Mental Health Intake Clinician

Staff - Non Union

Job Category M&P - AAPS

Job Profile AAPS Salaried - Counsellors/Psychologists, Level A

Job Title Mental Health Intake Clinician

Department Administration and Operations | Student Health and Wellbeing | VP Students

Compensation Range $7,727.33 - $11,112.00 CAD Monthly The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date October 30, 2026

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

This position is subject to the satisfactory completion of required background checks

Job End Date

Ongoing

We are recruiting for three (3) vacancies

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary

The Mental Health Intake Clinician serves as the primary point of entry for all UBC students seeking support for mental health concerns. The role conducts brief structured initial assessments to determine immediate needs, assess risk and acuity, including suicidal ideation, self-harm, and safety threats, and facilitate timely appropriate referrals to care across a variety of mental health and medical care services within UBC Student Health & Wellbeing (SHW), and to community services within the health region.

This role provides clinical decisions and recommendations on all aspects of the work within professional guidelines, consulting as needed for complex or high-risk presentations, with available informed clinical guidance. This role is central to UBC's integrated, stepped care mental health model, which prioritizes timely access, interdisciplinary collaboration, and continuity of care to support student success and wellbeing.

Organizational Status

The Mental Health Intake Clinician reports to the Director, Student Health & Wellbeing, and works closely with family physicians, nurse practitioners, psychiatrists, counsellors, psychologists and other SHW staff within an integrated, interdisciplinary model of care.

This role operates primarily at SHW service locations but may provide services at other campus locations as needed. Embedded within SHW, the role contributes to coordinated service delivery, shared clinical standards, and continuous improvement of triage and safety pathways, supporting SHW’s mission to deliver accessible, equitable, and integrated health services that promote student wellbeing and academic success.

Work Performed

• Assessment and Mental Health Safety
• Conduct brief initial mental health appointments with students presenting with psychological or emotional concerns, determining triage level and priorities for care using a stepped care approach.
• Perform rapid clinical assessments to determine risk, symptom severity, functional impact, and care needs, including clinical screening where appropriate.
• Conduct structured mental health risk assessments using validated tools and clinical judgment, including screening for suicidality and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI).
• Apply trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches to safety assessment and initial safety response, recognizing unique vulnerabilities of Indigenous, LGBTQ2SIA+, international, and other marginalized student populations.
• Assess and triage potential indicators of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms, provide initial psychoeducation, and coordinate pathways for further ADHD assessment and group or individual support.
• Navigation, Triage, and Risk-Responsive Referral
• Determine the most appropriate service pathway based on presenting issues, acuity level, student needs, preferences, and readiness to engage, including high-acuity/urgent presentations and moderate-acuity presentations.
• Use a stepped care approach to triage and match students to the least intensive, most effective service that meets their current needs, with flexibility to step care up or down over time based on feedback, functioning, and risk.
• Support shared decision-making by discussing service options collaboratively with students, emphasizing autonomy, choice, and recovery-oriented care.
• Facilitate warm handoffs and collaborative transitions between SHW teams, ensuring continuity of care and clear communication of safety concerns, care plans, and clinical priorities.
• Research and explore internal and external resources and make appropriate referrals to community mental health providers, crisis lines (e.g., Here2Talk), emergency services, and specialized programs when UBC resources are not suitable or acuity requires higher levels of care.
• Document and communicate all suicide risk assessments and safety plans to receiving providers to ensure seamless safety management across service transitions.
• Collaboration, Service Integration, Safety Coordination, and Education
• Work as an independent clinician and as a member of an interdisciplinary team to provide coordinated mental health services that support academic functioning, student safety, and overall wellbeing.
• Liaise and collaborate within SHW regarding shared student clients, mental health supports, and coordinated safety responses where indicated.
• Participate in regular interdisciplinary meetings and case conferences to review complex cases, triage processes, clinical pathways, and high-risk presentations requiring coordinated safety management within a culture of shared responsibility and clinical accountability.
• Participate in crisis response protocols and contribute to campus mental health, emergency preparedness, and post-crisis support.
• Documentation, Quality Assurance, Safety Tracking, and Program Development
• Maintain accurate, timely documentation of assessments, care plans, interventions, treatment outcomes, referrals, and professional consultations in the electronic health record (EHR) in accordance with SHW and professional regulatory standards.
• Maintain detailed records of suicide risk assessments, safety plans, and safety-related referrals, ensuring legal compliance, clinical continuity, and audit readiness.
• Contribute to higher level program evaluation initiatives and projects.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

The Mental Health Intake Clinician provides clinical decisions and recommendations on all aspects of the work and is accountable for the delivery of professional standards of practice in assessing mental health status, safety/suicide/homicide risks, and appropriate care pathways. Decisions made by this position directly impact student safety, continuity of care, and academic functioning.

Failure to provide appropriate triage, risk assessment, safety planning, and follow-up - particularly in cases of suicidal ideation or other high‑risk presentations, may result in serious harm to students. Inadequate communication or coordination between clinical and support teams can compromise continuity of care and student safety. These failures also carry significant legal, regulatory, and reputational consequences for the University.

Supervision Received

Works within professional guidelines; informed clinical guidance is available. Works under the general supervision of the Director, SHW. Receives clinical consultation and mentorship from senior clinicians and other interdisciplinary team members to support professional development and clinical competence. Receives periodic review of work quality to ensure quality and adherence to SHW standards, p