Mental Health Peer Worker (Suicide Prevention) (Newcastle)

Awabakal/Newcastle Part Time (3 days a week)

Do you want to leap into a career that empowers you to use your lived and living experiences to support and promote the health and wellbeing of the regional LGBTQ+ community? If this sparks your interest- keep reading!

• We are excited for someone to join our Peer Work Team and play a vital role in the delivery of our Statewide Suicide Prevention and Aftercare Service that supports LGBTQ+ community following a suicidal crisis, an attempt or those experiencing suicide risk.
• This regional NSW based peer work role has become a possibility through an expansion of our grant through the Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network.

What’s ACON’s Regional Services you say?

• Our regional teams engage with LGBTQ+ people, community members and people living with HIV (PLHIV) in providing care coordination, peer support, counselling services, delivering health promotion campaigns, undertaking community development and peer education initiatives, supporting community groups and events, providing training and support to mainstream services, and providing access to the needle and syringe program.

Ok, so what’s the role?

The Mental Health Peer Worker (Suicide Prevention) is essentially utilising your lived experience of suicide and mental health challenges to support LGBTQ+ community members experiencing suicidal distress or following a recent attempt. This role is a part of a multidisciplinary team consisting of lived experience and non-lived experience roles responding to the needs of LGBTQ+ community members, however peer support may be delivered as a standalone support service depending on the support preferences of individual community members.

You will:

• Provide strengths based, recovery orientated and trauma informed peer support, advocacy and mentoring to LGBTQ+ community members
• Support and empower peer clients to strength their self-management skills
• Work collaboratively with ACON staff, in particular Client Services and Regional Services staff to ensure adequate support is provided to peer clients in a timely manner
• Regularly attend and actively participate in required team meetings to ensure consistent quality service delivery
• Support the promotion of the service

Who are we looking for?

• Someone with significant lived experience of suicide, mental health distress and recovery who is eager to use this experience to support LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV
• Someone who is compassionate and passionate about human rights and social justice
• Someone who understands the broad range of social factors that impact experiences of suicidality for LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV
• Someone with solid written and verbal communication skills including empathy, conflict resolution, productive feedback, active listening and case notes
• Someone with a strong commitment and understanding of ACON’s communities, particularly people with HIV
• Someone with experience working or volunteering in a mental health setting
• Someone with the ability to meaningfully connect with people from diverse backgrounds and possess the skills and commitment to provide a culturally open space
• Someone with a balance of initiative and collaboration, who can work independently and as a part of a cohesive and supportive team

What else can we tell you?

ACON provides a colourful, nurturing, and fun workplace. Our employees and volunteers are the foundation for our ongoing effectiveness and for our capacity to deliver innovative community engagement and health promotion programs and initiatives for our communities.

To support the successful candidate in their new role at ACON we offer:

• Flexible working arrangements.
• Generous learning and development opportunities.
• Potential for tailored mentoring opportunities.
• Supportive working environment with a knowledgeable and friendly team.

What’s the remuneration and working details? 

Salary:           $85,457 – $96,745 TPR (Gross per-annum, PLUS Superannuation and Leave Loading) – commensurate with skills, qualifications, and experience.

Location:      ACON’s Awabakal/Hunter Office, with flexible working options a possibility (away from the office).

Hours:           Part-Time (42 hours per fortnight) on a 1-year fixed term contract with the possibility of extension.

We offer flexible working arrangements and a generous array of benefits and entitlements often above the National Employment Standards (NES) including:

• Salary Packaging up to $35,000 gross up value (i.e., currently up to $15,900 Expenses + $2,650 Meals, tax free).
• Generous pro-rata leave entitlements – including up to an extra week of paid leave for full time employees to be taken during our Christmas and New Year’s shutdown period.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – access to a comprehensive counselling service free to employees.
• Access to discounted unique accommodation experiences to improve employee health and wellbeing.

How can I find out more details and apply? 

If this sounds like you, we invite you to apply to join our team and help us make a meaningful impact on the lives of those we serve. By joining us, you will be part of a mission to create a healthier and more inclusive community.

We’d love someone who has experience already in this area but people at all levels of experience are absolutely welcome to apply. We highly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from CALD backgrounds, people with disabilities, and people of all genders to apply.

For more information on the role, please contact Kate Airmid Team Leader Peer Workers, via email at kairmid@acon.org.au or (02) 4962 7700.

All applications must include:

1. Your completed ACON Employment Application Form – with all the details filled in where requested;
2. Your Cover Letter outlining how you meet the Selection Criteria (max. 4 pages); and
3. Your Resume (max. 4 pages).

DOWNLOAD: Job Pack – Mental Health Peer Worker (Suicide Prevention) (Newcastle)

Applications Close: Sunday 20 July 2025

We are grounded in the belief that diversity is our strength, our differentiator, and at the core of who we are and what we do. As part of our commitment to inclusion, we encourage applications from people living with HIV, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and LGBTQ people from culturally, linguistically and ethnically diverse, migrant and refugee backgrounds, and LGBTQ people of colour.

Care Coordinator/Counsellor (Northern Rivers)

Want to be part of helping LGBTQ+ communities in Regional NSW?

• We’re on the lookout for a passionate individual to play a vital role in delivering client services provision in Regional NSW.
• Part-time (0.8 FTE) opportunity based in our Bundjalung/Lismore Office.

What’s ACON’s Regional Services, you say?

Our regional teams engage with LGBTQ+ people, community members and people living with HIV (PLHIV) in providing care coordination, peer support, counselling services, delivering health promotion campaigns, undertaking community development and peer education initiatives, supporting community groups and events, providing training and support to mainstream services, and providing access to the needle and syringe program.

Ok, so what’s the role?

The Care Coordinator/Counsellor – Northern Rivers delivers psychological counselling and care coordination services to NSW clients of diverse sexualities and/or genders (LGBTQ+ people), and people living with HIV. Clients may present in suicidal crisis, or they may require support for their mental health and resilience, sexual, domestic and family violence, homelessness, NDIS, substance use or for support with gender affirmation. The role is placed within the context of a state-wide, multi-disciplinary team of allied health professionals working within a short-term, trauma-informed framework. You will:

• Conduct psycho-social assessments and identify the need for immediate assistance for clients and making referrals for longer-term support in relevant cases.
• Maintain a caseload of clients providing short-term psychological counselling and care coordination services using a range of evidence-based strategies and interventions.
• Assess, manage, safety plan and deliver therapeutic interventions for people who are experiencing suicidal risk and/or sexual, domestic or family violence (SDFV).
• Conduct assessments and interventions via face to face and telehealth modes dependent on client preference, location and public health restrictions.
• Work with clients presenting with multiple and complex needs to develop care plans, navigate health, medical and community services, support applications and advocacy for Housing/Centrelink/NDIS and develop self-management skills.
• Support people who have been newly diagnosed with HIV, living longer term with HIV or are at risk of or affected by HIV.
• Maintain the consistent and accurate collection of clinical outcome measures (COMS) for the purposes of therapeutic intervention and to demonstrate service outcomes.
• Work in collaboration with crisis services and mental health services to ensure appropriate levels of care and support for the individual.

Who are we looking for?

• Someone experienced in psychological counselling and/or care coordination experience in the fields of SDFV, or mental health or suicide prevention or HIV/sexual health or disability.
• A person with demonstrated understanding, knowledge, and commitment to working with people of diverse sexualities and/or genders, and people living with and affected by HIV.
• Someone experienced in undertaking trauma-informed psychosocial assessments, goal setting and care planning, advocacy, building referral pathways and using short-term evidence-based therapeutic interventions.
• A person with demonstrated knowledge and experience supporting clients to access the health and social services sector and other community-based organisations and mental health services.
• Someone who takes initiative and can work autonomously within a supportive team.

What else can we tell you?

ACON provides a colourful, nurturing, and fun workplace. Our employees and volunteers are the foundation for our ongoing effectiveness and for our capacity to deliver innovative community engagement and health promotion programs and initiatives for our communities.

To support the successful candidate in their new role at ACON we offer:

• Flexible working arrangements.
• Generous learning and development opportunities.
• Potential for tailored mentoring opportunities.
• Supportive working environment with a knowledgeable and friendly team.

We provide a flexible and supporting working environment. You’ll be part of the Regional Community Care team in the Client Services Division, a highly varied team providing multi-disciplinary care, including counselling, peer support, and home-based care to ACON’s Bundjalung/Northern Rivers community.

What’s the remuneration and working details?

Salary:           $93,053.00 to $103,911.00 (Gross FTE per-annum, PLUS Superannuation and Leave Loading) – commensurate with skills, qualifications, and experience.

Location:      ACON’s Bundjalung/Lismore Office, with flexible working options a possibility (away from the office)

Hours:          Part-Time (56 hours per fortnight) on a 12-month fixed term contract, with the possibility of extension.

We offer flexible working arrangements and a generous array of benefits and entitlements often above the National Employment Standards (NES) including:

• Salary Packaging up to $35,000 gross up value (i.e., currently up to $15,900 Expenses + $2,650 Meals, tax free).
• Generous pro-rata leave entitlements – including up to an extra week of paid leave for full time employees to be taken during our Christmas and New Year’s shutdown period.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – access to a comprehensive counselling service free to employees.
• Access to discounted unique accommodation experiences to improve employee health and wellbeing.

Still reading?

If this sounds like you, we invite you to apply to join our team and help us make a meaningful impact on the lives of those we serve. By joining us, you will be part of a mission to create a healthier and more inclusive community.

We’d love someone who has experience already in this area but people at all levels of experience are absolutely welcome to apply. We highly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from CALD backgrounds, people with disabilities, and people of all genders to apply.

For more information on the role, please contact Phil James, Team Leader Client Services – Northern Rivers via email pjames@acon.org.au or 0482 168 543.

All applications must include:

1. Your completed ACON Employment Application Form – with all the details filled in where requested;
2. Your Cover Letter outlining how you meet the Selection Criteria (max. 4 pages); and
3. Your Resume (max. 4 pages).

DOWNLOAD: Job Pack – Care Coordinator/Counsellor (Northern Rivers)

Applications Close: Sunday, 27 July 2025

We are grounded in the belief that diversity is our strength, our differentiator, and at the core of who we are and what we do. As part of our commitment to inclusion, we encourage applications from people living with HIV, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and LGBTQ people from culturally, linguistically and ethnically diverse, migrant and refugee backgrounds, and LGBTQ people of colour.

How To Apply

How To Apply

1. Download and follow the instructions within the relevant job pack.
2. Download and complete the ACON Employment Application Form
3. Create a Cover Letter outlining how you meet the Selection Criteria as outlined in the job pack. Tell us how your skills and experience relate to the requirements of this role and how you’d use them to excel in this job. You should use statements with examples that clearly demonstrate your competency in a particular area.
4. Update your Resume (CV) with the latest information, certifications and employment history. Tell us about your current and previous employment experience and your education. Be sure to include your preferred name, contact details and preferred pronouns.
5. Email your complete application with these three documents in MS-Word or PDF format to: vacancy@acon.org.au

Application Checklist

Application Checklist

Before you submit your application, ensure you have the following:

• Completed ACON Employment Application form – ensuring that all questions are answered
• Cover Letter document outlining how you meet the Selection Criteria – as outlined in the Position Description.
• Resume (CV) document with your the latest information, certifications, and employment history.

Downloads

Downloads

ACON Employment Application Form

ACON Enterprise Agreement