INTRODUCTION:

The Catholic Schools Office is currently inviting applications for a Temporary School Counsellor/Psychologist to support students in the Upper Hunter region, specifically in Muswellbrook and Singleton from August 2025 to October 2026.
This flexible opportunity offers negotiable working days for the ideal candidate, with the potential to structure the role as either one 0.8 FTE position (4 days per week) or two 0.4 FTE positions (2 days per week each).
(Please specify which FTE arrangement you are applying for in your application.)
For more than 180 years, Catholic schools in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle have offered families a nurturing, encouraging, and safe environment for their children to learn, achieve, and grow from Kindergarten to Year 12. We are committed to ensuring every child is nurtured and supported to achieve their potential.
Every school has access to a School Counsellor who works as part of the school team to address barriers to learning for children and young people. School Counsellors are employed by the Catholic Schools Office and allocated to schools within the Diocese.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The role of School Counsellor / School Psychologist aims to assist school communities to support students in achieving educational success and social-emotional wellbeing by:

• working collaboratively with students, school staff, families, and communities to enable students to reach both educational and social-emotional outcomes through proactive and reactive strategies
• providing expertise in mental health, child development, and education and learning
• providing consultation, assessment, and intervention that assist school communities to support students to achieve academic success, psychological health and social and emotional well-being and respond to the educational and wellbeing needs of their students:
• individual assessments
• personal counselling
• behaviour management interventions
• consultation
• professional development for teachers and parents

All School Counsellors / School Psychologists will be supported with ongoing professional learning and networking opportunities to improve their knowledge and professional capacity. Professional Practice and Development processes for the role of School Counsellor / School Psychologist will be established in consultation with the Coordinator: Counselling Team. These will include feedback mechanisms from Principals and relevant CSO and school staff.

EXPERIENCE/CRITERIA

• Eligible for employment with the Catholic Schools Office Maitland Newcastle
• Experience in assessment of psychological & educational needs and provision of evidence-based counselling interventions for school aged students
• Experience in providing expert advice to schools on mental health, child & adolescent development, education, and learning
• Respect for the mission of Catholic schooling in the Diocese of Maitland Newcastle
• Demonstrated ability to build collaborative, respectful and productive relationships with key school and community partners
• Demonstrated knowledge of local community agencies including referral pathways
• Excellent organisational, communication and IT skills,
• Previous experience of working within a school setting (Desirable)

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum 4-year degree in psychology, social work or counselling. Psychologists must be registered with AHPRA.
• Current drivers’ licence
• Current Working with Children’s Check (WWCC) clearance

• working collaboratively with students, school staff, families, and communities to enable students to reach both educational and social-emotional outcomes through proactive and reactive strategies
• providing expertise in mental health, child development, and education and learning
• providing consultation, assessment, and intervention that assist school communities to support students to achieve academic success, psychological health and social and emotional well-being and respond to the educational and wellbeing needs of their students:
• individual assessments
• personal counselling
• behaviour management interventions
• consultation
• professional development for teachers and parent