For a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor Emigrating to Australia

Welcome to our guide on the Australian skills assessment process for a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor. Before we examine the skills required to be recognised as a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor it may be helpful to explain that the skills assessment is the first step of the emigration process. The skills Assessment of a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor determines their eligibility to emigrate and the visa options available. Ultimately, it will affect their employment opportunities once they are in Australia.

While we appreciate that each case is unique, we always strive to secure the best possible outcome from the Skills Assessing Authorities in Australia. Experience has proven that efforts and expertise in this area are often the keys to a successful case.

Ensuring Drug and Alcohol Counsellors Are In High Demand

Every skilled migrant wants to know they will be able to secure a job quickly and easily when they are in Australia. The Australian emigration system ensures that they can.

Each year, State Governments and the two territorial Governments report to the federal government on their local demand for Drug and Alcohol Counsellors and if they need to bring in Drug and Alcohol Counsellors from overseas to fill any potential shortage skills gaps. This report states the number of overseas a Drug and Alcohol Counsellors required in the coming year to fill the skills gap within each region.

The Skills in demand are then broken down into priority lists. These lists range from those skills in high demand across the country to those skills with only limited demand within rural areas.

Curently, Drug and Alcohol Counsellors are on the STSOL list. Being on this list means a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor may qualify for one of the following visa streams:

• 186, 189 (PT), 190, 407, 485 (GW),491 (F), 491 (S/T), TSS (M), 494

To read more about the shortage skills list, you can visit the government website here: STSOL

Skills and Experience Required To Be a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor

Before a person can be accepted in Australia as Drug and Alcohol Counsellor, their qualification, skills and experience must be independently verified via a rigorous accreditation. The process ensures all skilled migrants can do their jobs to the required Australian standards.

1. Defining the job title a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor:

The profession “a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor” can mean something slightly different in Australia to what is referred to overseas. In “official emigration terms”, this profession is aligned within the occupation category “Drug and Alcohol Counsellor” and is uniquely identified by the code 272112. This may seem weird to some people, but it is a registry system that has been in place since 2006.

2. Key Requirements for a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor:

For a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor to be deemed experienced down under, here are the essential skills, tasks, duties and responsibilities they must be familiar with:

General Duties:

Human resources
• Communication and collaboration
• Health and care
• Records
• documentation
• reports and research
• Teaching and education

Core Specialist Responsibilities:

Provide community health programs
• Verify personal information and maintain records
• Develop treatment plans for patients or clients
• Train staff
• Perform drug screening
• Present information and news to the public
• Prepare reports or evaluations
• Monitor and evaluate patient treatment
• Collaborate with health care professionals
• Manage health care operations
• Collaborate and advise on educational and technical issues
• Communicate with others to coordinate work
• Undertake or provide professional skill and knowledge development
• Undertake community development activities
• Provide counselling
• Assist and support clients
• Support diversity and inclusion
• Develop
• implement and monitor educational policies
• standards or programs

Specific Tasks Associated with the Role:

Advocate for individual or community needs
• Administer drug screening tests
• Maintain a working understanding of the cultural
• diversity and accessibility needs of others
• and how this applies to the role
• Maintain professional social services knowledge
• Counsel clients or patients with substance abuse issues
• Modify treatment plans to accommodate client needs
• Interview clients to gather information about their backgrounds
• needs or progress
• Counsel family members of clients or patients
• Supervise workers providing client or patient services
• Develop treatment plans for patients or clients
• Maintain client records
• Intervene in crisis situations to assist clients
• Plan programs to address community health issues
• Collaborate with other professionals to assess client needs or plan treatments
• Monitor clients to evaluate treatment progress
• Write reports or evaluations
• Refer clients to community or social service programs
• Confer with family members to discuss client treatment plans or progress
• Present social services program information to the public
• Support individuals with diverse needs to understand
• access and utilise information or services
• Collaborate with other professionals to develop education or assistance programs
• Train staff members in social services skills
• Evaluate the effectiveness of counselling or educational programs

3. The Australian eligibility criteria for a Drug and Alcohol Counsellor:

Currently Drug and Alcohol Counsellor’s are listed on the . This reflects the demand for the profession within Australia.

4. Emigration options:

As the profession is currently listed on the , there are places available. However, demand is high, and Australia will stop inviting further applicants to emigrate once all the places are filled.

Navigating the Medical Board of Australia Skills Assessment Process

For Drug and Alcohol Counsellors, the skills assessing body is “Medical Board of Australia” they are often referred to as the MedBA. To visit their site, follow the link: https://www.ahpra.gov.au

It is important to note that the primary purpose of the Medical Board of Australia is to make a profit and protect their current members from migrants entering Australia, taking their members’ jobs, and driving down standards or wages.

Therefore, the MedBA will often look to delay, frustrate and reject cases preventing accreditations wherever possible with those aims in mind.

The result of a candidate’s skills assessment is often a key factor in their success. It is vital that we secure the highest possible skills accreditation.

Find out more

Emigration law is one of the most complex areas of legislation and is continuously being adapted. By definition, emigrating to Australia is a legal process where the individual must prove their case. It is not down to the government to assist in that process. In fact, in legal terms, it is the government against whom we must win our case.

To discover more, complete our online assessment form for your complimentary guide and to discuss your options with one of our friendly experts.