School Counsellor (0.6 Fte) - Armidale Secondary College

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School counsellors are an essential part of the department’s school counselling service.

They provide counselling and psychological assessment of students to complement and enhance the work of teachers to strengthen student learning and wellbeing outcomes, and they help families understand and manage their children’s learning and mental health needs. This is a truly collegiate role offering unique challenges and opportunities – both in your professional development and your ability to make an impact on the lives of children and young people. 

The successful candidate will be based at Armidale Secondary College and provided with opportunities to work across the lifespan with both primary and high school aged students. Working as a School Counsellor in a NSW public school will enable you to engage with a diversity of students (and school communities) like no other child and adolescent psychologist role can. This is a chance to use your skills to make a real difference in the lives of children and young people at a time in their lives when it matters most.

School counsellors receive regular, individual professional supervision with the Senior Psychologist Education and participate in group and peer supervision as a member of the broader district school counselling team. You will most likely be collaborating with a number of school communities and colleagues, as well as ouotside agencies, with the opportunity to use and expand the full range of your skills and expertise as part of a supportive, multidisciplinary team.

School counsellors are provided with regular opportunities to participate in continuing professional development and the NSW Department of Education will support you to complete or maintain your registration with the Psychology Board of Australia. Other benefits include school holiday leave, travel allowances and health and wellbeing benefits such as our Fitness Passport program. The department will also cover your indemnity insurance as a psychologist.

Armidale Secondary College (ASC) operates on a state-of-the-art campus in the regional city of Armidale, NSW. Armidale is a vibrant rural location surrounded by national parks and agricultural endeavours. Student enrolment is 1140 with 18% of students from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background. Eleven percent of students have EAL/D In the Strategic Improvement Plan, ASC has identified three critical areas for improvement; system-negotiated targets, student voice and high-challenge, high-support teaching and learning strategies. 

The community is active in their support of the school through the P and C and local AECG. Armidale Secondary College works with our partner primary schools in a community of practice, to improve outcomes for all students and has close links with the University of New England as a Professional Experience Hub for preservice teachers with a focus on STEM. For more information, please visit the school website Armidale Secondary College.

• Experience in counselling using evidence-based interventions with a demonstrated understanding of the mental health needs of children and young people.
• Experience in the psychological assessment of children and young people, including case formulation and report writing.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with key stakeholders to improve the learning and wellbeing outcomes of children and young people including students from diverse backgrounds and needs.

• An unconditional full approval to teach is a requirement. If you do not hold a full approval to teach with the NSW Department of Education, you are required to commence the application process at the same time as you apply for this teaching opportunity.
• Be a registered or provisionally registered psychologist, or eligible for registration with the Psychology Board of Australia.
• Ability and willingness to travel between worksites.

The successful applicant may be eligible to receive a one-off recruitment payment of $20,000 (Conditions Apply)

Successful applicants will be provided with a Departmental induction program, ongoing professional learning and professional supervision.

Find out more about working in the school counselling service. Visit the Department’s School Counselling Service pages to discover more about working as a school psychologist or School Counsellor in NSW public schools.