Health professionals

DBT team

We offer opportunities for experienced mental health professionals to work alongside our treatment teams so they can develop their clinical skills as well as contribute to clinical work with Spectrum clients. These are generally unpaid work experience placements, so they must be remunerated by the applicant’s employer or self-funded. From time to time, fixed-term vacancies arise in the Spectrum teams that provide opportunities for shorter term paid employment.

Circumstances permitting, Spectrum accepts applications from:

  • Graduate students in psychology, social work, occupational therapy, or nursing who are enrolled in a discipline-specific university post-graduate degree, where the study is in some way relevant to the treatment of personality disorder. We don’t employ graduate students into fixed-term remunerated vacancies.
  • Mental health nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, and clinical psychologists who are employed by an Area Mental Health Service or Mental Health Community Support Service in Victoria, and who have employer support for a placement at Spectrum. When circumstances allow, these placements may combine with fixed-term remunerated vacancies.
  • Psychiatrists employed by an Area Mental Health Service in Victoria who desire a sabbatical placement with Spectrum. These positions are not remunerated by Spectrum.

To be considered the applicant must have the following:

  • Professional qualifications in medicine, psychology, social work, occupational therapy or nursing, with appropriate AHPRA registration and, where required, professional endorsement or fellowship with the relevant professional college. Where required, students must have AHPRA provisional registration.
  • Foundational knowledge and practice in working with people with severe or borderline personality disorders.
  • An interest and preferably some experience in providing group and/or individual care and treatment to clients with borderline personality disorder.
  • An interest and preferably some experience in working in public mental health services.
  • Good communication, negotiation and interpersonal skills.

Applications for placement should be made in writing to the Discipline Senior for Psychology (psychologists), The Executive Clinical Director (psychiatrists), or the Associate Clinical Director (other disciplines).