Counsellor-Health Professional Officer Level 3-Community Health Programs

Employment Type: Part Time (22.05 hours per week), Permanent   Classification: Health Professional Level 3 (P24419, P56761)Salary:  $99,819 - $110,398(Plus 11.5% Super) Location: Canberra Health ServicesSection:   Women's Health ServiceClosing Date:  12 April 2024

What can we offer you: 

About the Role:

This position is available to appropriately credentialed social workers, psychologists and counsellors. This is a unique and exciting opportunity within Canberra Health Service to provide medium- and long-term counselling. Experience in trauma informed counselling is required.

This is a rewarding position suited for skilled health professionals who enjoy therapeutic roles. The successful applicant will enjoy a varied role and join a vibrant, empathic and well-supported service that is committed to staff wellbeing, and the delivery of high quality, trauma-informed and holistic care with an understanding of delivering services to women from a feminist perspective. 

If you enjoy providing counselling to women, and individuals who align with this group, we would like to hear from you and you will be well-supported. Please address the selection criteria according to your therapeutic work with women. Therapeutic experience with children and families is not required for this role.

This is a rewarding and exciting position within a vibrant service that is suitable for a dynamic, flexible, and skilled Health Professional who is committed to the delivery of high quality, trauma informed and holistic care. 

This position is a protected position and is open to women only as ACT Health, consistent with section 34(2)(i) of the Discrimination Act 1991, considers that it is a genuine occupational qualification for a woman to be employed in this position to most effectively provide the counselling service.

What's it like working in the Women's Health Service? 

Team cohesion and collegiality. Opportunity to meet as a Counselling team each week. Co-located service for support of peers but also opportunity for outreach to clients in various centres around Canberra. Clinical supervision with Counselling Team Leader; group supervision with external supervisor. Professional development opportunities. Opportunity to provide ongoing trauma therapy. Supportive team culture. Autonomy including ability to book your own clients. Having an office with a window. Massage chair available for staff use.

Can you describe your typical working day?

A typical day as a Counsellor at Women’s Health Service revolves around our Counselling clinics. Most of the appointments we offer are in person at our primary location in the city. But we also offer outreach appointments and sometimes telehealth or phone appointments. The women who use our service have typically experienced interpersonal abuse and trauma, and often have had difficult experiences of health care. For a small team we do our best to be flexible and support their access to the service. Trauma informed approaches are well embedded in the set up and culture of Women’s Health Service and support us to be continually reflecting on how we provide care.

A typical day always starts with what we call “the huddle”. Staff across the whole service meet for a check in and quick chat about the day ahead. It’s a great way to start the day and be more aware of what’s happening for my colleagues including those in other teams. As a service we are very mindful of looking out for each other and also flagging when we might need support. What I love about the daily huddle practice is that everyone’s day or tasks are considered as important and valuable as the next person’s, so it’s a great demonstration of our feminist principles in a very down to earth way.

Our Counselling clinics are held every weekday except one morning which is kept aside for meetings, trainings and group supervision. A typical day may involve face to face appointments, documentation, and data entry, attending to emails and some liaison with colleagues. Fairly often we also find a reason to share cake and a cuppa.

But don't just take our word for it:

What do you love about this job?

“The Womens Health Service is a bit of an institution in Canberra and has a wonderful and interesting early history. Over the years the service has earnt a lot of trust in the community, and I feel humbled to play a small part in continuing the legacy of this service. I love that the service is genuinely successful in welcoming women who face multiple barriers to accessing health care, and that the complexities of their lives is held with such respect.

Working with complex trauma can feel daunting, but on the flip side I find it immensely rewarding work and I love the connections I form with my clients. The calibre of the team offers a rich learning environment, and the structures set up for individual and group supervision, for professional development and wellbeing support help me to feel professionally stimulated and well supported.” - Jo

“I’m proud to be a part of the Women’s Health Service’s long history supporting women in the ACT region as we continue to work from a feminist perspective, respecting and responding to women’s needs. Our passionate and collaborative team makes our work possible”. – Siobhan

“I love the ability to provide ongoing trauma therapy within a team that is passionate about feminism and understands the patriarchy”. - Kate

Please note prior to commencement successful candidates will be required to:

To Apply: 

Please submit a copy of your CV along with a cover letter or 2 x page pitch responding to the Selection Criteria listed in the position description.

Our Vision: creating exceptional health care together Our Role: to be a health service that is trusted by our communityOur Values: Reliable, Progressive, Respectful and Kind

CHS is committed to workforce diversity and to creating an inclusive workplace. As part of this commitment, we welcome applications from all diversity groups. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability and people who identify as LGBTQIA+ are particularly encouraged to apply.

Canberra Hospital Expansion Project – CHS is constructing a new critical services building called ‘Building 5’ which is a 44,000sqm nine storey building specifically designed to deliver state-of-the-art acute clinical services at the Canberra Hospital. Building 5 is the largest healthcare infrastructure project undertaken in the Territory’s history and it represents the largest clinical and operational change program to ever be implemented by Canberra Health Services. Building 5 integrates with a number of existing buildings at the Campus including Building 1 and Building 2, to facilitate a seamless public thoroughfare, patient transportation and back-of-house logistics distribution.

North Canberra Hospital - As of 3 July 2023 Calvary Public Hospital Bruce transitioned to CHS and became North Canberra Hospital. The transition will deliver a health system networked under one provider and will provide increased workforce opportunities for staff at both CHS sites. The ACT Government will be building a new northside hospital on the existing hospital campus in Bruce to meet the growing health care needs of our community, with construction to commence mid-decade providing more beds, increased services, and increased career opportunities. 

If you would like further information regarding this opportunity, please contact Nikki Goddard at (02) 5124 1*** or at *************@act.gov.au