Senior Mental Health Clinician

Senior Mental Health Clinician

Purpose, variety and support. Bring mental health care to remote communities in a rewarding RFDS FIFO role.

Classifications

• Healthcare & Medicine
• Psychology
• Full-time

Key points

• Full-time, contract supporting established rural and remote communities
• FIFO from Brisbane to Charleville, with accommodation & a work vehicle provided
• Diverse role combining outreach, flying days, telehealth & community engagement

Description

Are you self-motivated, adaptable and passionate about supporting people in the bush?

Our Central West and Outback Mental Health team has a vacancy for a Senior Mental Health Clinician to provide meaningful, evidence-based mental health support to rural and remote communities across the South West region.

Central West and Outback Mental Health
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) (RFDS) is committed to improving access to mental health care for people living in rural and remote Queensland. Our Central West and Outback Mental Health team delivers practical support through services including Wellbeing Out West, Children and Parenting Support, the Drought Wellbeing Service, Remote Wellbeing Service, Psychological Therapies and Low Intensity Mental Health. This is rewarding work with genuine community connection, professional variety and the opportunity to make a lasting impact.

Our role
This is a full-time position contracted until June 30, 2027. The role operates on a 12 days on, 9 days off a Fly-in and Fly-out (FIFO) roster from Brisbane to Charleville. From Charleville, your roster will include a combination of road and air travel to support communities across Central and South West Queensland. Flying days are undertaken with the RFDS Primary Health Care Team providing face to face and telehealth services to rural and remote communities. RFDS will provide you with accommodation and a vehicle while you are working in Charleville.
In a typical week, our clinicians support communities across Central and South West Queensland through:

• Holistic clinical assessments and recovery-focused, client-centred treatment planning.
• Culturally appropriate clinical interventions for individuals, families and occasionally groups.
• Collaboration with RFDS teams, community stakeholders and local service providers to support continuity of care.
• Health promotion, early intervention and community engagement activities, including support for rural, remote and agricultural communities.

Who Are We Looking For?
We are looking for a confident and compassionate clinician who brings strong therapeutic skills, sound judgement and a genuine interest in rural and remote mental health. You will be comfortable working with autonomy, travelling to communities, partnering with multidisciplinary teams and building trusted relationships with clients, families and local service providers. To be successful in this role, you will also have:

• Qualifications in Psychology, Social Work (MH accreditation with AASW), Occupational Therapy, or Mental Health Nursing (eligible for mental health credentialing)
• Registration with AHPRA or membership with the AASW.
• Minimum 5 years of post-graduate clinical experience.
• Highly skilled in empowering others and experienced and confident in delivering mental health education.
• Knowledgeable on issues impacting rural and remote populations.
• A respectful understanding of cultural diversity, including traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander views of health and wellness.
• Ability to work independently with minimal direction and work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills with demonstrated ability to establish priorities and manage workloads to achieve timely outcomes.
• Ability to travel and stay overnight in remote communities.
• A Working with Children Blue Card (required for Social Workers).

Why Join the RFDS Mental Health and Wellbeing Service?
Joining the RFDS Mental Health and Wellbeing team means becoming part of a passionate, highly skilled group of professionals who are committed to improving mental health outcomes for rural and remote communities. This Charleville-based FIFO role offers variety, an established caseload, meaningful community connection and the support of an experienced local team. You will work alongside specialised medical and Primary Health Care teams while delivering practical, person-centred care to people living in some of Queensland’s most remote communities. In return, we offer a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Attractive remuneration of up to $125K + superannuation.
• Salary packaging of up to $18,500 to boost your take-home pay.
• Fly-in, fly-out allowances (approx. $130/day depending on travel times).
• Additional education allowances for Master’s ($2000) and PhD ($5000) qualifications.
• Paid study leave for training and development.
• Employee Assistance Program (including support for staff and families, plus advice on nutrition and financial wellbeing).
• Novated leasing options.
• Private health insurance discounts.
• Access to a discounted workplace health and fitness program (Fitness Passport).
• RemServ Rewards, where members receive cashback benefits on purchases from hundreds of leading Australian retailers, including groceries, fashion, technology and travel.

Interested?
For further information, please contact the Talent Acquisition team at recruitment@rfdsqld.com.au or on (07) 3852 7553.
This role will close on the 25th of September 2026. We will progress candidates before this date, so don’t delay your application!

Please note:

Successful candidates may be required to complete a pre-employment medical assessment. You will require an unrestricted Australian driver’s licence, and candidates must also complete the RFDS and Queensland Health credentialing process and provide certified copies of qualifications/registrations, along with evidence of vaccination or immunity against vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD).

About the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section)

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) is one of the world’s largest and most trusted aeromedical and primary health care providers. We are committed to delivering exceptional, life-saving care across rural and remote Queensland. Our 24/7 emergency retrieval service reaches over 330,000 Australians each year—one person every two minutes. While aeromedical care is vital in critical moments, primary health care and preventative healthcare services are at the heart of what we do, making up two-thirds of our daily operations. Through services such as telehealth, mental health, oral health, and health promotion, we focus on prevention and continuity of care to improve long-term health outcomes for the communities we serve.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) (RFDS) acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and the Traditional Custodians of the land. The RFDS is committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination in the provision of healthcare. We embrace diversity and welcome all people irrespective of faith, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity.

The RFDS is committed to the protection of human and legal rights, including the rights of children, young people and adults to be safe, heard and cared for. In upholding the Universal Principle, RFDS is committed to creating an organisational environment that ensures Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families feel welcome, safe, valued, included and respected.