Career Options
New website full of infoBreak a leg skiing and most people will be sympathetic to your plight. Get waylaid by a flu bug and you'll get knowing nods from friends and neighbours. Admit, however, that you or someone close to you is suffering from or has suffered one of the many mental illnesses that strike significant numbers of Canadians and your reception will be entirely different. In 2006, mental illness still comes with a stigma. DAVID CHILTON |
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 [ 2006-04-12 ] |
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Stigma or not, Canadians who suffer with their emotional health need treatment and, of course, need mental health professionals to carry it out.
It was with that in mind that the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care launched the Community Mental Health Careers website (www.workinginmentalhealth.ca). The site offers basic and practical help and direction for anyone considering a career in mental health. Andrew Morrison, a Ministry spokesperson, says the site went up in late January to offer recruiting services across all mental health disciplines. It's already a success. Morrison says in early February, in a four day span, the site got 109,00 hits.
At the website, anyone interested can find information on community mental health, related links, schools and the programs and scholarships they offer, job postings, job finding features, student placements and profiles of professionals already working in the mental health field.
PROFILES
One such profile is Tracey -- no other name is given -- who's the program director, supportive housing, southwestern Ontario region. Tracey says she's the program director of a 24/7 supported group home for adults living with a psychiatric disability. The home operates a psycho-social rehabilitation program that aims to help men and women reach the highest level of independence they can so they can return to community living.
According to the website, Tracey says, "I can't think of any other job that is as rewarding as this one. Having been in many different hospital settings -- long-term care, psychiatric crisis and stabilization -- the community is much more personalized and you can really see the difference your work makes in your community."
Another profile is Sara -- again no last name -- a court support worker for a multi-service agency in northern Ontario. She says her organization provides court support, case management and education to court personnel such as lawyers and judges. It also provides forensic psychiatric services through a psychiatrist who comes down once a month for two days and completes psychiatric assessments for the courts. Sara, who has degrees in criminology and social work, says in her profile that she would like to stay in the mental health field and remain in her current position for as long as she can.
As well as the profiles, and there are half-a-dozen, there are also full descriptions of the careers available in mental health. Case managers, for example, work one-on-one with individuals, meeting in homes, coffee shops or workplaces to help their clients gain access to the services they want such as psychosocial rehabilitation in acquiring new skills, finding jobs, and strengthening and establishing relationships.
Crisis counsellors provide crisis services through telephone distress centres, mobile crisis teams, drop-in crisis programs and other settings, says the website.
JOB POSTINGS
To work as a case manager, says the site, a case manager would need a bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline, and a crisis counsellor might have qualifications in psychology or social work.
In late March there were about 40 jobs posted at the website, including vacancies for a mental health court support worker at Old City Hall/College Park in Toronto, a psychiatric nurse at the Scarborough Hospital and a co-ordinator for a community support program in North York.
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QUICK FACTS
- The qualifications to work in mental health vary widely so academic requirements should be checked carefully.
- The website www.work inginmentalhealth.ca offers job postings, student placements, descriptions of the various jobs in mental health, related links, practitioner profiles and more.
- All universities and colleges in Toronto offer programs that will qualify students to work in some branch of mental health.
- Some colleges in the province, including Georgian College in Barrie, offer specific programs for aboriginal Canadians want to work in mental health.
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