Clinical Psychologist - Infant Mental Health

The Women's Alcohol and Drug Service: First Thousand Days Clinic
Fixed term: 12 month Contract (part time)
7.6 Hours per week (1 days)

$108,279.60-  123,905.59 (pro-rata for part time) + salary packaging + super + 5 weeks annual leave

The Royal Women’s Hospital is one of Australia’s oldest and most distinguished tertiary hospitals dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of women and newborns, offering specialised services within maternity, neonatal and women’s health.  Our goal is to be the best place to work, learn and contribute, and to provide exceptional experiences for our patients and consumers.

About

The Women’s Alcohol and Drug Service (WADS) is the only state-wide drug and alcohol service providing specialist clinical services and professional support in the care of pregnant women with complex substance use and alcohol dependence.  We provide comprehensive support from a multidisciplinary team to advance their health and well-being and the medical needs of their infants.  Our philosophy values a social model of health, gender sensitivity and acknowledges the diversity in women’s lives.

The First Thousand Days Clinic is a newly established quality improvement project that provides medical and allied health care to infants who were born to mothers accessing care through the WADS antenatal program. The project is funded for a 3 year period commencing in 2024. The provision of outpatient multidisciplinary care for vulnerable, substance exposed infants up to the age of 2 years of life aims to support optimal development in the early years.

About the role

The Clinical Psychologist will play a vital role in the FTD team, offering specialized consultation, training, and service development to address the mental health and developmental needs of vulnerable infants. This role emphasizes building capacity within both internal and external teams, ensuring the consistent use of evidence-based infant mental health practices.

The position is part of a multidisciplinary clinic that operates one day per week, collaborating closely with the FTD paediatrician, physiotherapist, midwife, social worker, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, and senior WADS leaders.

 A regular day will see you:

• Provide clinical advice to First Thousand Days (FTD) clinical staff and external hospital and community services regarding the mental health of vulnerable infants exposed to alcohol and other substances in utero
• Educate unit staff on developmentally supportive outpatient assessment and intervention
• Participate in FTD Clinic training and education initiatives.
• Support the strategic development of the FTD Clinic and contribute towards the development of embedding trauma informed care in the clinic’s operations.

About you

You’ll bring with you:

• Registered as a Psychologist with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority (AHPRA) and the Psychology Board of Australia (PBA)
• Minimum 7 years’ experience as a psychologist, with at least 5 years in Infant Mental Health.
• Demonstrated performance excellence that shows an understanding of the impact on the infant of adverse early life experiences, including alcohol and other substance exposure in utero and their impact on long-term developmentSkills and experience 
• Expertise in infant development, including preterm and full-term infants

Our benefits

At the Women’s you will enjoy a culture that is collaborative, supportive and passionate about learning.  We have a strong sense of purpose, and engage in meaningful work every day.  We offer our people a range of rewarding benefits, including:

• $11,660 in salary packaging benefits, for living expenses, meals and holiday accommodation
• A suite of wellness initiatives designed to support you, including discounted financial, lifestyle and health options, and a comprehensive wellbeing program
• Public transport options at our doorstep and end of journey facilities for cyclists
• Onsite post office, eateries, retail stores and library services
• Mentoring, learning and career development opportunities
• Five weeks annual leave, 17.5% leave loading, monthly ADO’s and purchased leave options 
• Flexible, hybrid working arrangements 

Inclusion and belonging

The Women’s celebrates, values and supports a diverse and inclusive environment which reflects our vibrant community.  We encourage applications from anyone identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.  We also welcome anyone who identifies as LGBTQIA+, linguistically, culturally and/or gender diverse, people with disability, and people of any age to apply for our roles. We are committed to gender equity principles, and our people have an awareness of and sensitive approach to violence against women and family violence matters.  We are proudly Breastfeeding Association accredited and provide breastfeeding/chestfeeding facilities for staff.

Join us!

If you feel this role is right for you we warmly invite you to apply, and encourage your early application.  All appointments are made subject to a satisfactory National Police Check, a Working with Children Check and three COVID-19 vaccinations, and may include a range of additional vaccinations including influenza, as required by the Department of Health. 

Should you need assistance or require any adjustments or accommodations to fully participate in the application or interview process, you are welcome to reach out to the contact person listed.  We acknowledge that not all applicants will meet the full list of selection criteria outlined, and wherever possible we will consider applications where relevant experience can apply.

For more information, please view the For more information, please view the Position Description for this role.  for this role.

Applications Close: June 4th 2025. 

For further information please contact Kerri Felemonow via email: kerri.felemonow@thewomens.org.au