Psychologist- Eating Disorders

The Hospital:

The Royal Children’s Hospital’s (RCH) Vision is “A world where all kids thrive”.

RCH is a cornerstone member of the Melbourne Children’s Campus, partnering with Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics and The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation.

RCH has cared for the children and young people of Victoria for more than 150 years since it was founded in 1870. A full range of paediatrics and adolescent health services are provided plus tertiary and quaternary care for the most critically ill and medically complex patients in Victoria, Tasmania, southern NSW and other states around Australia and overseas. The Hospital has more than 6,000 staff, a budget of $850M, 12 wards and 350 beds. Annually, the RCH has 300,000+ Specialist Clinic appointments, 90,000+ Emergency Department presentations and 20,000 elective surgeries.

The RCH is committed to the Child Safe Standards.

RCH enjoys high employee engagement and is committed to staff safety and a positive culture through enactment of our Compact.

For further Information on RCH is available here.

About the Role

This position is part time ongoing at 0.4EFT, 30.4 hours a fortnight with the Eating Disorders program at the Department of Adolescent Medicine, Royal Children’s Hospital.

You will be responsible for providing excellent evidence-based clinical care to adolescents with restrictive Eating Disorders – anorexia nervosa, atypical anorexia nervosa and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). This involves providing individual and family assessments, as well as interventions/therapies within the outpatient and inpatient eating disorder service. You are required to maintain clinical documentation and record client contacts and outcome measures to support the team activity levels while working collaboratively with other clinical disciplines within the team and external services to provide high quality inter-disciplinary care.

Classification for this position will range from PK1 – PL3 depending on years of training.

What You’ll Achieve

• Purposefully and expertly engage patients and their families in mental health care, as per the Eating Disorders Service model
• Manage a complex and varied clinical caseload providing high level of clinical expertise with independent decision making
• Provide clinical hand over and support junior clinical staff and psychology interns alongside their primary supervisor in their patient management and clinical reasoning with complex patients
• Develop and update treatment protocols for areas of own clinical practice.

Your Skills and Experience

Grade 2 applicants

• Hold a minimum Master of Psychology degree qualification from an APAC accredited course/university
• Hold general registration with AHPRA and the Psychology Board of Australia as a Psychologist
• Be Endorsed, or working towards endorsement with the PBA in a relevant field of practice (Clinical, Health)
• Demonstrated clinical skills and experience in child and/or adolescent mental health.
• Post graduate qualification in a relevant child and adolescent mental health field - Desirable
• Demonstrated experience in evidence based treatment for adolescent restrictive Eating Disorders e.g. FBT, AFT, CBT etc. - Desirable

Grade 3 applicants

• Hold a minimum Master of Psychology degree qualification from an APAC accredited course/university
• Hold general registration with AHPRA and the Psychology Board of Australia as a Psychologist
• Have at least 5 years of experience post-general registration as a Psychologist
• Hold an endorsement with the PBA in any of the following fields of practice: Clinical, Health
• Hold Board-approved supervisor status, including Board-approval as a ‘Registrar Program Principal Supervisor’
• Continuously satisfy the PBA continuing professional development standards
• Demonstrated clinical skills and experience in restrictive Eating Disorders and child or adolescent mental health

The position will begin on 14/05/2024 and the successful applicant is required to work on a Tuesday and Wednesday.

• If this sounds like you, click here to view the position description for Grade 2.
• If this sounds like you, click here to view the position descriptionfor Grade 3.

About the Department

The Department of Adolescent Medicine, The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, is a multidisciplinary specialty department providing inpatient and outpatient care to adolescents experiencing both physical and mental health concerns. Sub-speciality teams within the Department of Adolescent Medicine include the Eating Disorders Service, specialising in treating adolescents with anorexia nervosa and other restrictive Eating Disorders, the Gender Service who assist children and adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria, The Transition Support Service providing care in transition from paediatric to adult health providers, the Young People’s Health Service who provide primary health care for marginalised and at risk youth and the Chronic Illness Peer support (ChIPS) team who facilitate peer support, leadership and participation among adolescent and young adults aged 12-25 living with a chronic illness. Inpatient Adolescent Medicine includes the care of adolescents requiring admission to the RCH for medical conditions with psychosocial complexity, somatisation disorders and medically unstable patients with restrictive type Eating Disorders.

What we Offer

• Staff immunisation
• Parkville location and close to public transport

Other requirements:

• Current National Criminal Record Check, or willing to obtain
• Valid Working with Children Check
• Compliance with RCHs “Staff Immunisation - Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases” procedure

Application process

To apply, you will need a resume and a tailored cover letter outlining your skills, experience, and suitability for the position in line with the requirements of the position description.

Shortlisting for this position will commence immediately, we encourage you to apply promptly!

For more information about this position please contact Admin Ph:03 9345 5890 or Email: adol.admin@rch.org.au

Why work at the RCH?

RCH enjoys high employee engagement and is committed to staff safety and a positive culture through enactment of our Compact. We offer the opportunity to work in world-class facilities, surrounded by Royal Park and only a short tram trip from the heart of Melbourne city.

We also offer discounted staff parking, salary packaging, and an award-winning health and wellbeing program.

The RCH is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse background, all members of the LGBTQI community and people with disability.

It is a requirement of your employment that you be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and Influenza annually for Category A and B roles, in compliance with any public health orders in place at the relevant time, unless you have a medical exception in line with those public health orders, which has been accepted by The Royal Children’s Hospital. Applicants will be required to provide their Australian Government Immunisation History Statement, it is a requirement of the RCH to collect, record and hold vaccination information.

It is also a requirement of your employment that you comply with any direction given by The Royal Children’s Hospital that you be vaccinated against, or prove immunity to, any other disease, unless you have a relevant exemption

Are you ready to join our team?

Apply online by clicking on the “Apply” button

Applications close 05 April 2024