Child Therapist

About Us

We provide a range of therapeutic services for infants, children and young people who have suffered trauma, neglect and disrupted attachment, contributing to the service system that provides care, support and protection for these children.

We are also involved in the provision of therapeutic family violence services, therapeutic foster care, therapeutic residential care, and therapeutic services for the Family Preservation and Reunification Response Program.

The Opportunity

• Ballarat office, Wadawurrung Country
• Part Time 0.5FTE, Permanent role
• $116K pro rata plus super and salary packaging

We have implemented the Teaching Family Model (TFM), an evidence based holistic approach to supporting young people in out of home care with a focus on teaching age-appropriate social skills, problem solving and self-determination in a family style group setting. Our Residential Care staff are also trained in the use of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI), a proactive prevention and de-escalation approach to crisis situations.

You will work closely with the young people and Residential Care team focusing on facilitating reflective practice and building team members knowledge of therapeutic parenting strategies which will enable them to develop responses which foster a therapeutic care environment. Spending significant time at the home to provide coaching, modelling and informal therapeutic conversations with the staff and young people will be required to ensure success in this role and program.

Key Responsibilities for this specialist role is to provide clinical assessment, consultancy and therapeutic support to our Western Therapeutic Residential Care program.

• Conducting assessments and developing therapeutic treatment plans, in conjunction with the client and care team, with clear goals that are reviewed regularly.
• Working closely and collaboratively with the client and the care team to achieve agreed goals within a specified time frame.
• Working collaboratively with the Teaching Family Model consultant to support staff, provide training, and implement the model in a tailored approach for each child.
• Helping residential staff to incorporate the model in a therapeutic manner.

Your ideal candidate profile includes:

• Sound decision making skills,
• Reflected in excellent clinical judgements.
• A high degree of self-discipline, reflected in the ability to provide targeted clinical services within strict timeframes.

You will have a demonstrated ability to provide a high standard of complex direct service in the clinical assessment and treatment of children, young people and families; and to comply with service delivery towards output and outcomes requirement.

An appropriate Bachelor degree level or higher qualification in a Health or Welfare related field such as Occupational Therapy, Psychology, Social Work, Family Therapy, Speech Pathology or related discipline is required, along with significant experience conducting clinical work with children (minimum 5 years).

You may also have the following:

• Postgraduate training
• Experience in providing secondary consultation, psychoeducation and coaching
• Family Therapy training

Our benefits package includes:

• Regular reflective supervision
• Salary Packaging + Additional Salary Packaging for meals/accommodation
• 10 weeks paid parental leave + other generous leave conditions
• Access to the Employee Assistance Program, with access for staff's immediate family

To apply, please send through your resume and cover letter.

Please note; the successful applicant will be subject to comprehensive reference and background checking prior to employment, including a Working with Children Check and National and International Police check if required and Workers Carer Exclusion Scheme clearance if applicable.

We are committed to being a child safe, child friendly and child empowering organisation. In everything we do we seek to protect children. We are committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children; children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds; children with a disability; children who identify as LGBTIQA+. We aim to ensure every individual is treated with dignity and respect regardless of their cultural background, ability, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, spirituality or religion.

We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and people with a disability.