Emily Carr University of Art + Design invites applications for a permanent, part-time Indigenous Counsellor (tenure-track, non-teaching). Situated on unceded, traditional and ancestral xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil‐Waututh) territories in Vancouver, Canada, Emily Carr University is a world‐renowned learning and research community dedicated to the education of artists and designers.
SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES
Reporting to the Director, Counselling + Wellness Services, the Counsellor provides counselling to the student body that may include intake and assessment, crisis, suicide and violence intervention, personal counselling and development, therapy, student success strategies and referral advice. Counselling is often complex and may be delivered in one-to-one or group formats.
Typical duties associated with this role:
- Provides a full range of personal counselling and therapy to students to assist them in dealing effectively with personal, educational and societal pressures. These may include, but are not limited to, depression, anxiety, stress management, suicidal or violent ideation, career uncertainty, relationships, family problems, and mental health conditions and disorders.
- Provides assessment and appropriate referral for students requiring psychiatric and longer-term assistance.
- Consults and adheres to ECU Counselling Office protocols; and existing ethical guidelines and standards of practice, provincial and federal statutes, and local mental health guidelines for the counselling profession in the provision of counselling services.
- Develops and delivers programs and services relevant to Indigenous students.
- Provides appropriate interventions for students using either Indigenous healing modalities and/or other clinical approaches to mental wellness, based on student need and preference.
- Provides consultation services to faculty, staff and administration to reduce the emotional labour of Indigenous students.
- Develops and maintains internal and external partnerships with local community supports and on-campus Indigenous resources (e.g., the Aboriginal Gathering Place) to build a network of services for Indigenous students.
- In collaboration with internal and external partners, develops relationships that reflect and support Indigenous perspectives and service needs.
- Participates on internal and external committees dealing with counselling and student success agendas.
- As appropriate, supervises Master’s level students from University Graduate Counselling Training Programs.
- Consults with public and private agencies which provide service to students.
- Provides leadership to the ECU community on matters of a counselling-related nature.
- Maintains current knowledge of best practices in the counselling field, with a focus on the post-secondary context.
- Performs other related duties as required.
QUALIFICATIONS
A successful candidate will have the following education/experience:
- Master’s degree in counselling psychology or social work.
- Minimum five years’ experience in a counselling setting, preferably in a college, institute, university or mental health setting.
- Experience working with an art, design and media student population an asset.
- Demonstrated effectiveness in crisis, short-term, long-term and group counselling, from a perspective that respects Indigenous ways of being and knowing.
- Thorough knowledge of and experience applying DSM framework.
- Demonstrated effectiveness in using a variety of theoretical approaches such as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, experiential, somatic, sensorimotor, and/or emotion-focused.
- Knowledge of developmental theory of the adolescent and adult.
- Experience with public presentations and workshop design and delivery.
- Lived experience and understanding of Indigenous ways of being and knowing, values, needs, and culture.
- In-depth knowledge of the experience of Indigenous peoples in Canada, including the ongoing processes of colonization, discrimination, and structural violence, and the effects on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous communities.
- Professional membership with the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors as a Registered Clinical Counsellor, or membership with another professional counselling regulatory body required.
A successful candidate will have the following skills and abilities:
- Must possess excellent individual and group counselling skills, interpersonal and conflict resolution skills.
- Demonstrated ability to intervene in crisis situations, using sound professional judgment, maturity, ethical practice and common sense.
- Ability to perform an accurate assessment of a client’s presenting problem and to plan effective treatment for a range of complex cases.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with faculty, administrators, staff and students as well as external agency representatives and health care professionals.
- Ability to prioritize workload effectively in collaboration with team members, supported by strong organizational, time management, and teamwork skills.
- Personal resilience, flexibility, openness with strongly developed self-care skills.
- Ability to provide services on campus and attend in-person as required.
- Ability to work flexible hours, as needed, including some evenings.
ABOUT EMILY CARR UNIVERSITY OF ART + DESIGN
Emily Carr University of Art + Design, established in 1925, is a world leader in education and research. Encouraging experimentation at the intersection of art, design, media and technology, our teaching and learning community merges studio practice, research creation, and critical scholarship in an interdisciplinary and collaborative environment. Alumni and faculty are internationally recognized as award‐winning creators and thought leaders who have significant impact in 21st‐century cultural production and cultural sustainability. We engage students, industry, and society to iterate and explore, and think differently about creativity and how it shapes our world. Located in beautiful and culturally diverse Vancouver, British Columbia, Emily Carr attracts more than 1800 students from 60 countries to our undergraduate and graduate programs. Counselling + Wellness Services offers free, confidential counselling and a range of wellness programs to support students across all areas of life - emotional, physical, cultural and social. You can learn more about services and support provided here: https://ecuad.ca/life-at-ecu/student-services/student-support/counselling
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Applications should include:
- a cover letter;
- a current curriculum vitae;
- the names and contact information of three referees.
Salary: 60% FTE ($42,262 to $67,723 per annum)
Submissions are welcome at: https://ecuad.peopleadmin.ca. Posting closes on October 7, 2026.
Emily Carr University especially invites those who have demonstrated a commitment to upholding the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion and will assist us to expand our capacity for diversity in the broadest sense. In addition, to correct the conditions of disadvantage in employment in Canada, we encourage applications from members of groups that have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized. These include women, persons with diverse gender expressions and identities, persons of all sexual orientations, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, and First Nations, Métis, Inuit and Indigenous persons. All qualified people are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority. While we thank all candidates for their interest, only those short-listed will be contacted.
