OVERVIEW & ELIGIBILITY

New social work trainees are accepted into the program each year from a range of backgrounds. The program runs one year part-time from July 2 to June 30, or may be completed over six months full-time.

We're pleased to offer Fellowship opportunities with focused clinical rotations in the Interior, Vancouver Island (primarily in Victoria), Fraser Health, and the lower mainland of Vancouver. Applicants should indicate their preferred location in their letter of intent, along with a brief summary of why they would be a good fit.

Fellowship Overview

• The program encourages learning experiences across the continuum of substance use care in a variety of settings, including inpatient, outpatient, withdrawal management, recovery oriented systems of care, concurrent disorders, innovative practice, harm reduction, and research.
• Addiction Social Work Fellows are also encouraged to enhance their understanding of best practice approaches to working with a wide range of populations including Indigenous people, youth, women, and LGBTQ communities, for example. Social workers have the opportunity to integrate social justice practice with evidence-based approaches to substance use care.
• There is flexibility in rotations based on experience and individual learning objectives.
• The program also supports didactic learning experiences through a two-week academic block, interdisciplinary academic half-days, journal clubs, research and presentation skills development, and clinical skills workshops.
• Each Fellow’s rotations are tailored to learning objectives that are set with the Program Director. Practice competencies include: understanding substance use, assessment, treatment and intervention planning, counseling, referral, service coordination, education, group work, documentation, and inter-professional work.
• A description of the training rotations can be found below.

Eligibility

Fellows must hold a minimum of a Master of Social Work degree and be registered and in good standing with the British Columbia College of Social Work.

FELLOWSHIP CORE ROTATIONS

APPLY

Application Timeline for the 2025-2026 Addiction Social Work Fellowship:

• September 2, 2024: Application process opens
• December 2, 2024: Application deadline
• January 2 – 31, 2025: Interview period
• February 24, 2025: Acceptance notification
• March 7, 2025: Deadline for acceptance of offer by applicant
• July 2, 2025: Fellowship begins

Please note: While the Fellowship is envisioned to begin July 2, 2025, there may be some flexibility with the start date, particularly for applicants who bring their own funding.

Application Details
Interested candidates must submit an electronic copy of the following documentation:

1. A total of two letters of reference
2. One letter of reference should be from the applicant’s manager or supervisor and outline employer/organizational support for the applicant to complete the fellowship program
3. A 700-word letter of intent describing:
• The applicant’s background,
• The applicant’s preparation for the Fellowship,
• Why they are interested in a career in addiction social work, and
• The ways the applicant imagines their experience as a Fellow will allow them to have impact within the substance use system of care.
4. A curriculum vitae

Note: It is the applicants responsibility ensure that their manager(s) and director(s) support their participation in the Addiction Social Work Fellowship.

Please send an electronic copy of all application materials to [email protected].

Interviews
Interviews may be conducted with top candidates from each discipline shortly after the application deadline. Interviews may be in person, on the phone, or via Zoom.

General Inquiries

For further information about this Fellowship program, please contact us at [email protected].

FELLOWS

Past Addiction Social Work Fellows are below.

PROGRAM LEADERSHIP

Jessica Mensinger, MSW, RSW, Co-Director, BCCSU Addiction Social Work Fellowship Program

Alexandra Rothenberg, MSW, RSW, Co-Director BCCSU Addiction Social Work Fellowship Program

SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS

St. Paul’s Hospital at Providence Health Care is an acute care, academic, and research hospital located in downtown Vancouver. With over 500 acute care beds in use and home to many world-leading medical and surgical programs, the hospital serves both the local community and patients from across BC. Its downtown location brings many of Vancouver’s tourists and visitors to its doors. St. Paul’s also has a longstanding history of providing care to disadvantaged populations. For more information about St. Paul’s Hospital, please click here.

The BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) is a provincially networked resource with a mandate to develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based approaches to substance use and addiction. The BCCSU focuses on three strategic areas: research and evaluation, education and training, and clinical care guidance. With the support of the province of British Columbia, the BCCSU hosts the largest interdisciplinary addiction medicine training program in North America, building capacity in the healthcare system in BC to improve access to evidence-based care. Although physically located in Vancouver, the BCCSU is a provincially networked resource for researchers, educators, and care providers, as well as people who use substances, family advocates, support groups, and the recovery community.

The University of British Columbia (UBC), established in 1908, is one of Canada’s leading research universities, consistently ranked among the top 40 in the world. The university attracts 54,000 students from across Canada and 140 countries around the world to two major campuses. For more information about UBC, please click here.

St. Paul’s Foundation raises funds to support compassionate world-class care, research, and teaching at St. Paul’s Hospital. The BCCSU Addiction Medicine Fellowship is a partnership between St. Paul’s Foundation, St. Paul’s Hospital, the BC Centre on Substance Use, and the UBC Division of AIDS. The program was launched with a $3 million landmark donation to St. Paul’s Foundation, gifted by Goldcorp, Inc. The Foundation continues to secure additional funding to support the program. For more information, or to donate, please click here.

Vancouver Coastal Health is a regional health authority providing direct and contracted health services including primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary care; home and community care; mental health services; population and preventive health; and addictions services in part of Greater Vancouver and the Coast Garibaldi area. For more information, please click here.

Health Sciences Association of British Columbia represents more than 18,000 health science professionals at over 250 hospitals and agencies in acute care, long-term care and community health, including workers at child development centres and transition houses.. For more information, please click here.