Mental Health Clinician

Sa-Health; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 95,000 - 110,000; Part time

Job summary

The Northern Adelaide Local Health Network's Forensic Mental Health Service is seeking a Mental Health Clinician to provide specialist assessment, treatment and case management for consumers with complex mental health and forensic needs in a prison environment.

This part-time, fixed-term role (26.25 hours per week) offers development within a multidisciplinary team and contributes to reducing reoffending while improving mental health outcomes across SA Health.

Qualifications

• Relevant tertiary qualification with registration or eligibility.
• Experience in mental health assessment, risk formulation, and clinical intervention.
• Understanding of forensic mental health legislation in South Australia (Mental Health Act 2009).

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive mental health and risk assessments for consumers in prison.
• Deliver evidence-based therapeutic interventions and develop recovery-oriented care plans.
• Collaborate with correctional services and prison health services.
• Contribute to a multidisciplinary team committed to reducing reoffending and improving mental health outcomes.

Skills

Mental health assessment

Risk formulation

Clinical intervention

Legislation knowledge

Prison environment experience

Communication skills

Culturally safe practice

Education

Tertiary qualification in Social Work

Tertiary qualification in Occupational Therapy

Tertiary qualification in Psychology

Job description

Job no: 950238
Work type: Part time
Location: Adelaide Metro Northern
Categories: Allied and Scientific Health, Mental Health

• Northern Adelaide Local Health Network – Forensic Mental Health Services
• Salary: $94,997 - $110,052 p.a. (pro rata) plus Superannuation and Salary Sacrifice benefits – AHP2
• Temporary Part-Time – 26.25 hours per week, up to 12 September 2026

About the Role:

Forensic mental health sits at a complex intersection of clinical care, legal frameworks, and human dignity. If you're a skilled clinician who brings both rigour and empathy to that space, NALHN's Forensic Mental Health Service is ready for you.

What You'll Be Doing

As a Mental Health Clinician within the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network's Forensic Mental Health Service, you will provide specialist assessment, treatment, and case management to consumers who have intersecting mental health, forensic needs while they are in a prison environment. This is a part-time, fixed-term position through to 12 September 2027.

• Conduct comprehensive mental health and risk assessments for consumers in prison
• Deliver evidence-based therapeutic interventions and develop recovery-oriented care plans
• Collaborate with correctional services, and prison health services
• Contribute to a multidisciplinary team committed to reducing reoffending and improving mental health outcomes

What You'll Bring

• Relevant tertiary qualification in social work, occupational therapy, or psychology with current registration or eligibility
• Demonstrated experience in mental health assessment, risk formulation, and clinical intervention
• Understanding of the legislative frameworks that govern forensic mental health in South Australia, including the Mental Health Act 2009
• Ability to work effectively with consumers presenting with complex, co-occurring needs in a prison environment as part of a consultative liaison services
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for multi-agency environments
• Commitment to culturally safe, recovery-focused, and trauma-informed practice within SA Health's clinical standards

To be eligible for this position, you must:

For Occupational Therapist:

• Appropriate Degree or equivalent qualification which entitles registration as an Occupational Therapist, with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia.

For Social Workers:

• Appropriate Degree or equivalent qualification which gives eligibility for full membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers.

For Psychologists

• Appropriate Degree or equivalent qualification which entitles registration as a Psychologist with current and full registration with the Psychology Board of Australia.

About You:

In this role you will have strong interpersonal and communication skills which will enable you to successfully problem solve, resolve conflicts and negotiate, including the ability to engage in difficult conversations, whilst building and maintaining relationships. An ability to effectively manage multiple, diverse and competing priorities and demonstrated resilience within a stressful and complex environment is essential to this role.

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to a passionate, highly driven, dedicated and progressive team.

About Us:

The Northern Adelaide Local Health Network (NALHN) is a leading provider of public healthcare services in South Australia, and one of the largest employers in northern Adelaide.

NALHNserves over400,000 peoplein northern Adelaide with a comprehensive range of high-quality healthcare services, including emergency, surgical, obstetric, neonatal,paediatric, oncology, geriatric, palliative care and rehabilitation, and mental health care, as well as primary health care services with a focus on community health promotion and chronic disease management.

With a commitment for ongoing upgrades to our facilities and the introduction of new services, our priority is delivering exceptional health and wellbeing services that enhance the quality of life for our community.

Our 300-plus Allied Health professionals play an integral role in multidisciplinary teams delivering outstanding care to patients across our acute, subacute and hospital avoidance services.

At NALHN Everyone Has a Story, Everyone Matters, Everyone Contributes and Everyone Grows.

At NALHN, we have a strong commitment to providing a clinically interesting professional experience, with structured and supportive education and professional development, and career progression pathways.

Some feedback from current employees about working as Allied Health Professionals in NALHN includes:

“My favourite part about working in NALHN is the close working relationships we have across Allied Health to optimise patient care.”

“I feel like I’m part of a growing and developing service.”

“I love the great team dynamic and the culture of learning and support.”

Our Local Health Network Sites and Services:

Lyell McEwin Hospital – the major hospital in northern Adelaide for emergency care, complex and multi-day surgery, medicine, obstetric, paediatrics and outpatient services.

Modbury Hospital – a general hospital with emergency care, elective surgery, medicine, outpatient and sub-acute services, rehabilitation, geriatric and palliative care.

Mental Health Services – adult and older persons mental health services and statewide forensic mental health services, across hospital and community settings.

Watto Purrunna Aboriginal Primary Health Care Services – provides culturally responsive primary healthcare services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in-hospital and across four community sites.

Primary Health Care Services – including GP Plus sites at Elizabeth, Modbury and Gilles Plains.

Benefits of working at NALHN:

From salary packaging to flexible working arrangements, a large range of opportunities for movement and career progression, you’ll find there are lots of benefits of working with Northern Adelaide Local Health Network.

Incremental wage increases in-line with the Allied Health Professionals, Assistants and Psychologists Enterprise Agreement 2025

Access to experienced clinicians across a broad range of expertise, who are supportive of collegial sharing of skills and knowledge in different therapies and client presentations.

Salary packaging is an option for saving money by paying for some of your everyday expenses from your salary before it is taxed.

Relocation assistance may be available for successful applicants from interstate or overseas.

NALHN supports and fosters a culture in which employees feel they belong and feel safe at work. The culture aims to encourage all people to use their talents and to be valued and rewarded for their contributions.

In addition to this, other benefits of working as a Mental Health Clinician in NALHN include:

• professional development opportunities. We have a well-established Allied Health Education unit which offers high-quality, targeted in-house training, and under the current enterprise agreement staff are also eligible for a Professional Development Allowance and entitled to claim reimbursement of eligible professional development expenses to allow you to continue to build upon your professional foundations
• opportunities to participate in research. NALHN have an Allied Health Research Chair, who is able to work with clinicians and teams to support clinical research
• regular clinical supervision, allowing you to receive individualised support, learning and development to help you achieve your career goals

SA Health is committed to providing an inclusive workplace that embraces diversity and inclusion for all employees. We strongly encourage applications from people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, culturally diverse backgrounds, members of the LGBTIQA+SB community and people who live with disability and/or neurodivergence.

We are committed to making workplace adjustments to provide a positive and supportive work environment. You are encouraged to let us know if have any support or access requirements during the recruitment process and beyond to ensure you can perform at your best.

The South Australian public sector promotes diversity and flexible ways of working including part-time. Applicants are encouraged to discuss the flexible working arrangements for this role.

Appointment will be subject to a satisfactory Criminal History Check.

Check(s):

• DHS Working With Children Check (WWCC)
• National Police Check (National Police Certificate)for vulnerable person-related employment – apply to any of the accredited bodies approved to offer a service direct to the public. Accreditation is provided by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission . See our National Police Certificate accredited bodies page for links to lodge screening requests.

Immunisation Risk for this position is – Category A (direct contact with blood or body substances)

SA Health Services are required to implement the Addressing vaccine preventable disease: Occupational assessment, screening and vaccination policy in the workplace.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants are encouraged to apply.

Job Ref: 950238

Enquiries:

Susan O'Neill
PACT Team Leader
Phone: [phone]
E-mail: Susan.O'[e-mail]

Application Closing Date:

2 October 2026 – 11.55PM

Role Description and Further Information:

950238 - Mental Health Clinician - FMH - AHP2 - Role Description.pdf