Health and Wellbeing

Student and staff wellbeing is a priority at Deakin. We offer a range of specialised services to help students stay healthy and safe – physically, mentally and spiritually.

Counselling for students - Our counsellors are registered psychologists and social workers. They have extensive experience working with students with mental health issues, ranging from adjustment stress to common mental illnesses like anxiety and depression. The service is free and confidential. 

The Role

• Contribute to the Health and Wellbeing of our Students
• HEW 8 $98,322 + 17% Superannuation
• Part-Time  (22.05 hours per week) and continuing

Based at our Waurn Ponds campus, this exciting role sits within the Division of Student Life with an opportunity to work on diversity of complex presentations in a supportive team environment.

As a Counsellor, you are responsible for the delivery of accessible counselling services that are responsive and relevant to the needs of students from all backgrounds (international, CALD, age, gender, LGBTIQ etc). 

To thrive in the role you will be able to work in a fast paced and pressured environment and cope with a high demand.  You will be capable of counselling approximately 5 clients per day either by phone or in person.  

The position will include collaboration and education with staff across the University and will be responsible for regular consultation and formal presentations with other support staff, academics, general staff, Deakin College staff and members of the Deakin University Student Association on matters relating to student mental health and their educational needs. You will be providing support/recommendations regarding suitable interventions/solutions for students’ psychological issues that impact their academic study. 

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Provide evidence based assessment and short term psychological interventions to support student mental health and improve academic outcomes and student retention.
• Assess for, and manage, emerging, acute, and complex student mental health issues, including student risk.
• Identify student mental health trends in order to design, implement and evaluate initiatives that are based on best practice guidelines.
• Provide expert advice and consultation to staff and students regarding student mental health.
• Provide training and education to enhance mental health literacy and improve student outcomes.
• Maintain appropriate records management in accordance with the requirements of Deakin University, relevant legislation and professional bodies.
• Establish and maintain collaborative working relationships within and external to Deakin University to achieve best possible outcomes for student success.
• Coordinate the local counselling team response to critical incidents including provision of psychological first aid.
• Provide formal clinical supervision to students on placement as required.
• Contribute to the development, implementation and review of CAPS services.

To be successful, you’ll have:

• Registration as a Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) or membership of Australian Association of Social Work (AASW) with registration as mental health Social Worker.
• Expertise in the provision of evidence based short term psychological counselling with a diverse population who present with a broad range of issues of varying complexity.
• Advanced clinical, assessment and intervention skills to autonomously address emerging serious mental health problems and moderate risk issues.
• Demonstrated ability to organise, plan, prioritise and complete tasks, within the context of conflicting demands and changing priorities.
• Ability to initiate, implement and evaluate effective psychoeducational programs/presentations.
• Demonstrated ability to work autonomously while also contributing to the wider Counselling team.

For a copy of the position description, please see below:

Are you Ready?

Deakin is one of the new breeds of global universities – agile, dynamic and innovative. We are committed to making a genuine difference in people’s lives through excellence in education and research. As a Victorian university with a global impact, join us and let’s see what we can achieve together.

Our people are important to us, and we understand the significance of providing them with a dynamic and diverse working environment, with opportunities to grow and develop their careers.

At Deakin, we offer a variety of benefits including a flexible and sustainable working environment, lifestyle benefits and various discounts with our third-party suppliers.

We value diversity and aim to build an inclusive environment that champions, embraces and respects differences. We support and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and people of all abilities, cultures, sexual orientation, and genders.