Two opportunities to do skilled therapeutic work that matters.

Two positions available | Full-time preferred | Part-time considered | Community Services Worker Level 4 or Level 5 | Social and Community Services (WA) Interim Award

About Us

Waratah is a specialist service in the South West of Western Australia. We support children, young people, adults and families impacted by family and domestic violence and sexual assault or abuse through counselling, assessment, safety planning, advocacy, prevention and community education.

Our counselling is trauma-aware, recovery-oriented and grounded in each client’s strengths, choices and goals. We work alongside people, not ahead of them, and we value therapeutic relationships built on dignity, safety and trust.

Waratah acknowledges, honours and welcomes the diverse communities we share. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people with disability and people of diverse bodies, genders, sexualities and relationships.

The Role

Waratah is seeking two qualified Adult Counsellors: one based in Bunbury and one based in Busselton.

These are roles for practitioners who want to do genuine therapeutic work with adults whose lives have been affected by family and domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual abuse and complex trauma. You will have the time and professional responsibility to build trust, understand the whole person and deliver counselling that is purposeful, evidence-based and responsive.

You will provide individual counselling and may facilitate group work. Your practice will include comprehensive assessment, risk assessment, safety and action planning, advocacy, referral, therapeutic goal-setting and outcome measurement. You will work collaboratively with clients, colleagues and other services to create coordinated, wraparound responses where these are needed.

This is substantive counselling work. You will need to hold complexity without taking over, maintain strong professional boundaries, document your work to a high standard and use supervision actively and thoughtfully.

Full-time availability is preferred because continuity and reliable client access matter.



Part-time arrangements will also be considered for the right applicants who can offer consistent availability. Applicants may nominate Bunbury, Busselton or both locations.

About you

These positions are for qualified counsellors, and we are open to applicants at different career stages. You must already hold a completed relevant university qualification and be able to demonstrate direct counselling experience with adults.

Level 4 or Level 5: Applicants with less than two years of post-qualification experience may be considered at Level 4 where they demonstrate sound counselling foundations and readiness to practise safely with structured supervision. Level 5 applicants will ordinarily have at least two years of post-qualification counselling experience and demonstrate capacity for greater autonomy with complex presentations. The scope of practice, complexity, autonomy and supervision arrangements will be matched to the appointed level.

Australian working rights: Applicants must have unrestricted working rights in Australia. Visa sponsorship is not available for these positions.

Essential selection criteria

- A completed university qualification in psychology, social work, behavioural science or another relevant human services field, together with demonstrated direct counselling experience with adults. Applicants with less than two years of post-qualification experience may be considered at Level 4; Level 5 applicants will ordinarily bring at least two years of post-qualification counselling experience and greater capability for autonomous practice.
- Counselling and assessment capability with adults affected by trauma and complex vulnerability, appropriate to your career stage,



including trauma-informed therapeutic intervention and the ability to contribute safely to risk assessment and safety or action planning within relevant supervision and escalation arrangements.
- Sound professional practice, including well-developed boundaries and resilience, active use of supervision, compliance with privacy and confidentiality requirements, and accurate records, outcome measures and reports.
- Well-developed interpersonal, written and digital skills and the ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, referrers and other services around the client’s needs and choices.
- Culturally safe practice, including understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and the intergenerational impacts of colonisation, and effective work with culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

Desirable criterion

- Knowledge or experience in sexual assault, sexual abuse and/or family and domestic violence counselling models and trauma-informed practice, and/or exposure to the Safe and Together Model.

What we offer

· Two positions: one based in Bunbury and one based in Busselton. Full time employment is preferred, with part-time arrangements considered for the right applicants.

· Appointment at Community Services Worker Level 4 or Level 5 under the Social and Community Services (WA) Interim Award, depending on qualifications, counselling experience and demonstrated capability.

· Five weeks annual leave and access to not-for-profit salary packaging benefits of up to $15,900 per annum.

· Regular professional supervision and development within a specialist, values-led team where skilled counselling, sound judgement and the client’s own goals are genuinely valued.

How to Apply

Please apply through SEEK and include:

- your current resume;

- your location preference. Please note this is face-to-face work, and
- a covering letter of no more than four pages that clearly addresses the five essential selection criteria listed above.

Please use criterion numbers 1 to 5 as headings. Briefly show how you meet each one. Also state your preferred location or locations, whether you are seeking full-time or part-time work and your preferred FTE, and confirm your unrestricted Australian working rights.

Applications close Wednesday 19 August 2026.

📌 Adult Counsellors - Bunbury and Busselton
🏢 Waratah Support Service
📍 Bunbury