Lecturer / Senior Lecturer (Counselling and Psychotherapy)

Location: Hawthorn East

Employment Type: 0.60 EFT (Level B or C, commensurate with experience)

Reports to: Dean

About The Cairnmillar Institute

The Cairnmillar Institute is a not‑for‑profit provider of psychological services and higher education, with a 65+ year history of supporting mental health and training the next generation of practitioners. We deliver clinical services, short courses, vocational training and accredited postgraduate programs in psychology, counselling and psychotherapy.

Change Lives with a Career in #Better Mental Health

We are seeking a passionate and highly skilled Lecturer / Senior Lecturer in Counselling and Psychotherapy to join our collaborative and community-focused academic team. This role is central to our teaching mission and is ideal for someone deeply grounded in person‑centred and humanistic‑experiential approaches, with a strong commitment to experiential learning, supervision, and the development of therapeutic presence in students.

You will contribute to high‑quality teaching, curriculum innovation, and the development of a growing psychotherapy change research profile, supporting our commitment to training reflective, relational, and practice‑ready graduates.

About the Role

This role involves:

- Delivering engaging, experiential and process‑oriented teaching
- Providing supervision that emphasises relational depth, attunement, and use of self
- Designing curriculum grounded in humanistic‑experiential pedagogy
- Embedding trauma‑informed, anti‑oppressive, and inclusive teaching practices
- Contributing to scholarship and research, particularly in psychotherapy process and change

To be successful in this role you will have:





- Robust expertise in person‑centred counselling and humanistic‑experiential approaches
- Experience in experiential teaching, training, and/or supervision
- A commitment to inclusive, trauma‑informed, and anti‑oppressive practice>
- Demonstrated ability to engage students in reflective and applied learning
- Interest or experience in psychotherapy change research

Highly desirable

- Registration with Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia and/or Australian Counselling Association
- Doctoral qualification (required for Senior Lecturer)

Why join Cairnmillar

- Supportive, collaborative academic team
- Strong focus on experiential and practice‑based teaching excellence
- Opportunities to contribute to emerging psychotherapy research
- Purpose‑driven culture focused on wellbeing and inclusion

To apply

Please attach your CV and a brief statement outlining your interest, relevant skills and experience, including contact details for two referees.

Applicants are encouraged to refer to the full Position Description for detailed responsibilities and requirements.

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. A Police Check and Working with Children Check will be required from the successful applicant as a condition of employment.

Child Safety & Equal Opportunity

Our organisation is committed to child safety. We have zero tolerance for child abuse.

Cairnmillar is an equal opportunity employer committed to attracting and developing a diverse workforce that reflects the community it serves.

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Wurundjeri and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the lands on which The Cairnmillar Institute is located, and we pay our respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging. We also extend these respects to any First Nations peoples engaging with these materials, and our services.

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📌 Lecturer / Senior Lecturer (Counselling and Psychotherapy) (Melbourne)
🏢 The Cairnmillar Institute
📍 Melbourne