• Team: Children and Youth Counselling Team
• Location: Woolloongabba (outreach across greater Brisbane will be required).
• Level: Level 5 Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award. Salary sacrificing available.
• Reports to: Children and Youth Counselling Team Leader
• Contract: Full-time. Contract to 30/06/2021. Occasional out of hours work will be required.

Our Vision

Healing the past, nurturing the future.

Our vision is for refugee survivors of persecution to live lives liberated from the harms of torture, trauma and human rights injustice. We exist to nurture meaningful futures by assisting refugee survivors to heal, belong and thrive in our community.

Our Values

Kindness

We care.

In all our work, survivors of torture and trauma come first.

Optimism

We believe in meaningful futures.

We are committed to healing being a journey of growth across mind, body and spirit.

Perseverance

We don’t give up.

We understand that healing requires time, patience and courage for individuals, families and communities.

Justice

We believe that to heal and belong are human rights.

We collaborate to build opportunities so that survivors of torture and trauma can belong and thrive in our community.

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 Counsellor Advocate involves assessment, counselling, psychoeducation, client focused advocacy and occasional therapeutic group work.

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.

Responsibilities

1. Deliver therapeutic counselling (incorporating a range of modalities) to children (4 to 12 yrs) and young people (12 to 24 yrs) that supports individualised 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. Ensure assessment and intervention is both trauma informed and culturally sensitive to the needs of survivors of torture and trauma.
5. Manage risk with clients with complex and/or crisis presentations.
6. Ensure quality service delivery including accountability with contractual and organisational requirements. This includes the writing of case notes and client related professional reports.
7. Deliver group-based therapeutic intervention and assist in a range of activities such as school holiday activities, family fun day and youth work programs.
8. Build and foster collaborative partnerships with other agencies as well as family members and community leaders.
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 or Occupational Therapy. Eligibility for membership of the relevant professional body.
2. Good conceptualisation and ability to articulate refugee trauma recovery frameworks.
3. Two years of professional therapeutic experience preferably in a refugee trauma recovery context.
4. Ability to respond to varying need of children and young people, and to their families.
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 children and young people or whole of families.

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 KatieBrooker@qpastt.org.au using the subject line: Counsellor Advocate enquiry via EthicalJobs.