About us

Youth Focus is a for-purpose organisation that creates brighter futures for young people in Western Australia by offering a range of no-cost mental health services. Established in 1994, Youth Focus delivers innovative and accessible mental health services and programs across Western Australia to help at-risk young people aged 12 to 25.

A key component of this is our role as the lead agency for a number of headspace centres, including the dynamic and successful headspace Midland located on Whadjuk Noongar Country.

The headspace mission is to collaborate to design and deliver innovative ways of working with young people to strengthen their mental health and wellbeing. headspace Midland is part of a national network of over 100 headspace centres operating across Australia with the vision of all young Australians being supported to be mentally healthy and engaged in their communities.

• Full-time position (1FTE)
• Fixed-term contract until June 2026, with extension in line with funding

About the Role

The Early Psychosis Clinician, as part of a multidisciplinary team, will provide comprehensive, specialist, and early intervention mental health service to young people aged 12-25 years who are referred to the headspace Midland Early Psychosis Service. This program offers early intervention and specialist support services to young people experiencing a first episode of psychosis or at ultra-high risk (UHR) of psychosis. Utilising Orygen Health's best-practice EPPIC Model, the focus is on early intervention, aiming to prevent disruptions in a young person's life and lessen the duration of untreated psychosis.

In this role, you will:

• Practice according to the headspace Early Psychosis philosophy, standards, guidelines, and protocols of the service.
• Coordinate comprehensive, specialist and early intervention mental health care and provide specific psychological and psychosocial interventions tailored to meet the individual needs of young people and within an optimistic, hopeful recovery framework.
• Participate within a multidisciplinary team delivering evidence-based interventions for young people in the headspace Early Psychosis service, in consultation with the Team Coordinator and senior clinical staff across the program.
• Carry a caseload of young people within the Continuing Case team (CCT).
• Provide mental health assessments, including completion of mental state examination, risk assessment, case formulations and individual treatment planning.
• Provide case management and evidence-based psychological and psychosocial therapeutic interventions that promote recovery for the young person and their family, based on a cognitive behavioural case management approach.
• Consult, liaise and link with internal and external service systems to provide a full range of tailored interventions for young people with a first episode of psychosis.
• Provide crisis response and home-based assertive outreach as required, to facilitate engagement and treatment with a young person and their family/significant others.

About You

To be considered for this position, applicants will have:

• Tertiary qualifications in a relevant clinical discipline including psychology, social work, occupational therapy, or mental health nursing.
• Current membership or registration with an appropriate professional regulatory body.
• Sound knowledge of and, ideally, experience in working with young people who have experienced a first episode psychosis and their families in both a case management and therapeutic role.
• Experience in clinical practice within the mental health field, ideally in the community mental health setting, and with young people experiencing mental health disorders.
• A high level of interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal), problem solving and negotiation skills and demonstrated ability to consult, liaise and negotiate with team members, other professionals, and outside agencies.
• Demonstrated ability to engage and work collaboratively with young people and their families.
• Demonstrated ability to provide high quality assessment and evidence-based psychological interventions, within a stress-vulnerability and recovery framework for young people.
• Ability to be self-motivated and function autonomously whilst being able to effectively work in a multidisciplinary team.
• Knowledge of early psychosis rationale and principles including the developmental stages of young people and the impact that a first episode of psychosis has on their development and the impact on the family/significant others (desirable).
• 'C' Class Driver's Licence is essential.

To successfully become part of our team, it is just as important to align with our values as it is to meet our selection criteria. Our values are part of who we are and are demonstrated in the way we work every day.

What we offer

• Youth Focus is a 2023/2024 DCA recognised Inclusive Employer
• An opportunity to be part of a person-centred and flexible organisation
• Competitive salary offerings with the ability to salary sacrifice
• Access to professional development opportunities
• Additional annual leave and other leave offerings
• Free office parking
• Access to a pool vehicle for work purposes

Applications

Please send through your CV and Cover Letter that addresses the above mentioned selection criteria detailed under the section 'About You'.

Closing date for applications: 9.00am, Monday 5 May 2025.

PLEASE NOTE:

• We reserve the right to close this job ad early so please apply at your nearest convenience.
• Appointment to the role is subject to the successful candidate possessing a satisfactory National Police Check and Working with Children Check.
• Due to the high volume of applications only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. For those who are not contacted, we thank you for your application and interest in working with Youth Focus.
• For further information or a confidential discussion about the position please contact Human Resources on (08) 6266 4333.

Youth Focus is committed to ensuring every individual that interacts with us feels safe and is able to bring their whole selves, being welcomed with equity, dignity and respect. In doing so, we understand that we must first include, listen, and reflect in order to build trust, connect, and partner. We celebrate individuality and are guided by the stories and journeys of the communities in which we live and work. Everyone is welcome at Youth Focus.