Brook RED have been delivering Lived Experience Peer Support to people experiencing suicidality and mental health concerns for over 25 years in the Brisbane South region. Being a Lived Experience service means that all our staff have a first-hand experience of navigating personal mental health concerns and/or suicidality and use this reflectively and purposefully in their work.

Casual Peer Workers

We are looking for Casual Peer Workers to work across multiple community programs including our Community Centre and Warm Line, Roaming RED, our Crisis Support Space, and Alternatives to Suicide (Alt2Su) group. Please note, shifts for these programs fall on evenings and weekends. The role involves providing individual and group support (face-to-face, telephone and digital mediums) to people experiencing mental health challenges and suicidal distress. The Peer Worker position is casual and working hours can vary considerably from week to week, however we expect many shifts being available across programs in the holiday period November-January in particular.

We are looking for people who:

Are able to share their own Lived Experience of mental health and/or suicidality in a meaningful, intentional, and purposeful way to support others.

Are comfortable sitting with big emotions and complex situations.

Have a holistic understanding of mental health concerns and suicidality and work from a relational perspective.

Have good problem solving skills and can work as part of a team and independently.

Have outstanding communication skills and are able to engage in conversations that are sometimes complicated and challenging.

Understand the value of professional and personal boundaries and how to apply these, while developing and maintaining authentic connections from a Lived-Experience perspective.

Possess an Australian driver’s license. Please note, shortlisted candidates will also be required to undertake a federal police check.

Training in relevant practice tools including suicide intervention skills will be provided. The role mentioned in this ad is at pay level 3.4 of the SCHaDS award which is currently $41.45 per hour base rate + loading of 25% for casuals at an effective rate of $51.81 per hour (plus weekend/evening allowances).

To apply, please click the Apply Now button and attach your resume and a brief cover letter (no more than 2 pages) telling us a bit about:

You - We value people as a whole and we don’t expect you to park your personality at the door, so please tell us a bit about you!

How you use your Lived Experience in your practice.

Your emotional resilience – This work can be tough so we would like to know how you balance that while ensuring that you don’t burn out and become overwhelmed.

Any skills that you may have in connecting with a diverse community of people in South Brisbane who have a range of different life experiences and support needs.

Your availability and the ideal number of hours that you would like to work per week.

Brook RED supports a diverse community and celebrates diversity representative of the people we support. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, folks from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities, and people who identify as LGBTIQAP+.

We will be conducting rolling interviews as we receive applications. We are likely to close the ad early if positions are filled, so if you are keen to apply we encourage you to do so as early as possible.

For any questions related to the application process, please email [email protected]