Occupational Therapist - Community Mental Health

Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora Taranaki; Taranaki; On-site; NZD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is seeking an Occupational Therapist to join the Community Mental Health Team at Taranaki Base Hospital. The role focuses on keyworking, comprehensive assessments, and potential group facilitation within a hospital-based service, with some community work.

The successful candidate will hold an Annual Practicing Certificate (APC) in NZ, bring experience with whai ora in distress, and demonstrate strong assessment and interpersonal skills within a multidisciplinary

Qualifications

• Current Annual Practicing Certificate (APC) in New Zealand.
• Experience with whai ora experiencing significant mental health distress.
• Excellent functional, cognitive and sensory assessment skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide keyworking for a caseload of clients within Community Mental Health.
• Conduct functional, cognitive and sensory assessments for whai ora.
• Facilitate groups and contribute to multidisciplinary care planning.

Skills

Caseload management

Assessment skills

Interpersonal communication

Group facilitation

Education

Annual Practicing Certificate (APC) – NZ

Job description

Occupational Therapist, Community Mental Health TeamTaranaki Base HospitalFixed Term Fulltime (80 hours per fortnight) - 11 January 2027 to 7 January 2028Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is committed to building a health system that serves all New Zealanders.

About the Role

As an Occupational Therapist, you will play a vital role within the Community Mental Health Team. Occupational Therapists in the service provide keyworking for a caseload of clients, as well as conduct functional, cognitive and sensory assessments for whai ora across the Community Mental Health Service. There is also the opportunity to help facilitate groups. Please click here to view the position description

About the Team/Service/ Location

Our team is composed of Psychologists, Social Workers, Occupational Therapists, Support Workers, Nurses, and Psychiatrists. Most of the work will occur in the hospital setting with the occasional opportunity for community work. We can offer you a welcoming and supportive environment with a team that is committed to ensuring you are successful in your role. We will also provide a comprehensive orientation process when you start so that you become familiar not only with our service but also the wider mental health sector in Taranaki. For more information on living and working in Taranaki click here

About you

• A current Annual Practicing Certificate (APC) in New Zealand
• Experience in, and passion for, working with whai ora experiencing significant mental health distress
• Excellent assessment skill
• Adept therapeutic skills and knowledgeable in a variety of therapeutic modalities
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication & relationship building skills
• Flexibility to work autonomously as well as part of a multi-disciplinary team and provide clinical leadership and supervision within the team.
• Understanding and application of the principles of the Te Tiriti o Waitangi, with a culturally safe and appropriate approach to practice
• Display enthusiasm to embrace new ideas and innovative thinking towards service delivery.

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of New Zealand. We embrace a workforce that is diverse and inclusive so that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.