Mental health - allied health opportunities
Allied health professionals form a vital part of the teams that combine to deliver excellent mental health services within SMHS. Multidisciplinary teams are at the front line of our mental health response and work every day to create better outcomes for patients, their families and loved ones, and the broader community. Take a listen to what some of our dedicated allied health professionals have to say.
Images of Western Australia used in this video are published with the permission of TourismWA.
When responding to patients’ mental health challenges, typically there is no quick fix. It’s a journey of diagnosis, treatment and recovery. Our allied health professionals form an important part of the response at every stage of the journey, instilling hope in the patient that they will get through this challenging situation and go on to enjoy a rich and fulfilling life.
We welcome people with all levels of skills and experience to search our current vacancies (external site) within mental health or to reach out and have a discussion with one of our recruitment team members by completing an Expression of Interest form Expression of Interest form (external site).
We’re not just looking for locals either. If you’re located in other parts of Australia or overseas, you’re encouraged to follow in the footsteps of many of our staff who have decided to make WA their home. These staff will tell you that they are now not only work in a field that challenges and fulfils them, but they do so in one of the most beautiful and natural parts of the world.
Why don’t you come and join them and us at SMHS?
While there are a range of allied health roles working within mental health services at SMHS, the key roles of occupational therapists, social workers, clinical psychologists and clinical neuropsychologists are outlined as follows:
Clinical psychologists are specialised psychologists responsible for providing assessment, diagnosis, formulation and psychological treatment of mental health, behavioural and emotional disorders to individuals across the lifespan.
Clinical neuropsychologists assess and treat people with brain disorders that affect memory, learning, attention, language, reading, problem-solving and decision making.
To work as a clinical psychologist or clinical neuropsychologist, psychologists are required to have completed an additional post-graduate degree and period of supervised practice in the relevant area of practice endorsement, such as clinical psychology or clinical neuropsychology. Pathways to becoming an endorsed clinical psychologist or clinical neuropsychologists can be found on the Psychology Board of Australia (external website).
Psychologists working in Australia must be registered with the Psychology Board of Australia.
With a focus on the physical and mental health of clients, occupational therapists work with people to improve their health and wellbeing as part of clinical teams that include consultant psychiatrists, medical officers, clinical nurse specialists, clinical nurses and registered and enrolled nurses.
The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to live a meaningful life by being an advocate for the client, their family and their carer’s psychosocial needs.
Our occupational therapists work across the spectrum of mental health, providing services to people with mild, moderate, and severe mental health conditions including anxiety disorders, psychosis, and trauma-related disorders.
Occupational therapists provide strengths-based, behaviourally oriented and goal directed care to achieve the desired patient outcomes, adopting a holistic, person-centred approach to support individual function and participation in daily life.
You will have completed a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy, or a relevant undergraduate degree and a graduate entry master’s degree in occupational therapy, or equivalent. In addition, occupational therapists working in Australia must be registered with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia. Additional qualifications are not required for occupational therapists to work in mental health.
Social workers assist individuals, their families and support networks in the context of their physical, social, and cultural environments, their past and current experiences, and their cultural and belief systems. Social workers maintain a dual focus on supporting and improving human wellbeing and identifying and addressing any issues that may negatively impact on wellbeing.
Our social workers typically undertake roles in casework, counselling, advocacy, community engagement and development, and social action to address issues at the personal and social level. They help manage a patient’s recovery and plan their return to a more meaningful life. This will often involve working with family members and government bodies that provide support in the forms of ongoing treatment, welfare, legal matters and accommodation.
You will have completed either a bachelor’s degree in social work or relevant undergraduate degree with a master’s degree in social work or equivalent. In Australia, social work is a self-regulated profession. The Australian Association of Social Workers is the professional representative body of social workers in Australia.
In addition to experienced practitioners, we welcome new graduates in social work to our mental health teams. SMHS provides career progression through to more senior and team leader positions that will see you provide more supervision to other social workers in the form of skills and career development.