• Progressive Workplace Flexibility options that enables genuine work life balance
• Maximise your take home pay with up to $15,900 per annum salary packaging
• $75,656 to $81,404 pro rata (neg), plus super, 17.5% leave loading and salary packaging

about us

Love Trust Honesty Respect Concern

Odyssey House Victoria (OHV) is a place of hope and positive change for individuals working towards breaking their pattern of addiction. At Odyssey House we believe that every person should have the opportunity to change and grow. Our diverse teams work with individuals, families, and communities to reduce alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, improve mental health, and reconnect people to their family and the community. OHV is a dynamic and fast-growing organisation committed to excellence in service provision and innovation in responding to alcohol and other drugs use problems.

The Melbourne Drug Court is a post-sentence program focusing on the rehabilitation and treatment of offenders with a drug and/or alcohol dependency. The purpose of Melbourne Drug Court is to impose and administer Drug and Alcohol Treatment Orders to allow the participant to receive drug and / or alcohol treatment, whilst also addressing the participant's drug and / or alcohol dependency.

Who are WE looking for?

We are looking for a seasoned counsellor with significant experience in the provision of assessment and counselling services with AOD and/or dual diagnosis clients, and a proven ability to work effectively with people and families experiencing problematic alcohol and other drugs use in a respectful, compassionate and positive manner.

We are very interested in discussing with you, how you may be able to use your skills and experience within OHV to benefit our clients on their journey to recovery. We want to attract the best possible people whose values align strongly with those of OHV.

If you want to make a real and profound difference to someone’s life, this could be the role for you.

What we can give YOU!

In return we are committed to offering you an inclusive and transparent workplace culture where our people can develop to be their very best by:

• Providing access to information, skills, and training
• Enabling work across wider organisational roles and programs
• Providing ongoing development and regular constructive feedback
• Providing work that is meaningful and challenging, with career development opportunities through project and secondment opportunities and succession planning

benefits

We also believe in giving people real flexibility in their work, and so our Workplace Flexibility policy* enables our staff to be great at work, and great at home too, with options of:

• Flexible Leave including 48/52 Purchased Leave, Study Leave and Sabbaticals
• Flexible Working Hours and Days including school-oriented part-year hours and monthly RDO’s for full-timers
• Flexible Workplaces including WFH and Telework
• Having Pets in the Workplace

(*Flexibility agreements will vary based on role requirements)

And OHV employees also have access to generous employee benefits including:

• Salary packaging up to $15,900 per annum
• Mobile phone and laptop
• A fully maintained motor vehicle where role-required
• Access to 24/7 Counselling through our Employee Assistance Provider (EAP)
• Monthly Clinical Supervision sessions for professional development and personal wellbeing

The position

The position is offered as a part time, 0.5 FTE, maximum term contract to 30 June 2023. The role is based at the Melbourne Drug Court offices at 350 Queen Street, Melbourne.

The key purpose of the role is to provide dual-diagnosis-informed AOD counselling to people with a history of offending and who have been sentenced to the Melbourne Drug Court as an alternative to prison. You will have the opportunity to work on a diverse team of specialists and to achieve positive change in the lives of people who want to address their substance use and offending behaviour.

This is a not to miss opportunity to use your senior clinical skills in an integrated services setting and a creative environment that actively challenges the stigma associated with substance use and incarceration. You will be working therapeutically with people who have complex needs to include entrenched patterns of drug related offending behaviour and substance dependence, to stay out of prison and redirect their lives.

Your work will be supported by a range of in-house services including legal aid, peer support workers, housing workers, clinical advisors and case managers. Unlike many AOD positions, the majority of this role is in counselling and clinical review. The Drug Court model has demonstrated success worldwide in turning around the lives of people with significant drug issues. It offers people a positive alternative to prison that appropriately addresses the causes of their offending. The position is well resourced and will provide you with valuable experience in the legal arena.

To be successful in this role you will

• Be approachable and communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing
• Be able to self-regulate and self-monitor own behaviours, practice self-reflection at all times, display a commitment to realistically assess own personal strengths, limitations, biases, and effectiveness, and remain open to feedback and constructive criticism
• Be a team player who is supportive of one’s colleagues
• Be driven by own moral values, which will be aligned to those of Odyssey House
• Demonstrate understanding of the importance and application of inclusive practice when working with people from diverse communities, such as cultures, genders, sexualities, bodies, abilities, spiritualities, ages and backgrounds
• Demonstrate understanding of the importance and application of intersectionality when working with people from all cultures, genders, sexualities, bodies, abilities, spiritualities, ages and backgrounds

Application information

The full position description can be viewed HERE.

If the position description link above is unavailable (dependent on advertising platform functionality), alternatively, please paste the following into your browser to view it: http://odyssey.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/POSCS3145-Senior-AOD-Counsellor-MDC.pdf

Please remember to address your application to Caroline Long, Manager Service Development, and include your CV and a cover letter addressing the key selection criteria.

If you have any questions relating to the position, please contact Sheridan Manley on 0481 914 845, or at [email protected] using the subject line: Senior AOD Counsellor - Melbourne Drug Court enquiry via EthicalJobs.

At OHV we value diversity and believe that a range of backgrounds brings a variety of ideas, perspectives and experiences that will enhance our effectiveness. We promote a workplace that actively seeks to include, welcome and value unique contributions by encouraging people with disability, Aboriginal Australians, LGBTQIA, young people and people from culturally diverse backgrounds to apply for this position.

OHV is committed to child safety and is a child safe organisation. All OHV employees must undergo Police Records and Working with Children Checks. Any person issued with a negative notice on their Working with Children Check will not be eligible for employment with us.

In line with recent Victorian Government mandatory vaccination requirements for the health industry, and OHV's Mandatory Vaccination Policy, all Odyssey House Victoria staff are required to hold full vaccination status, and effective as of 1 March 2022 also have received the Booster Vaccination. Evidence of such vaccination status will be requested during the onboarding process and offers will be rescinded where such evidence cannot be provided.

All Odyssey House Victoria sites are smoke free for all employees.