Senior Counsellor/Therapeutic Specialist

• Make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families
• Full-time (part-time negotiable, minimum 0.8 FTE) opportunity with a NFP organisation based in Burswood & Mirrabooka
• $110k - $114k + Super + Salary Packaging up to $15,900

About the Programs
This position sits within Therapeutic Services WA and works into the OurSPACE WA Program and Naala Djookan Healing Centre (2 days per week).

OurSPACE WA
OurSPACE WA is a statewide counselling, therapeutic consultation and support service for foster and family carers. OurSPACE stands for Safe, Predictable, Adaptive, Connected and Empowered.
OurSPACE WA helps to reduce stress for carers and improve placements for children by providing confidential counselling, empowering carers to better understand and respond to their children’s therapeutic and cultural needs, and by offering support into the care team to strengthen the networks surrounding carers and their children. OurSPACE WA provides an integrated model of therapeutic counselling and specialised carer support, that responds to the unique and interrelated challenges and needs of carers. The OurSPACE WA service is predominately delivered via phone or videocall.

Naala Djookan Healing Centre
Naala Djookan Healing Centre is a Consortium funded by the Department of Communities that delivers an integrated, specialist service to support women, children and families at risk of or experiencing family and domestic violence (FDV), to access the support and assistance they require to promote safe, healthy relationships and overall wellbeing. The Healing Centre simplifies access to specialist FDV and other support services through a range of integrated and specialist evidence-based services in one safe, inclusive, culturally responsive and welcoming location.
The Senior Child and Family Counsellor will play a pivotal role in delivering trauma-transformative therapeutic services to children and caregivers impacted by family and domestic violence. This role involves providing individual counselling and dyadic therapeutic support that strengthens parent-child relationships and promotes recovery and healing from the effects of trauma and violence.

About the Role
The key role of the Senior Counsellor/Therapeutic Specialist is to act as a specialist therapeutic consultant and practitioner, working in partnership with children, carers, and networks of professionals to deliver the program. This position is primarily responsible for the provision of therapeutic counselling to foster carers and family carers via tele-health (OurSPACE WA) and individual, dyadic and family counselling to children and caregivers (Naala Djookan Healing Centre).

About You
We are seeking an individual with:

• An appropriate tertiary qualification in Psychology, Social Work, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated ability to provide leadership and direct service in the clinical assessment and treatment of children, young people, caregivers and families.
• Highly developed ability to provide secondary consultation and advice to clinicians and other professionals.
• Demonstrated capacity to lead and manage in an area of challenging and complex practice.
• Demonstrated knowledge of trauma, attachment and neurobiology frameworks and theories.
• Substantial clinical experience in the area of child abuse and/or in working with traumatised children and their caregivers.
• Demonstrated commitment to working collaboratively and the capacity to negotiate and liaise with individuals who make up the network of support around children and young people, including carers, child protection, other agencies and the community.
• A sophisticated understanding of the complexity of the service system.
• Personal values consistent with the values of the organisation.
• A current Western Australian driver’s licence or equivalent.
• A current Western Australian Working with Children Check or willingness to obtain.

What we offer

• Salary Packaging – Increase your take-home pay with up to $15,900 of tax-free benefits.
• Wellbeing Support – Access to confidential Employee Assistance program
• National Network – Connect with a passionate professional community across Australia.
• Guided Supervision – Regular individual and group supervision to support your growth.
• Values-Driven Culture: Be part of a trauma-informed, child-focused organisation that puts children’s needs and voices at the centre of everything we do.
• Real Impact – Contribute to innovative programs that create meaningful change for children, young people and families.

To learn more about our work and the impact we’re making for children and families, please visit: https://www.childhood.org.au/

To Apply
If you are interested in making a difference in the lives of children, please click APPLY and attach a copy of your current resume along with a cover letter, addressing each of the Key Selection Criteria.
🔎 For a copy of the Position Description please visit: https://auschildhood.sharepoint.com/sites/HumanResourcesHub/Shared Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx?sortField=Modified&isAscending=false&viewid=4331ad9e-bc83-4125-b7da-8b4da2d43d07&id=/sites/HumanResourcesHub/Shared Documents/External Access/Position Description/PD - Senior Counsellor Therapeutic Specialist VN451.pdf&parent=/sites/HumanResourcesHub/Shared Documents/External Access/Position Description

Applications close on 2 January 2026, unless a suitable candidate is appointed earlier.

Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF) is committed to protecting children and young people from harm. We require all applicants to undergo an extensive screening process prior to appointment.
ACF is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and people with a disability are strongly encouraged to apply.
Members of the LGBTIQ+ community are strongly encouraged to apply.