College Counsellor

Prince of Peace Lutheran College is a K-12 co-educational, independent, Christian school located at Everton Hills in the north-western suburbs of Brisbane. The College was established by the Prince of Peace Lutheran Congregation in 1984 to provide quality Christian education to the children of the community.

Prince of Peace Lutheran College offers classes on two sites from Kindergarten to Year 12 with approximately 660 students enrolled. The Junior Campus (K-6) is located at Rogers Parade West. The Middle and Senior Campus, is 1 km away, at Henderson Road, and was opened in July 2009 and is home to Years 7-12.

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This part-time maternity leave contract offers generous working conditions and will commence at the beginning of Term 4, 2025, continuing through to the end of Term 2, 2026.

Overview

The College Counsellor is responsible to the Head of College and reports to the Deputy Head of Campus (Junior) and Deputy Head of Campus (Middle and Senior) in the day to day operation of their duties. The College Counsellor is a vital part of the College's Pastoral Care Team. In this position they maintain oversight of counselling across P-12.

The Primary Purpose of the position is enhancing the quality of Pastoral Care that the College provides by counselling and supporting students in their personal development and welfare. The College Counsellor shares the responsibility for student welfare with the Pastor and other key staff. The first and most important priority is to provide professional counselling and support for students, thus enabling them to function more effectively in the school environment. From time to time, extended support for families or staff may be provided; however this is secondary to the primary focus of working with students. The College is a Restorative Practices school and, as such, a restorative approach informs all of our pastoral support.

Primary Purpose

In this role the College Counsellor is to:

• Model service as shown to us by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ;

• Display the qualities of good organisation and communication

• Work as a member of the Wellbeing Team

The Role

Counselling:

• To plan, negotiate and provide a counselling program based on social/emotional/behavioural and learning needs of the students.

• Preserve the confidentiality of the Counsellor/client relationship whilst balancing duty of care in the context of working for the College. This will require a full understanding of the Privacy Act (December 2014) and other associated legislation.

• Assist students, families and College staff to resolve issues that adversely affect the personal and academic functioning of the students.

• To provide case management for referred students who require professional counselling.

• Act as a resource person to staff in dealing with students with emotional/social and behavioural difficulties.

• Maintain confidential records and necessary reports of individual clients, and maintain counselling database, and statistical overview in line with the current legal requirements.

• Meet regularly with the Heads of Campus or their delegate regarding situations and issues being dealt with to keep them informed of cases, trends, and issues.

• Provide details to the Head of College (or delegate) of all high level risk issues.

• To direct referrals to other staff, including members of the Wellbeing teams, College Pastor, Pastoral Care teachers and teams, and Learning Enrichment teachers, and others where appropriate.

Referral:

• Develop and implement detailed procedures for effective and professional processes of referral to a range of appropriate community professionals.

• Where required, provide support and advice to the Senior Secondary Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments (AARA) and NCCD processes.

• Liaise with parents and College personnel to access information for referral purposes and to communicate assessment outcomes in a sensitive manner.

Advocacy:

• Ensure appropriate communication of relevant information to staff and parents

• Identify counselling and support needs within the College community and promote the development of policies, proactive programmes and resources to meet those needs.

Development of Support Programs:

The College Counsellor will play a major role in the development of programs that support the students, parents and staff within the College. This is a secondary, but nevertheless important role in maintaining a healthy school community. Programs must be developed in full consultation with the Heads of Campus and Wellbeing Team. The College Counsellor will show leadership and influence by:

• implementing professional development and parenting programs and/or information sessions; and

• developing, coordinating and evaluating effective pastoral care programmes for students.

Crisis Management:

The College Counsellor is an integral part of the Critical Incident Management Team (CIMT) during times of crisis. Professional support for members of the College community is to be provided as a member of the CIMT. The major role during these times is to:

• coordinate and provide crisis management counselling and debriefing to staff, students and families as required;

• work in consultation with the Head of College, Head of Campus and College Pastor to manage the crisis; and

• coordinate counselling and support teams as needed.

SELECTION CRITERIA

SC 1 - Educational/Vocational Qualifications

• Holding academic qualifications in keeping with the level of responsibility and preferably including relevant post graduate study, as a psychologist or social worker, or teacher with the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) and a School Counsellor through the Queensland Guidance and Counselling Association

• Must possess current Suitability Card ('Blue Card') from the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian for working with children (if successful applicant does not currently hold one of these cards, an application form will be forwarded with offer of appointment),or hold a QCT (Queensland College of Teachers) registration.

SC 2 - Personal Skills, Abilities and Aptitude

• A demonstrated ability to relate the Gospel message to the advertised role and encourage a spirit of Christian care amongst staff and students

• A visionary approach to Counselling and its application to a school setting

• Demonstrated effective skills in administration, interpersonal relations, planning and programming

• Conversant and experienced in using digital technologies relevant to the role

• Demonstrated ability to work in collegially and collaboratively in teams and across multiple stakeholders' groups

• Ability to analyse problems and formulate clear and effective solutions

• Demonstrated self-motivation in setting goals, prioritising work and managing multiple tasks

• Understand and support the Christian ethos of the College

SC 3 - Knowledge and Experience

• Relevant or related experience (preferably in a school setting with restorative practices)

• Experience in adolescent mental health, child welfare, educational setting or community health desirable

• Experience in the development and implementation of activities and policies

• Demonstrated ability in effectively developing counselling programs across various age groups

• A thorough knowledge and understanding of current and emerging trends in counselling

• Knowledge of Child Protection and other relevant legislative requirements

Applications must include the following:

1. A covering letter (max 2 pages)
2. A statement addressing the selection criteria (max 3 pages)
3. A CV with contact details for three referees

Applications (PDF Format) are to be addressed to the Head of College and sent to:

Email:

Applications close on Friday, 10th October 2025.

Interviews are scheduled for Wednesday, 15th October 2025.