Recreation Therapist Children's Intensive Services
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Job Summary
Req ID: 222469
Department/Program: Childrens Intensive Services-Day Mental Health And Addictions
Location:Halifax
Type of Employment: TemporaryHourly FT long-assignment (100% FTE) for 1 yearx 1position(s)
Start Date: June 2026
Union Status:NSGEU Hlthcare Healthcare Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $35.8275 - $47.532/hour
Closing Date: June 17 2026 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)
IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax Nova Scotia providing tertiary and primary care for two million children youth adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees physicians volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each others talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home align our work to our values and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients families and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.
Promoting an anti-racist environment and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care is important to us. We are located in Mikmaki the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mikmaq people. Working in Mikmaki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long deep and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportions of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination but have more work to do to build that trust acknowledge our biases and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous Black/African Nova Scotians Persons of Colour Immigrants/Newcomers Persons with Disabilities 2SLGBTQIA to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients families and communities that we care for at all job levels.
The Recreation Therapist will provide care to children with mental health illness and their families as an integral part of theChildrens Intensive Services interdisciplinary team. Accountable to the Manager the Recreation Therapist will provide client and family centred care to enable youth to acquire skill knowledge and behaviour that will allow them to incorporate positive leisure experiences as part of a healthy lifestyle. The Recreation Therapist will develop individual family and group interventions with the goal of enhancing the development of life-long leisure skills and attitudes eliminating barriers to leisure and optimizing the leisure involvement of children with mental health problems in partnership with families and the interdisciplinary team. The Recreation Therapist is responsible for the assessment of a youths recreational and leisure needs setting realistic goals with the youth designing and implementing appropriate interventions and plans including appropriate documentation of the plan as well as evaluating the interventions in an efficient manner. These interventions are completed with the child and family within an interdisciplinary team approach.
(Flexible) Monday - Fridy 37.5 Hours/Week
- Baccalaureate degree in Recreation or Leisure Studies with an emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation required.
- Certified as a Therapeutic Recreation Specialist by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) required.
- Minimum two (2) years experience in child/adolescentrecreation therapy in a mental health setting required.
- Successful completion of a Heart and Stroke Foundation Basic Life Support Level (BLS) Program within the last 12 months or successful completion of a BLS Renewal Challenge Certificate.
- Demonstrated knowledge of best practices in leisure/recreation assessment and intervention.
- Knowledge of leisure education and leisure counselling processes required.
- Knowledge of various mental and physical health conditions and their impact on health well-being and quality of life required.
- Effective counselling and communication (verbal & written) skills required.
- Demonstrated ability to work as part of a collaborative interdisciplinary team as well as the ability to work independently required.
- Excellent time management organization and problem-solving skills; demonstrated ability to set priorities required.
- Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to family centred care required.
- Demonstrated ability to establish and promote interpersonal & community relationships required.
- Competencies in other languages considered an asset.
Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.
Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.
This is a Healthcare bargaining unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions bargaining units or employment status are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority benefits and vacation entitlement and/or usage prior to accepting the position.
An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.
If you are an employee ofIWK Health please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.
Required Experience:
IC
