Senior Peer Worker, Mental Health Therapy Services

Barwon Health; Geelong; On-site; AUD 55,000 - 69,000; Part time

Job summary

Barwon Health in Geelong is seeking a Senior Peer Worker for the Mental Health Therapy Team. You will draw on your own lived experience to walk alongside consumers in recovery, provide individual peer support and help lead peer and therapeutic groups within a multidisciplinary team.

You will mentor other Peer Workers, contribute to program development, and educate staff about the value of peer work across Mental Health, Drugs and Alcohol Services.

Qualifications

• Personal lived experience as a recipient of tertiary mental health or drug and alcohol services.
• Confident and purposeful use of that experience to support others.
• Strong communication skills and a commitment to mentoring others.

Responsibilities

• Provide individual peer support in line with Intentional Peer Support principles and the MHDAS Peer Work Scope of Practice, and facilitate or co-facilitate peer and therapeutic groups.
• Guide, orientate and mentor Peer Workers, and take an active part in the Lived Experience Team, including reflective practice and supervision.
• Use your lived experience expertise to shape MHTS programs, policy and service development, and educate MHDAS staff about the role of peer work.

Skills

Lived experience

Group facilitation

Job description

Senior Peer Worker, Mental Health Therapy Services

• Lived experience of mental health or AOD services, used purposefully to support others
• Temporary part time - Parental relief opportunity

About the role

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Peer Worker to join the Mental Health Therapy Team at Barwon Health. The team is part of Mental Health, Drugs and Alcohol Services (MHDAS). It provides therapeutic support to consumers through individual and group-based programs, delivered by a multidisciplinary team that includes lived experience staff.

In this role you will draw on your own lived experience of using mental health or alcohol and other drug services to walk alongside consumers in their recovery. You will offer individual peer support and facilitate peer and therapeutic groups grounded in hope, choice, self-determination and connectedness. Working independently and alongside the team, you will bring a lived experience perspective to how the team’s programs are developed and delivered. You will also guide and mentor Peer Workers, and help build a greater understanding of the value of peer work across MHDAS.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide individual peer support in line with Intentional Peer Support principles and the MHDAS Peer Work Scope of Practice, and facilitate or co-facilitate peer and therapeutic groups
• Guide, orientate and mentor Peer Workers, and take an active part in the Lived Experience Team, including reflective practice and supervision
• Use your lived experience expertise to shape MHTS programs, policy and service development, and educate MHDAS staff about the role of peer work

What We Are Looking For

You will have personal lived experience as a recipient of tertiary mental health or drug and alcohol services. You will also be confident using that experience purposefully to support others. You’ll be someone who builds trusting relationships easily, works well on your own and as part of a team, and is passionate about recovery-oriented practice.

• Demonstrated experience in peer work, ideally including group facilitation and an understanding of Intentional Peer Support
• Strong communication skills and a commitment to mentoring others and improving services

Position Description

Please note Barwon Health will only contact you via our official email and never use unconventional means, such as text messaging or other services.

• Excellent working conditions and a strong sense of job satisfaction
• A vibrant staff wellbeing program and access to our 24/7 Employee Assistance Program
• Attractive salary packaging benefits
  • Living expenses capped at $9,010
  • Meals and entertainment capped at $2,650

Diversity and Inclusion

Barwon Health is an inclusive and welcoming employer, committed to reflecting the diverse communities we serve. We value and celebrate people of all genders, sexual orientations, cultural backgrounds, faiths, abilities, family structures, and identities, and encourage applications from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and members of the LGBTIQA+ community.

Child Safety

We are strongly committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people. Click here for further information on the Victorian Government's Child Safe Standards: About Child Safe Standards | Victorian Government (www.vic.gov.au)

Additional information

If you need adjustments to participate in the recruitment process, please contact us at ************@barwonhealth.org.au

All appointments are subject to:

• Satisfactory Police Record Check
• Immunisation Status Clearance
• Working with Children Check (if applicable)