Counsellor

About us

Intervention Education Australia (IEA) delivers the Violent Offender Pathway Program (VOPP) to people charged with a violent offence, at risk of being charged, or seeking to address their behaviour before harm occurs.

Participants complete five self-paced online modules covering the origins of anger and violence, personal triggers and early warning signs, in-the-moment strategies, the social, relational, legal and health consequences of violent behaviour, and planning for long-term change. Individual counselling is an elective component and follows completion of the modules.

Learn more: https://intervention.edu.au/vopp

About the role

You will deliver the individual counselling component of the VOPP and support each participant to identify and engage with appropriate services. The counsellor also prepares the written documents that follow the counselling, including any letters of referral.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct the initial 60-minute counselling contact, comprising a 45-minute session and associated notes and administration

• Confirm and review the participant's progress through the five online modules, including their reflections and the insights they report

• Identify areas of concern or interest arising from the modules and the session

• Assess the participant's readiness for further change or treatment

• Support the participant to identify follow-up options suited to their circumstances, which may include counselling, group work, trauma therapy, or psychosocial support

• Support the participant to approach the relevant services or practitioners, establish availability and cost, and understand any referral requirements

• Support the participant to develop and document their own action plan, covering the services they will use, the steps required to access them, and the timeframe

• Conduct the second session of approximately 30 minutes to review the plan with the participant, confirm it is realistic, and answer questions before the participant commits

• Conduct scheduled telephone contacts at 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after the final counselling session

• Prepare contemporaneous session notes to a standard suitable for material that may inform a document filed with a court

About you

• Current registration or membership as a counsellor (ACA or PACFA), social worker (AASW), or psychologist (AHPRA)

• Experience working with people who have used violence or who are at risk of doing so

• Capacity to engage clients who are ambivalent, mistrustful, or new to professional support

• Understanding of mandatory reporting obligations and demonstrated capacity to apply them

• Written communication suitable for a professional audience, including a reasoned opinion on a participant's insight and attitude to change

• Current National Police Check and Working with Children Check

• Australian Business Number and professional indemnity insurance appropriate to the applicant's registration

• A private space and a reliable connection suitable for videoconferencing.

How it works

This is a contractor engagement, paid per session.

• The rate is $75 per hour + GST, if applicable.

• Session volume depends on enrolment numbers and is not guaranteed. The role suits practitioners with existing capacity in their week.

• All sessions are delivered by videoconference, so you may be located anywhere in Australia.

IEA welcomes applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners, from practitioners with lived experience relevant to the program, and from practitioners in regional and remote locations.