• Advanced Practitioner (Counsellor/Advocate) - Toowoomba
• Role Title: Advanced Practitioner (Counsellor/Advocate) – Toowoomba
• Team: Toowoomba (Regional Team)
• Location: Toowoomba (occasional travel to Brisbane will be required).
• Level: Level 5.3 Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award plus Advanced practitioner allowance ($95.401.28, pro-rata + leave loading and superannuation). Salary sacrificing available. Relocation option considered.
• Reports to: Toowoomba Team Leader
• Contract: Part-time or Full-time considered, ongoing pending 6-month probation. Occasional out of hours work will be required.

Our Vision

Healing the past, nurturing the future.

Our vision is for refugee survivors of persecution to live lives liberated from the harms of torture, trauma and human rights injustice. We exist to nurture meaningful futures by assisting refugee survivors to heal, belong and thrive in our community.

Our Values

Kindness

We care.

In all our work, survivors of torture and trauma come first.

Optimism

We believe in meaningful futures.

We are committed to healing being a journey of growth across mind, body and spirit.

Perseverance

We don’t give up.

We understand that healing requires time, patience and courage for individuals, families and communities.

Justice

We believe that to heal and belong are human rights.

We collaborate to build opportunities so that survivors of torture and trauma can belong and thrive in our community.

Role Purpose

The primary purpose of this role is to deliver meaningful trauma recovery outcomes for clients, their families and communities. Our regional team supports individuals, families and communities from refugee backgrounds to heal, belong, thrive and restore their sense of justice in our community.

The role of an Advanced Practitioner (Counsellor/Advocate) involves utilising advanced therapeutic skills and experience in assessment, counselling, psychoeducation, client focused advocacy and therapeutic group work. This also includes engagement and consultation with key stakeholders who are involved in optimising the recovery and well-being of clients. It includes a commitment to and involvement in the ongoing development and enhancement of the Toowoomba team’s capacity to provide recovery based support by way of peer support and/or undertaking focused therapeutic projects identified in collaboration with the Team Leader.

Character

We are looking for an Advanced Practitioner (Counsellor/Advocate) who is passionate about recovery from trauma for people from a refugee background. We value the ability to engage clients in healing across mind, body and spirit. You will be compassionate, patient and courageous in managing a range of vulnerabilities experienced by our clients and their families. We believe in cultural respect. We are looking for someone who is comfortable working with clients from many cultural and religious backgrounds, as well as sexual orientations and who is able to flexibly and thoughtfully adapt their practice to suit client needs. We are looking for someone who enjoys developing their practice by making use of QPASTT’s supervision, internal training, team building and professional development opportunities.

Responsibilities

1. Deliver client-centred, developmentally appropriate therapeutic counselling (incorporating a range of modalities) to promote healing, and recovery, including to clients with complex presentations;
2. Deliver appropriate client related advocacy which supports healing and the opportunity to thrive and belong in the Australian community;
3. Provide psychoeducation to enable clients to understand and develop strategies for recovery as well as support in training delivery;
4. Be open to contributing to the delivery of group-based therapeutic and psycho-education interventions, and support community events as required;
5. Provide assessment and intervention that is accessible, trauma informed and culturally sensitive to the needs of survivors of torture and trauma. This requires flexibility in service delivery, which involves meeting clients at QPASTT offices, theirs homes, and/or in other community locations;
6. Manage risk with clients with complex and/or crisis presentations in accordance with organizational processes and supports;
7. Provide peer support to team members and/or undertake focused therapeutic projects identified in collaboration with the Team Leader. This may include providing leave coverage for the Team Leader;
8. Build and foster collaborative partnerships with family members, community members and other agencies;
9. Ensure quality service delivery including accountability with contractual and organisational requirements. This includes the writing of case notes and client related professional reports;
10. Ability to abide by the vision and values of QPASTT including our Code of Conduct as well as the policies and procedures of the organisation;
11. Support research and evaluation initiatives of the organisation.

Requirements

1. Degree level qualifications in Social Work, Psychology, Counselling or Occupational Therapy or relevant expressive therapies. Eligibility for membership of the relevant professional body;
2. Advanced conceptualisation and ability to articulate trauma recovery frameworks and the ability to apply these to therapeutic work. This includes an understanding of key theories related to trauma recovery, development across the life span and attachment;
3. Four years of professional therapeutic experience, preferably in a refugee trauma recovery context;
4. Ability to build trusting, safe and respectful relationships across the lifespan (children, youth, adults, elderly);
5. Ability to deliver culturally safe support;
6. Ability to identify client-related risks and implement ways to reduce risk;
7. Ability to document assessment and intervention as well as write professional reports based on therapeutic intervention;
8. Desirable – experience in providing group work interventions, working with clients from refugee backgrounds/culturally and linguistic backgrounds and/or specialised skills in working with particular cohorts (children, young people, and/or adults).

Conditions of Employment

1. Current Positive Notice Blue Card and provision of an annual federal police check;
2. Current Queensland C Class driver’s licence;
3. Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination or an exemption certificate from Queensland Health authorised personnel;
4. Occasional out of hours’ work. Occasional travel to other QPASTT offices;
5. The period of probation will be six months.

Should you wish to talk with someone about this position, please contact Ruth Power, Team Leader, Toowoomba on 0413033642 or email [email protected] using the subject line: Advanced Practitioner - Counsellor / Advocate - Toowoomba enquiry via EthicalJobs.

A position description is attached.