Indigenous Wellness Specialist - Remote

Department

Service Programs

Reports to

Manager, Indigenous Programs

Job type

Permanent Full-Time, Remote

Posting period

August 8th, 2025

The Opportunity

Are you motivated by the chance to help ensure all young people in Canada can access mental health support and Feel Out Loud? Kids Help Phone (KHP) is Canada’s Unlock The Hope Youth Charity. We’re the first and only 24/7 e-mental health service in the country and a global leader in innovation for youth and their well-being.

We’re seeking a full-time permanent remote team member to joing the service programs team to help give more young people’s feelings a place to go. As the Indigenous Wellness Specialist (IWS), you will engage virtually and via phone with Indigenous youth from across Canada through Brighter Days: An Indigenous Wellness Program supported by Sun Life. Through this program, the IWS will encourage help-seeking behaviors and help young people develop the skills, tools and resources to support their well- being on a range of topics including healthy relationships, human trafficking, substance use and more. 

The Indigenous Wellness Specialist (IWS) will also engage with social services institutions and organizations in a variety of ways that support student development and increase access and awareness of KHP programs and services among Indigenous youth. 

The IWS will review and develop materials and content, often in partnership with Indigenous organizations. As needed, the IWS supports workshops and training opportunities to ensure all clinical staff have a solid foundation of clinical knowledge and skill. This position is part of the Indigenous Initiatives and Equity Programs team and works in partnership with the Training and Education team as well as cross-departmentally at Kids Help Phone. 

The Indigenous Wellness Specialist will work directly with Indigenous youth and add more Indigenous perspectives to Kids Help Phone programs and services therefore only First Nations, Inuit and Métis applicants with lived experience of Indigenous worldviews, cultures, and values will be considered.

What You’ll Do:

Brighter Days Facilitation 

• Engage virtually or via phone with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit youth from across Canada during the facilitation of Brighter Days sessions 
• Develop and facilitate engaging activities and exercises that will help Indigenous youth access resources and develop skills to support their well-being. These activities will employ culturally safe approaches that incorporate traditional teaches while adhering to program curriculum. 
• Contribute to the development of Brighter Days curriculum on topics including grief, life promotion, substance use and more 
• Engage virtually or via phone with community helpers such as teachers for pre-session conversations to customize Brighter Days sessions to the unique needs of each participating group. 

Community Engagement 

• Community engagement with social services training institutions and organizations to build awareness of KHP programs and services; listen to knowledge shared that will continuously enhance KHP programs and services; and share information about KHP volunteer opportunities that may provide experience to students in the social services field. 

Training, Education and Mentorship 

• Support Indigenous post-secondary social services students enrolled in the upcoming KHP Indigenous mentorship Program 
• Oversee and/or support in the development of Indigenous-focused clinical training materials for counsellors and crisis responders 
• Review internal and external facing content through a lens attuned to the current realities of Indigenous young people, often in partnership with Indigenous organizations. 
• Support special projects and program development 

Other 

• Provide information and support to other departments as required, to support fundraising, reports to funders, media events etc. 
• Partnership work, including facilitating training for external organizations and partners. 
• Provide training leadership and expertise to non-service teams. 
• Assume other duties as assigned 
• This position requires some flexibility to attend or facilitate occasional evening or weekend activities or trainings  

Our Ideal Candidate:

• Indigenous Knowledge of Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis, & Inuit) and Indigenous ways of knowing
• Experience working with Indigenous communities, youth and Elders and allies.
• Post-secondary education related to clinical counselling, i.e. Social Work, Counselling Psychology, etc.
• Counselling accreditations such as ASIST training preferred, SBT, Narrative therapy trainings, etc.
• Experience offering counselling to children and youth individually or in groups with preference for those with experience in brief-solution focused therapy, trauma-informed counselling, client centered counselling, crisis intervention and narrative therapy
• Experience in and knowledge of e-counselling and support best practices
• Demonstrated excellence in academic writing
• Experience working in Knowledge Translation is an asset
• Reliable broadband internet connection to enable remote work and video facilitation
• Demonstrates high level of critical thinking with the ability to connect the donor to the organization in an impactful, meaningful way
• Ability to be flexible, adjusting to new tactics and strategies as they emerge
• Masters in Indigenous Social Work Highly Preferred

Must have skills:

• Group facilitation/presentation skills
• Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work in a fast paced environment
• Ability to problem-solve minor software and hardware issues
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team and independently
• Ability to work remotely
• Must be able to travel across Canada occasionally to facilitate presentations to Indigenous social services institutions and organizations, attend in-person team meetings, etc.
• Ability to support a culture that fosters high standards of ethics
• Openness to new organizations structures, procedures and technology 

About KHP, Canada’s Unlock The Hope Youth Charity

KHP is Canada’s first and only free, multilingual and confidential e-mental health service that’s always open, offering youth from coast to coast to coast support and a non-judgmental space to Feel Out Loud. Since 1989, KHP has been the empowering, trusted changemaker that helps give young people’s feelings a place to go through unparalleled e-mental health solutions. With innovation in our DNA, KHP integrates data, technology, clinical expertise and more to help deliver a personalized well-being experience for all youth, so they can thrive in their world, no matter where life takes them. For more information and opportunities to help young people let their feelings out, you can visit KidsHelpPhone.ca.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA)

KHP has a role to play in effecting social change and advancing equity. This is why the practice of IDEA is critical to us. KHP has a long history of celebrating and advancing IDEA through our tailored programs, services, policies, initiatives and task forces with contributions and leadership from teams across the organization. We will not waver on these commitments and will continue leading the way in making the workplace, and the world young people live in, more inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible.

We believe it’s critical that our services empower everyone who interacts with us to bring their authentic selves to an environment of mutual respect. An open and diverse community can foster the inclusion and amplification of voices that have been, and continue to be, underrepresented.

As such, we welcome applicants from equity-deserving communities (e.g. [ST1] Indigenous Peoples, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women, 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, etc.). We strongly believe that alleviating the underrepresentation of equity-deserving groups will help create a stronger KHP and help us better support the needs of youth from coast to coast to coast.

To learn more about how we are committed to advancing IDEA, you can explore KHP’s IDEA 2023–2027 Strategy and Action Plan.

Accommodations

KHP welcomes applications from people living with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request during any phase of the application / hiring process. If you’re contacted about an opportunity, you can reply and let us know if you require accommodations at any time.

Compensation and benefits

Salaries at KHP are determined by candidate experience, qualifications and specific skill sets, as well as market and operational considerations. Potential additional benefits at KHP include:

• Hybrid work model
• Comprehensive Employee Benefits Program
• Emergency Travel Assistance
• CAAT Pension Plan
• Wellness programs
• Recognition awards
• Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)

Candidate verification

The successful candidate for this opportunity will be asked to complete a background screen, which may include criminal, credit, employment and educational checks. All offers of employment are conditional on the receipt of satisfactory results of any applicable check.

Privacy

KHP cares about your privacy! We’re required to save select information about opportunities, applications and interviews for set periods of time. To learn more, you can explore KHP’s Privacy Policy or contact us using our general form.

Message to agencies

KHP doesn’t accept unsolicited phone calls, referrals and / or resumes from any source other than directly from candidates. KHP won’t consider unsolicited phone calls, referrals and / or resumes from vendors including and without limitation, search firms, staffing agencies, fee-based referral services and recruiting agencies. The submission of unsolicited referrals and / or resumes by anyone other than a candidate directly to KHP is deemed gratuitous. KHP won’t be obligated or bound in any way to pay a referral or any other fee if a person referred to us from a source other than a direct candidate is subsequently hired.