to build relationships and engage in collaborative efforts to work with patients on their substance use goals, while managing risk to self and others.
• Provides individual and group interventions for those with serious mental health and substance use disorders. Competency in collecting data, evaluating program effectiveness, and contributing to continuous quality improvement.
• Ability to use evaluation results to recommend program enhancements
• Completes evidence-based assessment tools which guide and inform appropriate treatment plans
• effectively initiate, implement and evaluate success of substance use specific interventions
• Incorporate elements of staff capacity building as appropriate for team learning in order to support ongoing treatment of substance use issues in patients
• Documents all findings and interventions in a clear and concise manner in the client’s clinical record. Maintains records and statistics as required by the program, and St. Joseph's Healthcare.
• Identify, collaborate and refer to external substance community agencies as appropriate, considering the forensic framework as necessary. Ability to identify appropriate community services and refer clients to internal or external supports.
• Skilled in building relationships with partner organizations and service provider
• Maintain competency and knowledge of the larger addictions support network in the Hamilton and surrounding area
• Assume responsibility for maintaining a level of knowledge conducive to confident and competent functioning within the forensic psychiatry system.
• Create and maintain substance use programming for patients and families that is appropriate for all levels of readiness of change, and demonstrate a commitment to evaluation and continuous program improvement
• Participates and actively contributes to program evaluation and research-based activities as appropriate.
• Demonstrate awareness of current best practices in relation to understanding addiction and the appropriate interventions, including medical, cognitive and behaviour applications
• Provides competent, professional care through the development and use of a therapeutic relationship with patients and/or families.
• Identifies, develops and implements a plan to work toward achieving team and personal learning and development goals
• Participates in activities that enhance the quality of care including but not limited to clinical and administrative team meetings, special projects, continuous quality improvement activities, research and program development, accreditation teams and corporate committees, as required.
• Communicates with all relevant care providers within the circle of care to ensure integration of care plans and enhance quality co-ordinated patient care
• Encourages and challenges other team members in the pursuit of continued learning and quality improvement. Works collaboratively with other team members demonstrating creativity, flexibility, respect and enthusiasm.
• Provides clinical teaching, mentoring and supervision to mental health and addictions care students. Participates and creates interprofessional education experiences for students of all health disciplines.

• Minimum 3-5 years' experience in a mental health and/or addictions healthcare setting required
• Experience (or coursework) in substance use, mental health, or trauma-informed care required
• Experience with community-based work, program delivery, or case management is preferred
• Degree in nursing, social work, occupational therapy or psychology is required
• Additional training, courses or certification specific to addictions, substance use and treatment protocols by accredited institution is required
• Training in Motivational Interviewing required, training in cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, Dialectic Behavioural therapy is preferred
• Registration with a regulated healthcare College, required.
• Current and demonstrated knowledge of mental health illnesses and/or addictions symptoms, required.
• Knowledge of social, attitudes, characteristics and behaviours of mental illness and emotional disturbances and/or substance abuse, required.
• Current and demonstrated knowledge of motivation interview techniques and/or interventions, highly recommended.
• Demonstrated commitment to the values of Service, Responsible Stewardship, Community Responsiveness and Respect.
• Maintains current working knowledge of relevant legislation, including: Mental Health Act, Health Care Consent Act, Substitute Decisions Act, Public Hospitals Act, Long Term Care Act, Child and Family Services Act, PHIPA, and Excellent Care for All Act
• Knowledge of the Criminal Code of Canada
• Knowledge of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations, professional standards and guidelines, SJHH corporate and departmental policies and procedures, including successful completion of WHIMIS training
• Knowledge of documentation standards, privacy legislation, and health record management processes
• Demonstrated knowledge of individual counseling and group skills (ie. DBT, MI, IPT, CBT, Behavioral Activation)
• Demonstrated ability to work as an effective member of an inter-professional team with exceptional interpersonal, advocacy, negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Demonstrated knowledge of the assessment and management substance use disorders.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the stages of change and relevant interventions for each stage
• Demonstrated knowledge and skill in Assessment, treatment planning and execution and resource identification for patients living with substance use
• Demonstrated knowledge of MSE (mental status examination)
• Demonstrated knowledge and skill related to crisis intervention and conflict resolution
• Demonstrated leadership, problem solving, critical thinking and strong team building skills
• Demonstrated knowledge of interpersonal and de-escalation skills
• Demonstrated knowledge of psychopharmacology, including current psychotropic medications and side effects
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure, prioritize workload, and meet deadlines
• Proficient computer skills for report writing assessments word processing, workload measurement, and access to information
• Demonstrated ability to administer addiction specific screening tools (ie. CAGE-AID, GAIN Short Screener, DALI, TWEAK, MAST/DAST) required

• Demonstrated understanding of Forensic Patients supervised under the Ontario Review Board, reporting requirements and risk assessment
• Demonstrated familiarity and understanding of Risk Assessment Tools (ie. HARM/AIS)3
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of custody and caring in the clinical care of mentally disordered offenders
• Skilled in applying evidence-based counselling techniques (e.g., motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioural strategies).
• Ability to facilitate change conversations, set goals, and support clients in behaviour change
• Proficient in conducting screenings and structured assessments to identify substance use levels, risk, and co-occurring mental health issues.
• Ability to synthesize assessment information into actionable insights for treatment planning
• Ability to facilitate change conversations, set goals, and support clients in behaviour change

St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (SJHH) is an equal opportunity employer and strives for equity, inclusiveness, and diversity in all our programs, practices, facilities, and people. We foster a culture of patient and staff safety where all positions comply and work in conjunction with the Mission, Vision, and Core Values of SJHH.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. SJHH is committed to a barrier-free recruitment and selection process - please inform us should accommodation be required at any point in the recruitment process.