Counsellor

**Part-time Permanent - 3 days a week located in Campbelltown**:

- ** $86k - $92k inclusive of Super + Salary Packaging**:

- **Small & supportive team to help you find your feet & thrive**

**The Centre for Women’s, Children's & Family Health has a commitment to employing women from diverse backgrounds. The Benevolent Society considers being a woman is a genuine occupational qualification for this position under s. 31 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW)**

We are Australia’s first charity, providing a range of Disability, Child, Youth and Family and Aged Care services across New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia. We are an independent, non-religious service provider which supports people to live life their way. Our vision is for a just society where all Australians can live their best life. We use our practice wisdom to mobilise social movements that advocate for anyone in need and create social change.

**Your new role**

As a Intake Counsellor, you will be the first point of contact to provide timely and effective intake and referral services, providing crisis and short-term intervention and support to women, young people and children either over the phone or in person.

**Duties**
- Act as a first point of contact for those contacting the service, providing timely and effective contact, advice and referral services to the community and clients
- Provide crisis intervention and support to women, young people and children over the phone, in person or via other technological means
- Undertake psychosocial assessment to identify effective intervention and support
- Provide intervention, referral and advocacy to support individuals and families to access appropriate resources and services, both within The Benevolent Society and with external agencies and service providers
- Provide face to face, video and telephone counselling services to people presenting with grief, trauma, identity, relationship, parenting, drug and alcohol, domestic violence and mental health issues
- Engage clients using appropriate strengths based assessments and risk minimisation processes, including Safety Planning
- Assist clients to engage with wrap around services directly, as appropriate
- Plan, develop and facilitate, or co-facilitate therapeutic groups and workshops for women, children and young people

**Our Benefits**

We support people to live their best life. That includes you, our employee. A best life is deeply personal. It can change as life changes. Here are a few things you might be interested in:

- **Salary Benefits - **You can package up to $15,900 pa of you pre-tax salary to pay for everyday expenses before income tax is calculated, meaning you take home _even more pay_
- **Motor Vehicle Packaging Options **- to suit your lifestyle.****:

- **Work/Life Balance**:

- Flexible work arrangements including part time hours, hybrid home/office work arrangements, 1 accrued day off a month for full time employees.
- **Recognition and Reward** - Sector competitive remuneration, various recognition programs and access to long service leave after 5 years Wellness - Fitness passport + Employee Assistance Program + opportunity to purchase additional leave.
- **Professional development** - We tailor career development opportunities to all employees and volunteers for career enrichment, fulfilment, and growth.
- **Our Reconciliation Commitment **- All First Nations employees are entitled up to 10 days of unpaid leave for ceremonial purposes, as well as the option to be a voice on our RAP working group and have the opportunity for cultural and professional development that supports career pathways.

**Skills and Experience**
- A degree in social work or psychology, or similar
- Experience providing counselling services and group work
- Knowledge of wrap around and referral services available
- Excellent understanding of child protection issues such as drug and alcohol use, domestic violence, mental health issues and the impact of trauma and the effect on child behaviour and development
- Ability to quickly and effectively evaluate the needs of a client who may be in crisis and identify potential referrals that may meet their needs
- Ability to work under pressure
- Experience facilitating programs for individuals and groups
- Good relationship building skills wth the ability to quickly build rapport with different stakeholders
- Good negotiation, liaison and advocacy skills
- Understanding of the needs of diverse communities such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), and gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities
- Post Graduate qualifications in Counselling would be advantageous