Quitline Counsellor

**_Quitline Counsellor_**

**Employment Type**: Full Time Fixed Term until 30.Jun.2027
**Position Classification**: Health Professional Award Level 1-2.
**Remuneration**: $70,944 - $101,211 per annum, excluding superannuation
**Hours Per Week**: 38
**Location**: 1 Reserve Road St Leonads
**Requisition ID**: REQ514199

**_ Do you have experience as a counsellor and want to make a difference for people with nicotine dependency?_**
- **Be part of an organisation that makes a difference in cancer control in NSW.**:

- **Use your counselling skills to provide high quality support to people to quit smoking and/or vaping.**:

- **Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are encouraged to apply.**:

- **Bilingual counsellors are encouraged to apply.**

**_ Where you’ll be working_**

The Cancer Institute NSW is the NSW Government’s cancer control agency, established to lessen the impact of cancer across the state.

Working at the Cancer Institute NSW means joining a team of committed and dedicated staff who are proud to be a part of the Institute’s purpose of overseeing and accelerating the effectiveness of cancer control in NSW.

The Cancer Institute is a collaborative working environment that encourages diversity and inclusion in how we work and the way we work together. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are strongly encouraged to apply. Greater consideration will be given to suitable applicants, in order to improve access to employment and career opportunities (GSE Rule 26).

**_ What you’ll be doing_**

The NSW Quitline service provides cessation focused telephone counselling to people who:

- Smoke and vape.
- Provide information and support to carers and family members of people who smoke and/or vape.
- Provide information to health professionals on cessation care.

The Quitline Counsellor is responsible for the provision of evidence-based clinical services including assessment, treatment planning, counselling, referral for clients who call or are referred to NSW Quitline and promoting the Quitline service through community engagement activities.

The Quitline Counsellor works with people from diverse population groups and backgrounds with complex health conditions

You will be required to provide information and therapeutic smoking and/or vaping cessation counselling with clients who call the Quitline NSW service.

Your previous experience as a counsellor along with your verbal communication skills are essential to the role, as is a professional can-do-attitude, ability to effectively collaborate and work as a team player.

Successful applicants will be required to work 38 hours per week as part of a rotating roster. Quitline hours of service operation are 8.00 am to 8.00 pm weekdays and 8.30 am to 5.00 pm on Saturday’s. Rostered shift work across hours of operation is a requirement of the role.

Quitline NSW provides a bilingual counselling service. We encourage bilingual applicants to apply, especially those who speak Arabic.
- Your resume (maximum five pages)
- A covering letter addressing the Essential Requirements, as outlined in the Role Description
- A response to the Pre-screening questions, as outlined below.

**_Essential requirements_**
- Completed a minimum three-year bachelor’s degree qualification in counselling, social work or psychology and minimum of 3-years clinical experience in counselling and be able to be registered with the Peak Body associated with the qualified discipline.
- High level verbal and written communication skills, including clinical documentation and client communication.
- Demonstrated ability to remain calm and execute clinical service delivery with confidence and patience in a high-pressure environment.
- Willingness to work a variety of shifts, including weekends and outside business hours, and flexibility to assist with backfilling shifts at times.
- Experience in providing counselling and information in a telephone counselling environment is preferable, but not essential.
- All Quitline staff are required to be non-smokers. A former smoker or vaper must have been quit for at least six months.

**_ Pre-screening questions_**
- Please outline an evidence-based approach to engage and support clients who smoke and/or vape and want to quit? What are the key elements to consider when working with this client group, what counselling methods would you utilise to establish and maintain client motivation?
- Describe a time you have managed a challenging counselling situation. What were the challenges experienced, what strategies did you use to manage these challenges and maintain a positive therapeutic alliance?

**_Interested?_**

For more information:

- Click here for the Role Description

**Applications Close: Sunday 15 September, 2024 at 11.30 pm**

The CORE+4 Values define what is important to the Cancer Institute NSW and our employees.
Our values are: Collaboration, Openness, Respect, Empowerment, Strategic, Supportive, Innovative and Flexi