School Psychologist - Cobar High School

NSW Department of Education; Dubbo; On-site; AUD 104,000 - 166,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Rural incentives

Travel allowances

Indemnity insurance

Job summary

NSW Department of Education in Cobar invites applications for a full-time School Psychologist based at Cobar High School. The role focuses on counselling and psychological assessment to support student learning and wellbeing, working across primary and high school cohorts within a supportive, multidisciplinary team.

This position offers opportunities for professional development, supervision, and involvement with outside agencies to enhance services.

Qualifications

• Counselling and psychological assessment of students.
• Ability to work with diverse school communities.
• Collaborative approach within a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Provide counselling and psychological services to students individually and in groups.
• Engage with Professional Practice Framework for NSW School Counselling Service.
• Collaborate with school leadership, staff and external agencies to support student wellbeing.

Skills

Counselling

Psychological assessment

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor of Psychology or equivalent

Job description

About the Role

Full Time: 1.0 FTE (Full time equivalent) Location: Cobar

School psychologists are an essential part of the Department’s school counselling service and work in primary and high schools. They provide counselling and psychological assessment of students, to complement and enhance the work of teachers to strengthen student learning and wellbeing outcomes, and 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 Cobar High School and provided with opportunities to work across the lifespan with both primary and high school aged students. Working 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 psychologists receive individual professional supervision with the Senior Psychologist Education and participate in group and peer supervision as a member of the broader 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 psychologists are provided with 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 access to a range of leave types, including recreation leave and flex leave, as well as leave loading, travel allowances and health and wellbeing benefits such as our Fitness Passport program. The department will also cover your indemnity insurance as a psychologist while working in our schools. Find out more about working as a school psychologist on the school counselling service pages of the NSW Department of Education website.

Cobar is a well‑resourced, far western mining community and rural service centre of approximately 5,000 people, located 720 km west of Sydney. As a small co‑educational, comprehensive high school catering for students from Year 7 through to Year 12, with an enrolment of 220 students, inclusive of 24% Aboriginal students, the school aims to provide a safe and happy environment that caters for individual differences and provides opportunities for all students to maximise their potential. Cobar High School hosts a trade training centre which provides significant curriculum options within a vocational framework. As such the school values its connection with the wider community and maintains strong links with local industry. Cobar High School is committed to Positive Behaviour for Learning and our values are Respect, Excellence and Safety. This position will form part of a dynamic, motivated and collaborative team of professionals, many being early career teachers.

Staff at Cobar High School are eligible for incentive transfer after 3 years of service, 70% housing subsidy and attract incentives such as 3 personal leave days, mid‑term breaks and retention benefits.

Key Accountabilities

• Provides counselling and psychological services to students, individually and in groups, including appropriate short term therapeutic interventions undertaken within the constraints of their training, experience and supervision
• Engages with and implements the procedures of the Professional Practice Framework for the NSW School Counselling Service
• Works in consultation with the principal, school executive, staff and student support services to improve student learning and wellbeing outcomes and implement current departmental priorities
• Contributes to the social, emotional, and academic development of students, and supports schools and students with complex behavioural needs
• Administers cognitive, social, emotional and behavioural assessment of students, reports on the results of assessments and interventions and collaborates to improve learning, wellbeing and mental health outcomes
• Works collaboratively with learning and support teams, parents and carers, and other agencies, to develop appropriate school based support for students
• Responds as part of a team to assist schools experiencing serious incidents
• Refers students and/or their families and carers to other agencies that will support the development of student health and wellbeing outcome

Essential Requirements

1. Knowledge of and commitment to the Department’s Aboriginal Education Policy , Partnership Agreement with the NSW AECG Inc. and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy
2. General or Provisional Psychology Registration with the Psychology Board of Australia
3. Valid and current Working with Children Check clearance – WWCC must be NSW
4. Current and valid driver’s licence and ability and willingness to travel between work sites. Must have a valid unrestricted provisional or full driver’s licence with the ability to drive oneself.
5. Australian citizenship or permanent residency Rural and remote incentives of between $20,000 to $30,000 per annum are available for eligible school psychologist positions, depending on the remoteness of the school, school type, in recognition of the value of the school counselling service to students in rural and remote areas. Total Remuneration Package Package valued up to $187,933 + incentives (where applicable). Base salary ranges from $104,156 - $165,812* plus leave loading and employer's contribution to superannuation. Base salary rates above the minimum are available dependent on professional experience. *Note there is no automatic progression to the $165,812 SPAC salary level. Access to SPAC is available once a school psychologist has progressed through all salary steps and upon successful application for Advanced Certification level against the NSW School Counselling Service Professional Practice Framework.

About the NSW Department of Education

The Department of Education is the largest provider of public education in Australia with responsibility for delivering high-quality public education to two-thirds of the NSW student population. We welcome applications from all ages and genders, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, the LGBTQIA+ community, veterans, refugees, neurodiverse people and people with disability.

Documents Role Description

Aboriginal Education Policy As this is a child-related position, you will also be required to obtain a NSW Working with Children Check (WWCC) Clearance number as a condition of employment (if you do not already have this). For more information, please visit the Office of the Children’s Guardian . In addition, your employment may be subject to the Department’s National Criminal Records Check to determine your suitability for employment. Note: The selection process will include a range of assessment techniques to assist in determining your suitability for the role.