• Location: Woolloongabba (outreach across greater Brisbane will be required)
• Full-time
• Contract: Contract and on-going positions available

Role Purpose

The primary purpose of this role is to provide recovery focused therapeutic intervention with children, young people and their families who are refugee survivors of torture and/or trauma.

The role of a Children and Youth Counsellor Advocate involves assessment, counselling, psychoeducation, client focused advocacy and occasional therapeutic group work. This also includes engagement and consultation with family members and key stakeholders who are involved in optimising the recovery and well-being of children and young people.

Character

We are looking for a Counsellor who is passionate about recovery from trauma for children and young people from a refugee background. We value the ability to engage clients in healing across mind, body and spirit. You will be compassionate, patient and courageous in managing a range of vulnerabilities experienced by our clients and their families. We believe in cultural respect. We are looking for someone who is comfortable working with clients from many cultural and religious backgrounds and who is able to flexibly and thoughtfully adapt their practice to suits client needs. We are looking for someone who enjoys developing their practice by making use of QPASTT’s supervision, internal training, team build and professional development opportunities.

Responsibilities

1. Deliver client-centred, developmentally appropriate therapeutic counselling (incorporating a range of modalities) to children (4 to 12 yrs.), young people (12 to 24 yrs.) to promote healing, and recovery;
2. Deliver appropriate client related advocacy which supports healing and the opportunity to thrive and belong in the Australian community;
3. Provide psychoeducation to enable clients and their families to understand and develop strategies for recovery;
4. Provide assessment and intervention that is accessible, trauma informed and culturally sensitive to the needs of survivors of torture and trauma. This requires flexibility in service delivery, which involves seeing children and young people at QPASTT offices, schools, and/or in other community locations;
5. Manage risk with clients with complex and/or crisis presentations in accordance with organisational processes and supports;
6. Build and foster collaborative partnerships with family members, community members and other agencies;
7. Ensure quality service delivery including accountability with contractual and organisational requirements. This includes the writing of case notes and client related professional report;
8. Deliver group-based therapeutic intervention and assist in a range of activities such as school holiday activities, family fun days and youth work programs;
9. Ability to abide by the vision and values of QPASTT including our Code of Conduct as well as the policies and procedures of the organisation;
10. Support research and evaluation initiatives of the organisation.

Requirements

1. Degree level qualifications in Social Work, Psychology, Counselling, Occupational Therapy or relevant expressive therapies, such as art and/or play. Eligibility for membership of the relevant professional body.
2. Good conceptualisation and ability to articulate refugee trauma recovery frameworks and the ability to apply these to therapeutic work with children and young people. This includes an understanding of key theories related to trauma recovery, child development and attachment.
3. Two years of professional therapeutic experience, including experience working with children and young people and/or whole families.
4. Ability to build trusting, safe and respectful relationships with children, young people and their families to respond to their varying psychosocial needs.
5. Ability to deliver culturally safe support.
6. Ability to identify client-related risks and implement ways to reduce risk.
7. Ability to document assessment and intervention as well as write professional reports based on therapeutic intervention.
8. Desirable – experience in working with clients from refugee backgrounds and/or linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds

Conditions of Employment

1. Current Positive Notice Blue Card and provision of an annual federal police check.
2. Current Queensland C Class driver’s licence.
3. Occasional out of hours work. Occasional travel to other QPASTT offices.
4. The period of probation will be six months.

Should you wish to talk with someone about this position, please contact Katie Brooker (Team Leader, Child and Youth Counselling Team) on (07) 3391 6677 or [email protected], using the subject line: Child and Youth Counsellor Advocate enquiry via EthicalJobs.

A position description is attached.