About this role
Recreation Therapist (Full-Time Salaried, 80 hours/biweekly)Organization: HomeBridge Youth Society www.homebridgeyouth.caClassification: Clinical (Unionized)Reports to: Director of OperationsLocation: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia- OnsiteHours of Work: Full-time (40 hours/week- some evening and weekend hours may be required)We are looking for an experienced and ambitious Recreation Therapist to join our team! As the Recreation Therapist, you will be responsible for organizing, planning and documenting recreation and leisure experiences with members of the HomeBridge community to ensure that the highest quality support and care is evident.POSITION SUMMARY:In collaboration with the youth care teams, the Recreation Therapist provides support to youth residing in one of the five HomeBridge Youth Society's Youth Caring facilities. The incumbent will be accountable to the Director of Operations, and shall provide care which enables youth to acquire skill, knowledge and behavior that will allow them to incorporate positive recreation and leisure experiences as a part of a healthy lifestyle. The Recreation Therapist will be actively involved in program development with the goal of enhancing the development of life-long leisure skills and attitudes, eliminating barriers to leisure, and optimize the leisure involvement of youth, therapists and community groups. Other key responsibilities of this position include planning and development of program content, responsibility for group safety during onsite and community programming. While it is recognized that the Recreation Therapist will work on the multi-disciplinary team, their work will be informed by the youth care approach.MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:Bachelor of Recreation DegreeMinimum of two years' experience working with vulnerable youth from marginalized backgroundsExperience working with youth who have mental health and or substance misuse challengesDemonstrated ability to work effectively on a multi-disciplinary teamCERTIFICATION/REGISTRATION/DESIGNATION:Certified as a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NRTRC), required.Current First Aid and CPR or willingness to obtainNon-Violent Crisis Intervention (NVCI) certification or willingness to obtainDUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:The Recreation Therapist takes pride in providing safe, high quality care to youth experiencing emotional, behavioural and mental health and addiction challenges through providing direct recreation and leisure opportunities to youth receiving services from HomeBridge Youth Society. The Recreation Therapist demonstrates openness and honesty and builds meaningful relationships with the youth and other care providers as partners in decision making and care. The Recreation Therapist supports the youth to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle and makes a positive difference in the lives of others.Ensures adherence to Standards of Professional Practice and Code of Ethics for Recreation Therapy as established by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NRTRC)Responsible for the assessment of a youth's recreational and leisure needs, setting realistic goals/objectives with the child/adolescent and implementing appropriate intervention plansManages disruptive and aggressive behavior using NVCI and de-escalation.Facilitates outcomes through direct or indirect interventions with individuals and/or groupsFollows all HomeBridge documenting guidelinesConsults and collaborates with the multi-disciplinary team to provide timely therapeutic interventions, based on a range of evidenceObserves and responds to youth needs within one-to-one or group interactions and modifies the activity in response to observationsPlans, implements and shares the supervision both onsite and community recreation and leisure programsGathers and submits accurate workload information related to daily tasksContributes to a culture of diversity and inclusion by honoring the dig