Occupational Therapist -WSIB Mental Health Program - Regular Full-time 2024-11043

Summary of Duties

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is developing a new mental health program serving injured workers across Ontario, insured by WSIB. This program focuses on improving patients’ functional and psychological outcomes after a workplace injury. Care delivered through this program includes interdisciplinary comprehensive assessments, follow up, and treatment to patients who have had a significant injury to their mental health in their workplace.

The Occupational Therapist will have an exciting role assisting with the development of the new program, and will be responsible for providing excellent clinical care through assessments and treatment. This patient population may have diagnoses of PTSD, mood and anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, etc. The Occupational Therapist works in an interdisciplinary team to provide clinical recommendations and oversee the worker’s care to improve their functional status and well-being through occupational-focused assessments and treatment. Care may be provided in-person at Sunnybrook’s Bayview site, or virtually depending on the worker’s needs.

In this role, you will primarily be working with an interdisciplinary team to provide mental health assessments (e.g. with psychiatrists, psychologists, etc.) and to develop comprehensive reports that provide recommendations on further care for patients. You will conduct specialized functional, cognitive and return to work readiness assessments. You may also provide clinical treatment for patients with varied mental health concerns, with the aim of improving their function and preparing them for return to work, if possible. Treatment may be provided in individual or group formats, in-person or virtual, and will be tailored to the needs of the patient. You will be coordinating and leading clinical rounds with Sunnybrook’s program partners to ensure seamless care for our joint patients. This role will work Monday to Friday, with the opportunity for hybrid work-from-home when possible.

This is a key role in our new WSIB Mental Health program, with the opportunity to directly participate in the development of this new program, in addition to providing excellent clinical care to injured workers with workplace-related mental health injuries. 

Qualifications/Skills

• Must be a current member in good standing and be registered with the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario (COTO)

• Experience working with patients with diagnoses of PTSD, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders and various comorbidities.

• Able to quickly establish supportive therapeutic rapport 

• Strong ability to form concrete clinical recommendations in an interdisciplinary setting through demonstrated leadership and communication skills

• Experience with supporting individuals through motivational interviewing, goal setting, and returning to work with graduated return to work plans

• Experience using measurement-based care when supporting patients/clients to help guide clinical decision-making, preferred

• Experience in facilitating therapeutic groups (DBT and/or CBT preferred)

• Clinical experience working with First Responders, preferred

• Completion of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) training, preferred

• Certification or current enrollment in Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), preferred

• Certification and competency in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE) Therapy, preferred

• Experience with third party payers (e.g. WSIB, insurers, employers), preferred

• Experience conducting workplace assessment and treatment (cognitive assessments, job demands analysis or knowledge of job demands analysis (JDA) or work demands analysis (WDA)) is an asset 

• Experience with program development and evaluation, and quality improvement, preferred

• Superior time management, organization, and prioritization skills in addressing multiple tasks and timelines in a fast-paced environment 

• Effective report-writing and documentation abilities

• Ability to work independently and within a team environment