Role Title: Expressive Arts Therapist

Team: HEAL – School-based Expressive Arts Therapy Program

Location: Harristown State School, Toowoomba, with support from QPASTT offices in Brisbane and Toowoomba.

Level: Level 5 Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award $97,377.80 - $101,787.92 per annum, pro-rata (depending on experience), plus leave loading and superannuation. Salary sacrificing available.

Reports to: HEAL Co-Manager

Contract: Part time (2-days per week). Fixed term for a minimum of 22 weeks and a maximum of 26 weeks, commencing early 2025 – dates to be negotiated.

Fixed term will include delivery of the HEAL program for 2 x 10-week school terms, plus additional time for induction and program design

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 provide recovery focused therapeutic intervention with primary- school aged children who are refugee survivors of torture and/or trauma.

This is a unique opportunity to support the mental health and well-being of children in a school setting through creative therapeutic approaches. You will work closely with mainly refugee-background students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, to foster emotional resilience, overcome trauma and encourage personal growth.

The role of an Expressive Arts Therapist involves assessment, counselling, psychoeducation, client focused advocacy and therapeutic group work. This also includes engagement and consultation with family members and key stakeholders including school staff who are involved in optimising the recovery and well-being of children and young people.

Character

We are looking for an Expressive Arts Therapist who is passionate about recovery from trauma for children and young 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 and who can flexibly and thoughtfully adapt their practice to suit client needs.

We are looking for someone who enjoys developing their practice by making use of HEAL’s supervision, internal training, team building and professional development opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Deliver client-centred, trauma-informed and developmentally appropriate therapeutic expressive therapy (incorporating a range of modalities) to primary school-aged children to promote healing and recovery, following HEAL procedures and guidelines as directed.
• Deliver appropriate client-related advocacy which supports healing and the opportunity to thrive and belong in the school community.
• Provide psycho-education to enable clients and their families to understand and develop strategies for recovery.
• Manage risk with clients with complex and/or crisis presentations in accordance with organisational processes and supports including school protocols.
• Build and foster collaborative partnerships with family members, school staff and the broader school community.
• Ensure quality service delivery including accountability with contractual and organisational requirements. This includes the writing of case notes and program reports.
• Ability to abide by the vision and values of QPASTT & HEAL including our Code of Conduct as well as the policies and procedures of the organisation.

Requirements

• Degree level qualifications in relevant expressive therapies, such as art and/or play therapy, music/drama/movement therapy. Eligibility for membership of the relevant professional body.
• Good conceptualisation and ability to articulate refugee trauma recovery frameworks and the ability to apply these to therapeutic work with children and young people. This includes an understanding of key theories related to trauma recovery, child development and attachment.
• Two years of professional therapeutic experience, including experience working with children and young people and/or families.
• Ability to build trusting, safe and respectful relationships with children, young people and their families to respond to their varying psychosocial needs.
• Build and foster collaborative partnerships with school staff.
• Ability to deliver culturally safe support.
• Ability to identify client-related risks and implement ways to reduce risk.
• Ability to document assessment and intervention as well as write professional reports based on therapeutic intervention.
• Desirable – experience in working with clients from refugee backgrounds and/or linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds.

Conditions of Employment

• Current Positive Notice Blue Card and provision of an annual federal police check.

A position description is attached.