Mental Health Practitioner

Location: South West Region | Apollo Bay

Job type: Part time / From 28/01/2025 - 26/01/2026

Organisation: Schools (Government)

**Salary**: Salary not specified

Occupation: Health and Allied Health

Reference: 1453171

**Location Profile**:
Apollo Bay is a beautiful coastal town located on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria and surrounded by the Otway Ranges. The rich environment has attracted a community with a strong commitment to a healthy and active lifestyle, the environment and a great interest in the arts. This is reflected in our College educational programs and is reflected in our College Motto developed in 2014, "Unique Environment, Extraordinary Opportunities". Our College is highly supported by students, parents and the wider community, and all played an extensive role in the establishment of our College Vision, Mission and Purpose statements, and our school Values of 'Excellence', 'Respect', 'Integrity' and 'Balance'.

Apollo Bay P-12 College is a relatively small school with a total population of around 330 students from Prep to Year 12. The College is isolated, being the sole provider of education within the Apollo Bay community, with its nearest neighbouring schools located a 45 minute drive in opposite directions.

Our College is committed to helping develop in all students the capacity, desire and tools to achieve their best in all endeavours. We foster a sense of awareness, responsibility and respect, from a global perspective, through to family and community with an emphasis on individual personal growth. We support, encourage and promote across our whole school community the pursuit of personal excellence and we are committed to a culture that is dynamic and ready to embrace new ideas, opportunities and challenges to improve student learning and to equip students to meet the demands of the 21st century. We participate fully in the community by developing strong, supportive and respectful relationships.

**Selection Criteria**:

- Ability to implement a range of small group and whole-school mental health prevention and promotion activities aimed at improving student mental health and wellbeing, including the delivery of capability building and awareness raising activities for staff and/or students on key mental health and wellbeing issues affecting the school’s student population.
- Demonstrated ability to input into the development, implementation and evaluation of processes and strategies aimed at enhancing mental health and wellbeing prevention, promotion and early intervention.
- Demonstrated experience in assessing, conceptualising and analysing wellbeing issues, and providing evidence-based direct counselling support to clients with a range of mental health needs.
- Demonstrated experience in coordinating supports for young people with complex needs including referrals to a range of specialist services as appropriate.
- Highly developed communication, networking and interpersonal skills including the ability to liaise effectively with a wide range of people.
- Clear understanding of legislative requirements regarding privacy of health information.

**Role**:
The Mental Health Practitioners (MHP) initiative was announced by the Minister for Education in late 2018 to expand mental health and wellbeing support in government schools. The initiative provides for a suitably qualified mental health professional in all government secondary school campuses and specialist school (with secondary-aged enrolments) settings.

Operating in collaboration with the relevant Department of Education Regional Mental Health Branch, this role has the following functions:

- Enhancing mental health prevention and promotion activities in the school by contributing to whole-school health and wellbeing plans, building the capability of teaching staff and school leadership to address matters relating to student mental health and wellbeing, and helping to develop and deliver appropriate programs and strategies in the school according to specified school priorities
- Providing early intervention services (including short-term counselling) for individual students and groups identified as at-risk and/or experiencing or demonstrating mild to moderate mental health concerns; and
- Coordinating supports for students with complex needs both within and external to the school, including proactively working with regions, local mental health service providers and other health professionals to engage further support as required.
- Education support class level 1 range 4_

The successful applicant will be an experienced professional who will carry out their duties and responsibilities, relative to their professional discipline, with a high level of autonomy and with mínimal reliance on professional supervision. The successful applicant will be responsible for the development and implementation of professional support programs within an educational environment, including guidance to other professional staff.

As an educ