School Counsellor - South Sydney High School

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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 South Sydney High School 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 outside 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.

South Sydney High School is a proud comprehensive, co-educational school situated in Maroubra and has an enrolment of 805 students. Our school caters to the learning and wellbeing needs of a diverse socio-economic and multicultural community where 46% of our student population are from a language background other than English and 5% identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. This provides a dynamic learning environment which benefits all. We offer a well-rounded, balanced curriculum that provides outstanding opportunities through to the HSC and beyond.

Care, Opportunity and Success underpin our philosophy at South Sydney High School. Our school has a strong learning culture, and our staff have high expectations of themselves and for and of our students. Staff are dedicated to catering for the individual learning needs of all students and building educational aspirations and success through authentic connections to culture and community. The Big Picture Learning Model operates in Year 9 and 10 for interested students. These values are reflected in the relationships between students, teachers and parents, the learning environment and school systems.

We are looking for School Counsellors with qualifications in Education and Psychology. To be successful in these roles you will have:

• Teaching qualifications and eligibility for an approval to teach in NSW Department of Education schools
• Be a registered or provisionally registered psychologist, or eligible for registration with the Psychology Board of Australia
• Have demonstrated understanding of the mental health needs of children and young people Experience in counselling children and young people using evidence-based interventions
• Experience in cognitive, emotional and behavioural assessment of children and young people
• Well-developed interpersonal, oral and written communication skills, including report writing
• Ability to work collaboratively and liaise with key stakeholders to enhance outcomes for children and young people
• Knowledge of and commitment to the Department's Aboriginal education policy

• 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.
• Ability and willingness to travel between worksites.

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.

About the NSW Department of Education