Therapeutic Specialist

Work options: Flexible

• Regular reflective supervision + professional development
• Be innovative and creative in supporting young people in your local community
• Generous leave + Salary packaging benefits

About Take Two

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

Take Two is also involved, in partnership with other community service agencies, 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

• Noble Park location, South East Victoria Region on Boonwurrung Country
• Part Time 0.5FTE, Fixed Term until October 2026 (parental leave cover)
• $116K pro rata plus super and salary packaging

Berry Street has 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. Berry Street's Residential Care staff are also trained in the use of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI), a proactive prevention and de-escalation approach to crisis situations.

As a Therapeutic Specialist 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 the Berry Street Southern 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.

Our ideal candidate will have:

• 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

The Benefits

• Regular reflective supervision
• $15,900.00 pa (pro rata) 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

How to Apply

Please send through resume and cover letter by 11pm, Thursday 30 October

Queries to Adam Dunn, Senior Manager Therapeutic Residential Care

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.

Berry Street is 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.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and people with a disability are encouraged to apply.

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