Kaiwhakamahereora | Accommodation Wellbeing Adviser

• Are you interested in a fixed-term, full-time role, from December 2024 to November 2025?
• Have you got a degree or post graduate qualification in a mental health or counselling related discipline?
• Do you hold a current practicing certificate and are a fully registered member of a relevant professional board or organisation in NZ?

Mō Te Herenga Waka - About Our University

Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington is a global-civic university with our marae at our heart. This iho draws off our heritage and is further defined by our tūrangawaewae, in particular Wellington, Aotearoa, and the Asia-Pacific, all of which are expressed in our position as Aotearoa New Zealand's globally ranked capital city university.

Kōrero mō te tūranga - About the role

Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington is currently recruiting a Kaiwhakamahereora - Accommodation Wellbeing Adviser to join our team on a fixed-term, full-time basis. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of our team, providing short-term counselling or therapeutic support to University students in our Halls of Residence.

The Kaiwhakamahereora - Accommodation Wellbeing Advisers (AWAs) are a team of five registered mental health practitioners who provide a confidential mental health service for hall residents, mostly first year students. They support students who are experiencing mental health or wellbeing issues that may impact on their ability to manage the demands of their living and academic environments. The AWAs liaise with Accommodation services staff, University Faculties, Student Support Services, and Community Services to ensure that residents receive the support they need.

Ō pūmanawa - About you

Key requirements:

• University Degree or Post graduate qualification in a mental health or counselling related discipline.
• Be a fully registered member of a relevant professional board or organisation in New Zealand and hold a current practicing certificate.
• Proven/demonstrated experience in psychology, psychotherapy, social work, or counselling, and supporting people from a range of backgrounds and cultures, particularly young adults.
• Experience in providing holistic mental health assessments and delivering a range of therapeutic approaches including solution focused, brief/time limited models of counselling.
• Experience in mental health crisis management and intervention.
• Proven ability to counsel using an approach that is non-judgemental, flexible, empathic, and sensitive to cultural, religious differences, gender, and sexual orientation.
• Experience and interest in working in a culturally safe approach with Māori and Pasifika students and applying cultural models of wellbeing.
• Ability to work in a self-directed manner with a high level of organisational skills.
• Ability to work in a flexible manner across different environments and engage with a variety of clinical and non-clinical partners.

Ideally, you will have the following:

• Knowledge and experience in the university/tertiary education sector, understanding of Pastoral Care Code responsibilities.
• Knowledge within a hall of residence or other community living environment and within mental health services.
• Experienced in the provision of consultation and mental health promotion/preventative services.
• Familiarity with client record software and Microsoft Suite.

This role requires safety checking through the police vetting system under the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

Ētahi kōrero hai āwhina i a koe - Why you should join our team

We are a collegial team from a variety of cultural and professional backgrounds. We cultivate regular professional and social connections to foster a supportive and warm atmosphere. We offer a competitive salary and our team benefits include:

• 5 professional development days and individual professional development budget (pro rata).
• In-house professional development sessions on cultural and clinical topics.
• Fortnightly external clinical supervision (pro rata) & fortnightly in-house peer supervision.
• Professional indemnity insurance and annual registration (pro rata).

There are many benefits to working at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington, including University Holidays and staff discounts and packages.

If you are curious, eager to work in a tight knit team, and have a great sense of community you will fit right in!

Role description - Click here to see further information, including salary.

Close Date for Vacancy: 25 October 2024. Applications will be reviewed as they are received and we may progress with suitable applicants prior to the application closing date. We can only consider applicants who are citizens or residents of New Zealand or Australia or on a current working visa.

Contact Details for Vacancy: If you have any questions regarding this role please get in touch with Laureline Darques (laureline.darques@vuw.ac.nz). But applicants should follow all steps listed below.

Important - application steps and information

Download and complete the University Application Form, (Kaiwhakamahereora - Accommodation Wellbeing Adviser, #2020). Then, please combine your cover letter, CV, and the University Application Form into a single file (preferably in pdf format). Click Apply and follow the process to enter your contact details and attach your combined file (CV, cover letter, and the University Application Form) using the “CV/Resume” button.

If you are unable to combine your documents or have further supporting documents, please email these to erecruit@vuw.ac.nz stating the reference number and position title from the advert in the subject line.