Join Our Team as a Wellbeing Program Counsellor at Saltbush Social Enterprises!
Are you committed to providing culturally safe, accessible counselling that supports the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples? Saltbush Social Enterprises is seeking a compassionate and capable Wellbeing Program Counsellor to deliver high-quality, evidence-informed counselling services, supporting positive mental health outcomes and maintaining strong standards of care across our programs in Darwin and the Northern Territory.
Position Details:
-
Location: Darwin
-
Employment Type: Permanent, Full-time
-
Reports To: Projects Officer and Therapeutic Programs Manager
-
Excellent Remuneration: $90k to $95k + 12% super + salary packaging + 5 weeks annual leave
-
Hours: Normal business hours, with flexibility for additional hours as needed
-
Travel: Occasional travel to regional locations where Saltbush operates
-
Compliance: Current National Police Clearance, NT Working with Children (OCHRE) Card, NT driver’s license and suitable qualifications/professional registrations
About Saltbush Social Enterprises: Saltbush Social Enterprises is a not-for-profit organisation committed to enhancing opportunities and promoting empowerment across Northern Territory communities. Through various programs, including employment and training, we strive to foster economic participation, social inclusion, and community resilience. Our ISEP initiative supports Aboriginal jobseekers by providing culturally-informed, therapeutic services to promote self-reliance and sustainable employment.
Primary Purpose: The Wellbeing Program Counsellor is responsible for the strategic delivery and continuous enhancement of a range of counselling services in Darwin and occasionally elsewhere in
the Northern Territory as required.
The role focuses on implementing robust, evidence-based therapeutic interventions that are outcome-driven and aligned with our organisational mission. You will be accountable for ensuring high service quality, client satisfaction, and measurable improvements in mental health outcomes.
Key Responsibilities:
To ensure success in your role as the Wellbeing Program Counsellor, you will:
Implement and Lead Interventions
- Deliver and oversee evidence-based psycho-social interventions such as, but not limited to, client-centred counselling, brief interventions, psychoeducation, cognitive behavioural therapy, community reinforcement therapy, motivational enhancement therapy, mindfulness practices and semi-structured group work.
- Facilitate one-on-one and group counselling sessions within Saltbush wellbeing programs, and also in collaboration with other services (LIMHS, EAP, including critical incident debriefing and other funded programs), ensuring that interventions are tailored to meet client needs.
- Linking clients to relevant videos, images, worksheets, journal prompts and applications to maintain and develop the therapeutic work between sessions.
Coordination and Referrals
- Proactively engage with external agencies to determine suitable supports and referral pathways for clients. Ensuring adequate supports or referrals are in place
before exiting clients from our service, whether at the completion of our program or if more supports are needed for moderate-high intensity clients who are unsuitable for our service.
- Coordinate with multidisciplinary teams to monitor service delivery and address emerging challenges, including referrals to specialised therapeutic support or case management where needed and eligible.
Quality Assurance & Compliance
- Operate within strict ethical and legal framework, ensuring all practices comply with current legislation, policies and professional standards.
- Implement quality control measures and contribute to service evaluations and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Working in continued alignment with Saltbush’s values and strategic goals, to be articulated in a monthly report.
Team Leadership & Professional Development
- Foster a culture of excellence by actively participating in team meetings, training and supervision.
- Work collaboratively with the Therapeutic Program Coordinator to ensure timely and
balanced distribution of referrals, collaboration on monthly reports, data entry and shared delivery of programs, clear, respectful communication as well as engaging in regular peer supervision.
- Occasional development and delivery of workshops for staff wellbeing and professional development.
Stakeholder & Community Engagement
- Build and maintain robust relationships with key service providers including AOD, mental health and allied health professionals for the purpose of curating inbound and outbound referral pathways and to uphold the professional reputation of Saltbush.
- Champion partnerships that enhance service delivery, including collaborating with other services to run therapeutic groups with a specific focus.
Administration and Confidentiality
- Maintain accurate and confidential client records in accordance with organisational and legal requirements.
- Document all counselling sessions, assessments, referrals and follow-ups in a timely and professional manner.
- Manage client intake and consent forms, ensuring compliance with data protection and privacy regulations.
Mandatory Reporting Responsibilities
- Understand and comply with all relevant child protection and mandatory reporting laws in Australia and the Northern Territory.
- Identify, assess and report concerns related to client safety, including abuse, neglect, or risk of harm.
- Document all concerns and reporting actions clearly and accurately.
- Consult with Manager prior to reporting to ensure appropriate response and compliance around legal and ethical responsibilities for mandatory reporting purposes.
- Stay up to date with mandatory reporting obligations through training and supervision.
Essential Criteria
- A degree or diploma in Counselling, Psychology, Social Work or a closely related field.
- Current membership with a professional body such as AASW, AACW or APS.
- Proven experience with therapeutic counselling frameworks, evidenced by a strong track record in delivering measurable client outcomes.
- Demonstrated leadership in clinical settings and effective risk management.
- Extensive support of clients with co-existing and complex needs using strength-based methodologies.
- Ability to adapt interventions based on individual client assessments and progress.
- Proven ability to establish trust with individuals with complex needs while maintaining confidentiality.
- Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills.
- Proficiency in MS Office and ability to learn new systems for data capture and insights.
- Proven capability in building and sustaining collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholders, particularly within mental health services.
- Deep understanding of the issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and experience integrating culturally appropriate practices into service delivery.
- Strong organisational abilities and self-motivation, with a demonstrated capacity to work both independently and with others to drive strategic initiatives.
- Adequate IT and administrative skills including, making notes, maintaining folders and spreadsheets, entering anonymised data, using calendar, sending session reminders, writing reports.
Ready to Make a Difference?
Apply now to become part of a supportive and impactful team. We will conduct interviews with suitable candidates as applications are reviewed, so don’t delay, apply today!
Employment is Subject to You Providing the Following:
- National Police Clearance (no more than three months old)
- NT Working with Children (OCHRE) Card
- Current Driver’s Licence
- Current First Aid
- Relevant Tertiary qualification in Psychology, Social Work, Occupational Therapy, or Counselling, with current registration in a relevant professional body.
How to Apply: Please submit your resume, respond to all Employer Questions in detail and include a compelling one-page cover letter outlining your suitability for the role.
Contact Us: If you have any questions or want to talk more about this opportunity, email us
at recruitment@saltbushnt.org.au
