Mental Health and Substance Use
Find your purpose with a career in Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU)
- Help people in your community improve their overall health and quality of life.
- Experience a supportive and collaborative team based work environment.
- Work with an inter-disciplinary team that integrates community, primary care and a family centred approach.
Are you currently a Fraser Health employee? Browse and apply for jobs on the internal job portal.
Registered Nurse/Registered Psychiatric Nurse, Inpatient Psychiatry Unit
MHSU programs and services
If you specialize in MHSU, we offer positions in a number of program areas.
Fraser Health mental health and substance use (MHSU) services focus on improving overall health and quality of life, harm reduction, primary and collaborative care, withdrawal management, community outreach and long-term care.
We offer various adult and youth substance rehabilitation and recovery services targeting the most appropriate needs for individuals and communities.
Adult programs and services
Learn more about the services offered in our adult programs and join our team!
Acute Psychiatry and Mental Health Services
The Psychiatric Clinical Decision Unit (PCDU) provides psychiatric treatment for individuals who present with acute psychiatric disorders and severe mental health concerns, for which psychiatric in-patient treatment intervention is necessary.
The program provides psychiatric treatment for individuals who present with acute psychiatric disorders and severe mental health concerns, for which psychiatric in-patient treatment intervention is necessary.
It also assists individuals in stabilizing and improving their mental, physical, functional and social abilities. The program offers coordinated and integrated services that includes assessment, diagnosis, treatment and discharge planning, with referrals for continuing community mental health after care.
The virtual psychiatry unit (VPU) allows patients to receive hospital-level psychiatric interventions, safely and conveniently, from the comfort of their own home. The VPU is considered equivalent of an inpatient psychiatry unit, however, may be a more appropriate environment to receive 24/7 wrap around care at the patient’s own home.
Additional awareness spread that the VPU is considered equivalent of an inpatient psychiatry unit, however, can be considered a more appropriate environment to receive 24/7 wrap around care at the patient’s own home.
A Zone of the Emergency Department specific for patients needing psychiatric assessment and support.
Acute Addiction Medicine & Substance Use Services
Addiction Assessment Nurses (AANs) are specialty nurses embedded within emergency departments that provide immediate access to addiction assessments, medically managed treatment, and follow-up care where required.
Community Psychiatry & Mental Health Services
Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams provide person-centered, recovery-oriented, flexible, community-based outreach mental health services for adults with serious and persistent mental illness that makes it difficult to manage their daily living.
The Early Psychosis Intervention (EPI) team is a specialized health care service that provides the best assistance available to young people (13–30) who have recently developed psychosis.
The Eating Disorders Program provides safe and supportive environment for youth, adults and their families dealing with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder and binge eating disorder.
The Family Support Services team provides services to families, friends and natural supports (FANS) who are supporting another adult living with mental health and/or substance use concerns.
Support services include:
- Individual coaching with clinical counsellor or family peer (up to 8 sessions)
- Psycho-education
Skills and information groups - Support groups
- System navigation
- Wellness planning
Providing specialized response to people experiencing a mental health crisis.
Teams are made up of a police officer and a health care professional who respond to community mental health calls, ensuring that someone in crisis is supported by a mental health professional.
The MICR team provides:
- On-site emotional and mental health assessments
- Crisis intervention
Referrals to appropriate services in the community
Rehabilitation and Recovery Services include a range of services in support of mental health recovery which include:
- Clubhouse Programs
- Employment Programs
- Therapeutic Volunteer Program
- Exercise Therapy
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Occupational Therapy
- Peer Support
- Rehabilitation Funding
- Therapeutic Recreation,
- Wellness Recovery Action Plan
The Urgent Care Response Centre (UCRC) supports adults (19 years and older) who need help with a mental health or substance use concern. Currently, there is one UCRC for adults living in Surrey.
Indigenous Mental Health Liaisons can provide assessment, referral, counselling support services and mental health education to clients and families, as well as connecting clients with other mental health programs and services in hospital and community.
Community Addiction Medicine & Substance Use Services
Mobile Integrated Crisis Response (MICR) provides specialized response to people experiencing a mental health crisis. Teams are made up of a police officer and a health care professional who respond to community mental health calls, ensuring that someone in crisis is supported by a mental health professional.
The MICR team provides: on-site emotional and mental health assessments, crisis intervention and referrals to appropriate services in the community.
Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) Services, often referred to as OAT, provides people who have been diagnosed with an opioid disorder with treatment using medications like buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) methadone and Oral Morphine (SROM)/Kadian. Fraser Health’s Opioid Agonist Treatment services provide longitudinal, comprehensive care and facilitate connections to other health care services and community supports. (e.g. Primary Care, counselling etc.)
Fraser Health Rapid Access to Addiction Care (RAAC) clinic provides low-barrier, responsive care to patients with substance use concerns with an aim of assessment, initial stabilization and transition to community-based clinics and services. The Rapid Access to Addiction Care (RAAC) clinic will include addiction medicine assessments for any substance use issue, including alcohol. It is intended to provide a low barrier and responsive access to addiction medicine assessments, maximize treatment support for clients, provide training and distribution of Take Home Naloxone, offer harm reduction services and facilitate referrals to substance use services.
The Urgent Care Response Centre (UCRC) supports adults (19 years and older) who need help with a mental health or substance use concern. Currently, there is one UCRC for adults living in Surrey.
The Virtual Health Addiction Clinic (VHAC) is a service that provides virtual in-reach to hospitals for addiction medicine support and discharge facilitation for admitted patients requiring management of their opioid use disorder.
The Day, Evening, Weekend Program (DEW) provides group-based support for individuals who are looking for an outpatient substance use program. This program is for adults (19+), of all genders, living in the Fraser Health region.
Community Substance Use Services (Outpatient Counselling) provides individual, couple and family substance use counselling for adults 19+ as well as for those impacted by a family member.
Child, youth and young adult programs and services
Learn more about many of the services offered in our child, youth and young adult programs and join our team!
Acute Psychiatry and Mental Health Services
The Emergency Response Team (ERT) serves all Fraser Health Emergency Departments. The team includes a nurse and a mental health clinician and is responsible for:
- Providing support to staff and patients presenting at hospital emergency departments with mental health and/or substance use concerns
- Being present at hospitals and supporting Emergency Department staff, physicians and on-call psychiatrist with patient assessments to provide recommendations for discharge.
- Facilitating safe discharge planning which includes:
- Education
- Safety planning
- Referral service
- Follow up calls to ensure safety and connection to community
Addiction Medicine & Substance Use Services
Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) Services, often referred to as OAT, provides people who have been diagnosed with an opioid disorder with treatment using medications like buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) methadone and Oral Morphine (SROM)/Kadian. Fraser Health’s Opioid Agonist Treatment services provide longitudinal, comprehensive care and facilitate connections to other health care services and community supports. (e.g. Primary Care, counselling etc.)
Fraser Health Rapid Access to Addiction Care (RAAC) clinic provides low-barrier, responsive care to patients with substance use concerns with an aim of assessment, initial stabilization and transition to community-based clinics and services. The Rapid Access to Addiction Care (RAAC) clinic will include addiction medicine assessments for any substance use issue, including alcohol. It is intended to provide a low barrier and responsive access to addiction medicine assessments, maximize treatment support for clients, provide training and distribution of Take Home Naloxone, offer harm reduction services and facilitate referrals to substance use services.
The Short-Term Assessment Response Treatment (START) team provides in-community mental health and/or substance use assessments and has three community offices in the Fraser Health region. Our central contact number (1-844-782-7811) will connect you with the START team that serves the area where you live.
Make your next career move, and join our MHSU team
Jobs are available in the following professions.
Have questions? Apply today to get connected to a recruiter.
- Psychiatrists
- Psychologists
- Social workers
- Psychiatric nurses
- Counsellors
- Occupational therapists
- Recreation therapists
- Vocational counsellors
- Exercise therapists
- Family support services
- Peer support workers
