As Australia's first Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre (the 'Centre') offering long term support to women who have experienced domestic family and sexual violence, we intend to continually refine and improve our services to ensure we are supporting women to live independent, secure lives with hope and optimism.

We are seeking a dedicated professional to join our dynamic team as a Domestic Family Sexual Violence (DFSV) Trauma Counsellor.

As the DFSV Trauma Counsellor, you’ll take the helm in championing trauma-informed care, driving impactful change, and guiding our mission to support and empower women. This is your chance to lead and innovate in a role dedicated to transformative healing and recovery.

About us:

The Centre is a community-led initiative, co-designed with women with lived expertise, professional experts and service providers to offer free comprehensive and long-term support to women recovering and healing from the trauma of domestic, family and sexual violence.

The Centre is a project of the Illawarra Women's Health Centre. Established in 1986, we are nationally accredited and provide a safe place for women to access specialised high-quality women's medical and health care services.

Where you will channel your energy:

• Build strong, collaborative relationships with external service providers and government agencies, focusing on primary health care, recovery, and healing in the DFSV sector.
• Deliver comprehensive assessments and therapeutic interventions to clients using client-centered, recovery-focused, and trauma-informed approaches.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary professionals, including program managers and lived experience participants, to advocate for and support women impacted by DFSV.
• Play a key role in shaping internal policies, service planning, and evaluation to enhance our programs and services.
• Develop and implement best practice systems and protocols across the health and welfare sectors to support effective intervention and recovery.
• Ensure meticulous record-keeping and reporting in compliance with our Centre’s policies, procedures, and legal obligations.
• Engage in regular clinical supervision, administrative oversight, and reflective practice to continually enhance your professional growth.
• Maintain up-to-date professional registration and comply with all relevant legal requirements.
• Contribute to advocacy efforts around domestic violence, women's mental health, and trauma recovery as outlined in our Centre’s Advocacy Strategy.

About YOU:

• A genuine enthusiasm for and alignment with Illawarra Women’s Health Centre’s vision, mission, and core values.
• Tertiary qualifications in Psychology, Social Work, or Counselling, along with eligibility or membership in the relevant professional associations and/or registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
• Proven experience in delivering therapeutic interventions to survivors of domestic, family, and sexual violence (DFSV), with a deep commitment to trauma-informed care principles.
• Strong interpersonal abilities to interact with staff at all levels and thrive as part of a cohesive team.
• Proven success working within diverse, multidisciplinary teams to support the recovery and healing of women affected by domestic, family, and sexual violence (DFSV).
• Demonstrated ability to create, implement, and evaluate personalised care plans in partnership with women impacted by DFSV.
• Skilled in providing culturally responsive counselling to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, with a solid understanding of their unique needs.
• A commitment to ongoing cultural learning and critical self-reflection on race, privilege, and power dynamics.

The nice to haves (desirable knowledge and experience):

• Background in working with diverse communities or lived experience of diversity, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, LGBTQIA+, migrant, culturally and linguistically diverse, neurodivergent individuals, and those with disabilities.
• Demonstrated experience in advocating for gender equality and women’s rights.
• Fluency in a community language other than English is a plus.
• Training or experience in somatic-based therapeutic interventions.
• In-depth knowledge of contemporary family, domestic, and sexual violence, including the trauma impacts of gender-based violence and abuse.

What we do for you:

• Work with Purpose: Be part of a passionate and highly regarded not-for-profit organisation dedicated to making a real difference in the community.
• Flexible Salary Packaging: Take advantage of our flexible salary packaging options to maximise your take-home pay.
• Extra Leave: Enjoy additional leave during the festive season, on top of standard leave entitlements, giving you more time to relax and recharge.
• Wellness Leave: Prioritise your physical and mental well-being with four days of dedicated wellness leave each year.
• Professional Development: Access a wealth of ongoing learning opportunities and career development programs to help you grow and excel in your role.

next steps

At the Centre we truly value our people. We are committed to offering more than just a job; we offer benefits to enhance your career, help you grow, and celebrate your achievements.

The Centre welcomes all women to come exactly as they are. As a women's only organisation under Section 30 of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, being female is a genuine occupational requirement for this position. Specifically, The Centre encourages and supports women living with a disability to apply and welcomes discussions about any reasonable adjustments that may be needed. Although this is an open recruitment process, The Centre strongly encourages, supports, and welcomes applications from woman who identify as First Nations people/Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

* Please note that having a criminal record will not automatically exclude your application. We recognise that women can have experiences with the criminal justice system that are discriminatory and unjust. We know, for example, that women can, and often are, misidentified as a primary offender in domestic and family violence situations. We will require, a Working with Children Check and adherence to The Centre’s workplace policies, including our Covid Policy.

To submit your application, please click ‘Apply Now’.

Illawarra Women's Trauma Recovery Centre is an equal opportunity employer. Applications from diverse backgrounds are encouraged.

For further information about The Centre please visit Illawarra Women's Health Centre (womenshealthcentre.com.au).