• Temporary Part Time until 30/06/2027
• 16 hours per week

About Us

Situated just 150 kilometres south-west of Melbourne, at the foot of the stunning Otway Ranges, close to Lorne and the Surf Coast, Colac Area Health services 21,000 people who call the Shire home. Colac Area Health meets the needs of more than 30,000 people in the Corangamite, Colac Otway, and Surf Coast Shires. A unique integrated health service providing a wide range of clinical and non-clinical services to the Colac and district community. This includes the following:

• Nursing/Midwifery
• Aged Care
• Medical
• Community Services
• Corporate Services
• Support Services

About the role

Colac Area Health is a values-based organisation providing a unique integrated health service comprising of over 500 employees, providing Acute Care, Aged Care, Community and Allied Health Services.

The TACT/CONNECT therapeutic program project is an on-going therapeutic interventions project funded by the Family Safety Victoria. The program is a partnership with the Sexual Assault and Family Violence Centre – Geelong (SAFV centre). The CONNECT group work program consists of 8-10 weeks of trauma-informed therapeutic programs aimed at strengthening the relationship between mothers and children after family violence. The TACT program is a structure 10-week group program for women who have experience family violence. The group work programs will be co-facilitated by CAH and SAFV centre staff. Colac Area Health provides a range of therapeutic interventions including child-centred play therapy, child and family therapy funded through DHHS community health.

The clinician will be undertaking intake, referral & demand management for the TACT & CONNECT programs and Child & Family Therapy counselling services at Colac Area Health. The clinician will be co-facilitating both groups (one of each per year) and providing 6-8 individual/dyadic/family therapeutic sessions for participants who elect to do the extension on the group work program. This position will work under a trauma informed care model based on knowledge and an understanding of how trauma affects victim/survivors’ lives and healing from these experiences. The therapeutic approach of the clinician will be adaptive and responsive to the diversity of needs which clients present with.

The clinician will undertake brief interventions such as single session with parents/carers during the intake phase for both programs. The clinician will undertake community education in relation the programs and intake processes. This position will work under a trauma informed care model based on knowledge and an understanding of how trauma affects victim/survivors’ lives and healing from these experiences.

What’s required?

Essential:

• Related tertiary qualifications to the role, (eg: Social Work/Welfare/Psychology/Counselling) or equivalent experience and training.
• Experience of undertaking intake, therapy and group work for Family Violence services and/or child and family therapy.
• Understanding of family violence (including MARAM framework, risk assessment) and application of trauma informed interventions and skills.
• Understanding of therapeutic interventions, including single session and brief interventions for use in intake and demand management phase.
• Current Victorian Driver’s License and Working with Children Check.

Desirable:

• Familiarity and experience in delivering a range of family focused and individual counselling therapies.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Demonstrated ability to work flexibly within tight time schedules and in accordance with variable workload demands.
• Willingness to participate in further training and professional development including ACT (Russ Harris) and Single session framework training.
• Demonstrated communication (both written and verbal) skills and computer literacy.
• Demonstrated commitment to social justice including an understanding of domestic and family violence legislation and the socio-political context of poverty, violence and the way this impacts on children, women and their family relationships.

Benefits working with us

Colac Area Health offers the following benefits;

• Extensive organisational orientation/department induction
• Salary Sacrificing/Packaging
• Active Social Club
• Extensive professional development and continuing education
• Employee Assistance Program
• Access to on-site research support from the CAH Research Unit and the Western Alliance Academic Health Science Centre

To learn about our town and region please visit Discovering natures wonders in Colac.

Diversity and Inclusion

We believe in the power of diversity and inclusion. We celebrate the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and talents of our team members, fostering an environment where everyone feels valued and respected.

Our commitment to diversity strengthens our ability to provide compassionate and equitable care to all individuals, regardless of their backgrounds, abilities and identities.

We are committed to providing positive employment opportunities and a workplace that promotes wellbeing, and we welcome and encourage applications from those who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

We actively encourage individuals with disabilities and diverse backgrounds and identities to apply for our positions. Should you require any reasonable adjustments or support during the recruitment process, we are here to assist you every step of the way.

We are committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people.

Click "Apply now" to submit your application.

A position description is attached.