Garry Hurvitz Centre for Community Mental Health Community Outreach Intervention

Department: PEIS – Prevention and Early Intervention Services

Program: Community Outreach Intervention Initiative (COII)

Location:

440 Jarvis Street,
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M4Y 2H4

Description of the practicum site and student activities:

The Garry Hurvitz Centre for Community Mental Health at SickKids is a child and youth mental health centre integrated with The Hospital for Sick Children. We offer a range of in-person and virtual mental health services for children and youth (infancy to 18) and their families, from prevention and early intervention through assessment, counselling and therapy and intensive services.

The Community Outreach Intervention Initiative (COII) is a part of the Prevention and Early Intervention Services department. The program serves children and youth living in the Black Creek, St. James Town and Flemingdon Park communities who are experiencing barriers to accessing mental health care. Through outreach, our Centre offers individual and family services and group programs based out of these communities. Our counselling and therapist team collaborates with an interdisciplinary team and external partners to make it easy for children, youth and families to receive the level of service that matches their needs.

The student will be based out of our Jarvis site, providing services in office and in the surrounding community of St. James Town. Recommended days to attend are Wednesday-Friday. Typical hours are 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, but some flexibility is required to meet client needs. Our centre is open until 8:00 pm, and availability for occasional evening sessions or groups is encouraged. Students will also have to opportunity to participate in activities at our Sheppard site (1645 Sheppard Ave West, North York), although travel to this site is optional and not required.

Student activities will include:

Conducting intake/needs assessment
Provide resource and referral information
Hold responsibility for a defined caseload/case management
Develop, promote, plan and/or (co)facilitate educational groups or workshops
Develop and implement individual, family or group interventions, assessment, implementation and evaluation of interventions.
Counsel (individual, families, expecting parents) in office or in community
Apply best practices as outlined by the organization
Present cases at team meetings
Take part in single session consultations
Consult and collaborate with professionals from other disciplines (ECE’s, teachers, school administrators or allied mental health professionals, child welfare agencies) to better serve clients
Advocate for the client system
Participate, liaise and represent the agency at community meetings or plan of care meetings
Prepare and maintain case notes, reports, statistics which meet the organization’s accountability guidelines
Develop skills in cross-cultural competence
Attend agency seminars and learning opportunities related to children’s mental health and approaches to family therapy

Practicum Requirements:

☒ Police Reference/Vulnerable Sector Check

☒ Comfort working with the population being served

☒ Comprehensive report writing and documentation

☒ Evening attendance

Please select Fields(s) of Study:

☒ Children and their Families

☒ Mental Health and Health

Does your practicum require any previous experience?

Students should have prior experience with counselling, individual therapy, child and family therapy, case management, or community outreach.

Is this practicum in-person, remote or hybrid?

In person. Occasional work from home days may be permitted on Fridays.

Will this practicum involve direct work or a mix of direct and indirect?

Direct

Number of practicums offered:

Field Instructor name and credentials:

Gena Little, MSW, RSW

Application deadline:

March 26, 2026

Do you require a resume? Or resume and cover letter?

Resume and cover letter.

Accessibility Considerations:

Will the student have access to a private space for notes or computer use? Yes

Are there breaks between clients/patients/meetings? Sometimes

Is the practicum considered fast-paced? Medium

Is there a high noise level in the practicum? Medium

Is the site wheelchair accessible? Yes

What are the physical demands of the practicum? Travel (walking) between the office, community organizations, and client homes in various weather conditions.

Are there any other accessibility considerations that potential applicants with disabilities should be aware of? Due to the community outreach nature of this role, students will be asked to see clients at community sites or in client homes that may have limited accessibility considerations.

If you are interested in this practicum, please send a cover letter and resume to leah.potash@utoronto.ca by March 26 at 4 PM.Applications will be sent to the site.