Occupational Therapist/Social Worker - Early Intervention

New Zealand Government Joba; Wellington; On-site; NZD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is seeking an experienced Occupational Therapist or Social Worker to join the Early Intervention Service in Wellington. The role focuses on early intervention principles, care management, and collaboration with families and community agencies for young people aged 13 to 25 experiencing first-episode psychosis.

You will work within a multidisciplinary team delivering education, facilitating groups, and supporting functional recovery, with an emphasis on

Qualifications

• Qualified Occupational Therapist or Social Worker with annual practising certificate.
• Experience with youth mental health is desirable.
• Full driving licence required.

Responsibilities

• Provide effective care management and early intervention-based care for young people aged 13–25.
• Work with families, group activities, and community resources.
• Deliver education and training on early intervention in psychosis.

Skills

Occupational Therapist

Social Worker

Job description

Location: Te Whare Tipu, WellingtonContract: Permanent, Part Time or full time (35-40 hrs)

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is dedicated to serving all NewZealanders. Through integration and collaboration, we're building a health system underpinned by partnership, equity, sustainability, whānau-centred care, and excellence.

About the Role

• Providing effective care management and key work based on Early Intervention principles
• Having a strong focus on functional recovery and ways to collaboratively achieve this
• Working with community agencies and resources for the benefit of young people and their whanau
• Developing and facilitating groups for clients and whanau as needed
• Delivering education andtraining about early intervention in psychosis, as required

Please note that we are particularly seeking an Occupational Therapist for this role - however Social Workers with appropriate skills are also welcome to apply.

About the Team/Service/Location

The Early Intervention Service is an innovative, creative multidisciplinary team which offers assessment and treatment to young people (13 to 25 years) presenting to mental health services with a first-time psychotic disorder - we work hard to minimise the impact of the disorder on young peoples' lives through offering a client centred, strengths based and collaborative support programme. The team are inspired by the recovery'focused framework laid out in the book Recovery after a first episode of psychosis. We regularly evaluate our outcomes allowing us to constantly adjust, improve and innovate the services we provide.

We provide a sub-regional service across the Greater Wellington Region (Welington, Poriua, Kapiti and Hutt) as well as delivering consultation-liaison and training to mental health services in the Central Region DHBs.

About you

You are an experienced, enthusiastic Occupational Therapist or Social Worker to work with young people and their families in the Wellington region.

Excellent assessment skills and an ability to engage creatively are valuable in this role, as are skills related to working with families and in group settings.

Previous experience working with young people is preferred.

An annual practicing certificate and a full driving licence are essential.

Working at Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is 'the weaving of wellness'. We're dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of Aotearoa/NewZealand. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Health New Zealand are committed to being good employers and honouring our equal employment opportunity obligations. We embrace diversity and welcome application from all people, including all gender identities, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and disability. A workforce that is diverse and inclusive means that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We are pro-equity health organisation, with a particular focus on Māori, Pacific Peoples, and the Disability Community.

If you have any questions about the role, please contact [e-mail].