SA Health
Job reference: 938778
Location: 5069 - STEPNEY
Job status: Ongoing
Eligibility: Open to Everyone

Join our Alcohol and Drug Information Service Team

Join Southern Adelaide Local Health Network as a Part-time Telephone Counsellor and make a meaningful difference in the lives of people affected by drug and alcohol issues. 

About the role: 

This role will be involved in providing telephone counselling in the prevention, intervention and minimisation of related harm through the provision of a telephone assessment, counselling, treatment and referral options for people with drug or alcohol related problems and/or assistance to their family and significant others.

Duties for the role will include:

• Assess individual caller needs, plan, implement and/or coordinate appropriate service delivery from a range of accepted options including other disciplines, services and or agencies.
• Provide health promotion and education, to patients/clients or groups and carers to improve the health outcomes of individual.
• Use theoretical knowledge, evidenced based guidelines and individual expertise to achieve positive patient/client care outcomes.
• Provide, with increasing capacity over time, support and guidance to newer or less experienced staff, enrolled nurses, student nurses and other new team members.
• Using the appropriate counselling technique relevant to the callers situation; e.g. motivational interviewing, relapse prevention, trauma and or grief counselling.
• Responding to contacts made by SAPOL officers either by telephone or the government radio network Implementing procedures as documented in the Drug Diversion Operations Manual
• Providing health assessment, education, counselling and referral options to improve the health outcomes of individual clients.
• Integrating advanced theoretical knowledge, evidence from a range of sources and experience from working in a specialist field to triage callers in to the correct clinical pathway.

About you:

• Experience in working with clients with substance misuse concerns including the use of appropriate counselling techniques such as harm minimisation, relapse prevention and motivational interviewing.
• Effective communication skills including, problem solving, conflict resolution and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team and to prioritise workload.
• Ability to be, resilient, innovative, solution-oriented, adaptable to change and flexible when approaching issues within a healthcare setting.
• Demonstrated commitment to providing consumer/client and family centred care.
• Demonstrated interpersonal, communication, and counselling skills which develop rapport, facilitate positive interaction and foster the confidence and cooperation of individuals.
• Proven ability to assess an individual’s information needs and to assist clients in crisis situations via the telephone.
• Proven experience in delivering high quality and safe care consistent with the National Safety and Quality Health Care Service Standards.

Please see the attached Role Description for additional information.

Want To Know More? Contact: Gerald Yeoh, Nurse Manager ADIS, 0412 028 721, Gerald.Yeoh@sa.gov.au

Application Closing Date: 11.55 pm Wednesday 27 May 2026

Attachments:

• ADIS Telephone Counsellor Role Description
• Australian applicant guidelines
• International applicant guidelines

Applicant Information:

• We also offer salary sacrifice benefits which provide the opportunity to save money by paying for some of your everyday expenses from your salary before it is taxed. Click here to find out more about salary packaging.
• The South Australian public sector promotes diversity and flexible ways of working including part-time. Applicants are encouraged to discuss the flexible working arrangements for this role.
• Appointment will be subject to a satisfactory Criminal History Check and Immunisation compliance as indicated on the Role description.
• SA Health Services are required to implement the Addressing vaccine preventable disease: Occupational assessment, screening and vaccination policy in the workplace.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants are encouraged to apply.  Job ref: 938778

Applications close: 27/05/2026 11:55 PM

Flexibility Statement
The South Australian public sector promotes diversity and flexible ways of working including part-time. Applicants are encouraged to discuss the flexible working arrangements for this role.