Registered Social Worker (RSW) / MSW — Indigenous Care & Mental Health

About Chiyaqtel Wellness At Chiyaqtel Wellness, we believe that healing is a right — not a privilege. We are a trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and radically inclusive mental health practice dedicated to making care accessible to everyone, regardless of background, identity, or circumstance.

We work across the full spectrum of mental health need, but we are especially committed to walking alongside Indigenous individuals, families, and communities in their healing journeys. That means showing up with humility, with intention, and with a genuine understanding that wellness looks different for every person. We don’t offer cookie-cutter care — we offer relationship.

The opportunity We are looking for a Registered Social Worker (RSW) or a clinician holding a Master of Social Work (MSW) who brings both clinical excellence and a heartfelt commitment to Indigenous communities.

In this role, you will be invited into some of the most important conversations people will ever have. You’ll bring your clinical training — and hold space for ways of knowing and healing that reach far beyond Western frameworks. You understand that decolonizing practice isn’t a checkbox; it’s an orientation. You meet people where they are, and you do it without judgment.

Key responsibilities

• Provide individual and family therapy with a trauma-informed, culturally safe lens — centering the client’s own understanding of their wellness.
• Navigate and administer funding streams including FNHA (First Nations Health Authority), Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB), and other Indigenous health funding sources on behalf of clients.
• Integrate traditional healing practices, ceremony, and land-based approaches alongside Western clinical modalities — always with client direction and community grounding.
• Support clients navigating the intergenerational impacts of residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, child welfare systems, and other colonial policies.
• Collaborate with Elders, Knowledge Keepers, cultural supports, and community organizations as meaningful partners in care — not afterthoughts.
• Maintain accurate, timely clinical documentation and fulfill all reporting obligations under relevant funding agreements.
• Participate in team consultation, case conferencing, and ongoing professional development.
• Contribute to a practice culture of continuous learning, anti-oppressive reflection, and collective accountability.

Qualifications

• Registration in good standing with the BC College of Social Workers (BCCSW) as a Registered Social Worker (RSW), or eligibility for registration.
• Master of Social Work (MSW) from an accredited program.
• Demonstrated clinical experience with Indigenous clients and communities, including working knowledge of intergenerational trauma, the legacy of residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, and the ongoing impacts of colonization on mental health.
• Familiarity with FNHA, NIHB, and related funding systems — or a genuine willingness to learn them quickly.
• Experience with evidence-based and culturally grounded modalities (e.g., CBT, trauma-focused approaches, narrative therapy, somatic work, land-based healing).
• Strong clinical writing and documentation skills.
• A demonstrated commitment to anti-oppressive, decolonized, and culturally humble practice.

Cultural competency

We know that cultural competency is not a certificate — it is a practice, and a lifelong one. We welcome applications from Indigenous clinicians and those with lived experience of Indigenous community, culture, and healing traditions. We also welcome clinicians who, while not Indigenous themselves, have spent years building genuine, reciprocal, and accountable relationships with Indigenous communities and have done sustained personal work around anti-racism and decolonization.

What we are looking for, above all, is humility. The willingness to say “I don’t know, but I’m willing to learn.” The understanding that you are a guest in someone else’s healing journey. And the courage to hold that space with steadiness and care.

Why join Chiyaqtel Wellness

• Flexibility that respects your life. We offer flexible scheduling — whether you thrive in a full caseload or a part-time arrangement, we’ll work with you.
• A team that genuinely supports you. Regular clinical supervision, peer consultation, and a culture where you can bring the hard cases — and be met with care, not judgment.
• Competitive, transparent compensation. We compensate our clinicians fairly and discuss pay openly. No guessing games.
• Meaningful work, every day. You will be doing work that matters — for real people, in real communities, right now.
• Ongoing professional development. We invest in our team’s growth, including training specific to Indigenous health, trauma, and culturally responsive practice.
• A practice that walks its talk. Our values aren’t a wall poster — they show up in how we treat clients, how we treat each other, and how we make decisions.