Student Placements

St. Leonard’s Community Services is committed to supporting the development of post secondary students by providing meaningful field placement supervision experiences.

The Agency offers multiple placement options including: 

• Special education classrooms.
• Youth Employment Services.
• Group Homes for youth and adults.
• Addiction and Mental Health office based and outreach treatment.
• Justice Services for youth and adult offenders.

Students are considered part of the staff team and they receive a thorough orientation, on site training and one to one supervision identical to employees.  Students participate in the development of their placement plan establishing objectives, tasks and monitoring outcomes.

Duties include a wide variety of tasks including:

• Monitoring client progress, assessing risk, providing individual counselling, communicating information and resolving problems
• Assisting with meals and snacks and clean up.
• Providing wake-up calls.
• Monitors and supervising clients to ensure rules and regulations are adhered to and that daily routines are followed such as chore completion and taking corrective action.
• Acting as a referral source and assisting with discharge planning.
• Scheduling and/or co-ordinating client appointments and assisting with transportation.
• Advising and/or collaborating with clients and staff to organize and implement groups or recreational activities.
• Preparing materials and facilitating or co-facilitating a variety of groups such as relapse prevention, SNAP™, PASP and maintenance groups.
• Utilizing the cognitive behavioural approach to teach skills such as problem solving, anger management, self-control and coping strategies.
• Assisting with intervening and managing client behaviour through verbal diffusing and de-escalating, applying Prevention and Management of Aggressive behaviour (PMAB) techniques.
• Assisting and/or completing the intake and orientation process including obtaining signatures on documents, reviewing rights, responsibilities, rules, regulations and program expectations and touring the facility.
• Assisting with arranging for basic needs and/or storing client’s personal belongings.
• Communicating with family members and/or referral sources by sharing information, addressing concerns and resolving problems.
• Inputting client information into the database.
• Recording statistical information, which may include collating information and generating reports.
• Logging client activities and movement, observations and messages.
• Completes a variety of documents such as client incident reports, assessment reports and case notes.
• Completing, reviewing and scoring assessments to gather information and to identify strengths and needs to determine appropriate methods and levels of intervention.
• Providing clerical support by preparing and distributing lists, memos and minutes, maintaining files, reports, photocopying and filing.
• Participating in shift briefings and/or case management meetings to update current situation and client progress, discuss issues of concern and share information.
• Responds to telephone inquiries, takes messages and greets visitors.