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Senior Peer Support Worker

Stella's Place
locationToronto Canada
remoteHybrid
PublishedPublished: 8/6/2025
ExpiresExpires: 8/23/2025
Healthcare
Full Time
CA$22 - CA$26 per hour

Position: Senior Peer Support Worker

Application Close Date: August 22, 2025

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

Stella’s Place is an innovative mental health service for young adults (16-29 years). We utilize innovative clinical practices and processes that put young adults in the ‘driver’s seat’ of their own recovery plan. We are expanding our team to meet the growing demand for our service.

Our team is recruiting a Senior Peer Support Worker. In this role you will work as a member of our multidisciplinary team to facilitate and support participants with their recovery process. You will draw from your lived experience with mental health challenges and recovery to assist participants in setting goals for their own recovery. Your collaborative work with participants will be as a coach and liaison in assisting participants to advocate for themselves.

You will also provide mentorship to new Peer Support Workers so they can onboard successfully into their position through coaching and support. You will also assist the Peer Initiatives Coordinator in the delivery of peer support training. The program aims to train young adults who live with mental health challenges to gain job readiness skills, knowledge and experience within the social services field. You will support the Peer Support Workers with coaching and training on how to operationalize peer support values within Stella’s Place programs.

As a Stella’s Place employee, you will be expected to actively engage in committees, support agency-wide events, research activities, support the Development Team with speaking engagements and activities, and build our organisational culture.

You are expected to work in collaboration with the organization to foster a workplace that embraces diversity of experiences, opinions, and identities, encourages teamwork, and complies with all applicable and regulatory requirements.

This is an 18-month contract.

KEY FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Programs and Services

You will :

  • Focus primarily on supporting participants in our Cafe space, group facilitation, connecting, and navigating support at Stella’s Place
  • Support program participants to apply learning concepts in practice
  • Promote self-care for team members as well as Participants
  • Co-facilitate programs in a manner that centres the participants and maximizes their outcomes
  • Be a shared learner with participants rather than a helper, therapist, or treatment provider
  • Build rapport and connect with participants on an individual basis in the Cafe or through Peer 1:1 chats to facilitate and encourage their connection with other participants
  • Maintain clear boundaries and practice confidentiality as outlined in Stella's Place policies
  • Contribute to program development, evaluation, outreach, research, and educational activities of the programs
  • Provide services reflective of the diverse needs of participants
  • Assist participants in accessing local community-based resources
  • Providing a consumer-survivor perspective to program development and implementation
  • Document relevant participant interactions in accordance with Stella’s Place policies, procedures, and protocol
  • Co-lead the Peer Supporters' understanding of the core elements of Peer Support, including framework, practice guidelines (values, principles, knowledge, skills, attributes), congruent with Stella’s Place’s model of peer support and program delivery
  • Collaborate with the Peer Initiative Coordinator, support the integration of Peer Supporters into the Community of Practice
  • Support new Peer Supporters in shadowing responsibilities and duties
  • Co-lead the organization and coordination of restocking supplies in the cafe space
  • Work collaboratively as part of a broader team to support Participants
  • Duties may change from time to time

Training Delivery

In collaboration with the Training Team:

  • Participate in weekly meetings to prepare and plan for workshop facilitation with members of the Clinical team
  • Work closely with the Peer Initiative Coordinator, Senior Peer Initiatives Manager, Clinical Recovery Services Manager, Expressive Art Therapy Manager, and Research team to deliver workshops and training outcomes
  • Support the establishment and implementation of community comfort agreements
  • Actively engaging in supporting Peer Supporters in the learning experience
  • Co-facilitate and assist in the facilitation of training activities, exercises, and conversations
  • During Peer Supporter onboarding days, providing extra support to the staff in the form of mentorship and meaningful feedback

In collaboration with the Senior Peer Initiative Manager:

  • Support the Peer Supporter's understanding and application of core Peer Support concepts and competencies
  • Organize and co-lead weekly Peer Supporter team meetings, which will serve as a forum where Peer Supporters can share experiences, discuss challenges, raise ideas, and brainstorm solutions to enhance their performance, support workshop activities, and the program in general
  • Support the Peer Peer Supporters in orienting to new programs
  • Support the proper completion of workshop reports, including collecting crucial statistical information
  • Communicate with the Senior Peer Initiatives Manager regarding any concerns related to Peer Supporters, workshop delivery, or facilitation challenges, safety, or risks experienced or potentially experienced by Peer Supporters and/or workshop participants
  • Support data collection and the evaluation of workshops and the Peer Support Training Program
  • Accurate and timely completion of all administrative documentation, including time sheets, expense claims
  • Timely completion of participants’ TREAT notes and data entry as required
  • Timely responses to emails and meeting invites
  • Up-to-date and accurate recording of daily activities in your electronic calendar

Documentation

  • Accurate and timely completion of all administrative documentation, including time sheets, expense claims
  • Timely completion of participants' TREAT notes, data entry as required
  • Timely responses to emails and meeting invites
  • Up-to-date and accurate recording of your daily activities in your electronic calendar

Performance Management and Professional Development

  • Participate cooperatively in Stella’s Place performance management system process/system
  • Participate in ongoing professional development and mandatory training
  • Actively engage and participate in the supervisory process

Other Duties as Assigned

  • Attend and participate in team/staff meetings, and all staff meetings as required
  • Participate in agency quality improvement activities, e.g,. committee work, special events, etc.
  • Participate in quality improvement activities at the team/program level
  • Participate in external committees as required
  • Duties may change from time to time

QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate will have lived experience and have received mental health services. The candidate must have completed a DBT program for a minimum of two years to be eligible to apply. Past participants of Stella's Place who completed the DBT program in 2023 or earlier are also invited to apply. Computer literacy and the willingness to learn new computer programs are required, including the ability to use online platforms to provide programs and services. Your role will include documentation via online applications. For virtual meetings, on-camera attendance is required to ensure safety and security.

  • You have a strong understanding of DBT Skills as well as significant comfort with group facilitation and public speaking.
  • You possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills that will serve you well when working collaboratively with our diverse multidisciplinary team.
  • Strong communication skills; verbal and written, as well as experience with note-taking and documentation
  • Completion of peer support training, including training in recovery principles (WRAP or Pathways to Recovery).
  • Ability to apply Recovery principles and empowerment-oriented philosophies and practices in work with participants
  • You possess effective decision-making, organizational, and problem-solving skills, which are all required as a Senior Peer Support Worker.
  • Experience providing peer support through a volunteer or paid work experience.
  • Ability to observe boundaries, engage in appropriate emotional regulation, refrain from dual relationships with participants, maintain confidentiality, and engage in reasonable self-care strategies designed to reduce stress by balancing work/life responsibilities.
  • Your skills will include the ability to be flexible, self-reflective, supportive and demonstrate excellent boundaries.
  • The ability to work effectively in a dynamic and fast-paced multidisciplinary environment and the ability to support a positive and healthy work environment are essential.
  • Experience working with participants, staff, and organizations serving participants with a diversity of experiences, opinions and identities are required.
  • Ability to centre participants’ needs during your interaction or in spaces

ASSETS:

  • Bilingualism (French)
  • Familiarity with postsecondary environment and process
  • Knowledge of Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP)

REPORTING AND HOURS

  • This is a full-time position working 40 hours per week. The hours of work are Monday to Friday, 10:00a.m. - 6:00p.m. or 12:00p.m. - 8:00p.m. depending on programming.
  • Report to the Senior Peer Initiatives Manager, with training and supervision provided
  • Some evenings and/or weekend hours may be required.

COMPENSATION:

  • Salary range: $22.00 - $26.00 per hour
  • A generous health and vacation package, including comprehensive medical, dental, and vision health benefits, 3 weeks vacation, and 15 health days annually prorated to FTE. Vacation increases after one year of service.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please submit your resume and a cover letter outlining your interest and relevant experience. Applications received by the deadline will be reviewed.

To be considered for the Senior Peer Support Worker position at Stella’s Place, you must be 18 to 35 years of age and submit your CV and a cover letter clearly stating:

  • Your professional background/experience
  • Why you would be a good fit with Stella’s Place
  • How did you hear about the position (include specific website or network)

We thank all candidates for their interest. Only applicants who include cover letters will be considered. We regret that only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION:

Stella’s Place is committed to having a workforce that reflects the diversity of the City of Toronto in general and of our participants in particular. We encourage applications from racialized persons, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, and all those who can provide and contribute to diversification of perspective at Stella’s Place.

Stella’s Place is committed to hiring practices that are inclusive and barrier-free. Stella’s Place will provide reasonable and appropriate accommodation during all stages of the hiring process in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code in order to ensure the equal and fair assessment of all job applicants. Applicants are asked to make any accommodation request in advance.

Required degree level

  • Entry Level

Salary range

  • CA$22 - CA$26 per hour