• Team: Children and Youth Counselling Team
• Location: Woolloongabba; outreach across greater Brisbane, Ipswich and Logan will be required
• Level: Level 5 Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award ($97,377 to $101,787 per annum, pro-rata + leave loading and superannuation). Salary sacrificing available.
• Reports to: Children and Youth Counselling Team Leader
• Contract: Full-time (part-time considered)

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 families, particularly families in the pre-natal period and with children aged 0-5 years. This includes providing high quality family-focused counselling, advocacy and therapeutic group work programs and workshops. The role will support individuals, families and communities from refugee backgrounds to heal, belong, thrive and restore their sense of justice in our community.

Character

We are looking for a Counsellor Advocate who is passionate about recovery from trauma for families from a refugee background. You will hold expertise in and knowledge of delivering trauma focussed interventions for individuals and their families/carers, particularly during the pre- natal period and with children aged 0 to 5 years. You will do this by providing a range of interventions including early intervention, individual, group and family-based approaches.

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 families from refugee backgrounds. We believe in cultural respect. We are looking for someone who is comfortable working with families from many cultural and religious backgrounds, including with parents/carers who may have varied cultural styles of parenting and care. The successful candidate will be committed to human rights and believe in social justice irrespective of differences related to gender, age, culture, religion, sexuality, disability, socio-economic status or political opinion.

Responsibilities

1. Undertake family-focused intakes and/or assessments which identify and respond to the needs of families with infants and young children, including assessing and managing risk to optimise safety and well-being within the family context;
2. Deliver family-focused therapeutic brief interventions and/or counselling utilising a range of therapeutic approaches which are trauma informed, recovery oriented and culturally sensitive. This includes providing therapeutic dyadic interventions for infants/young children together with their parents/carers;
3. Deliver appropriate client related advocacy which supports healing and the opportunity for families to thrive and belong in the Australian community;
4. Conduct regular review of case plans and therapeutic progress for families, inclusive of family members’ needs, to recognise when treatment goals require further co- design or when to initiate case closure;
5. Provide psychoeducation to families regarding the impacts of refugee-related trauma and incorporating an understanding of development and life stages;
6. Design, deliver and evaluate family-focused group interventions which promote trauma recovery and strengthen the confidence and capacity of family members in their relationships and family roles. This may include providing group work interventions with infants/young children together with their parents/carers;
7. Work collaboratively with the system that sits alongside the family, including community leaders, community agencies and other stakeholders;
8. Contribute to the enhancement of QPASTT’s family-focused interventions, particularly in relation to, pre-natal and infant mental health, and early years family- focused assessment processes and group work programs;
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. Eligibility for membership of the relevant professional body;
2. Ability to conceptualise and articulate refugee trauma recovery frameworks;
3. Two years of professional experience working therapeutically with families. This includes demonstrated knowledge and skills in trauma informed and family centred therapeutic interventions for families who are presenting with psychological distress and/or recovery needs;
4. Experience and knowledge in the area of childhood development, attachment and the impact of trauma upon infants, children and parenting/caregiving and child-parent/carer relationships;
5. Experience working systemically, including advocating with and on behalf of their families with respect to a range of issues related to education, health, welfare, legal and government;
6. Ability to deliver culturally safe therapeutic support;
7. Ability to identify client-related risks and implement ways to reduce risk and optimise safety within the family context;
8. Ability to document assessment and intervention as well as write professional reports based on therapeutic intervention;
9. Desirable - Having lived refugee experience or refugee-like experience is an advantage;
10. Desirable – Experience working with individuals and families from refugee and/or CALD backgrounds;
11. Desirable – Skills and experience in group work delivery;
12. Desirable – Family Therapy and/or Infant Mental Health training or qualification.

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.

Should you wish to talk with someone about this position, please contact Taryn McBurney, Children and Youth Counselling Team Leader on (07) 3391 6677 (Monday to Friday) or [email protected] using the subject line: Counsellor Advocate - Family, Early Years enquiry via EthicalJobs.

A position description is attached.