Open To Work
Cheryl Baxter
Accredited Mental Health Social Worker
Farrell Flat,Australia
Work Preference
Desired Job Title
Senior mental health clinicianSenior Mental Health ClinicianYouth Mental Health ClinicianWork Type
Contract WorkPart TimeLocation Preference
RemoteSalary Range
60/hr - 1000/hrImportant To Me
Work from home optionSummary
Recognized for a strong foundation in clinical practice, adeptness in therapeutic techniques, crisis intervention, and patient assessment, with a proven track record of delivering impactful results within multidisciplinary teams.
A mental health professional with a comprehensive background in therapeutic care and client support. Proven ability to implement effective treatment plans and facilitate positive outcomes.
Known for collaborative teamwork and adaptability to meet evolving client needs.
Expertise in therapeutic techniques and client assessment,
Valued for empathy and reliability.
Experienced with therapeutic interventions and client support. Utilizes evidence-based practices to address mental health challenges. Knowledge of crisis management and effective communication techniques.
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Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
1
1
MSW AMHSW
Work History
Clinical Mental Health Counselor
MERRION CONSULTING
South Australia
12.2015 - Current
- Converge EAP/Telehealth - contractor since Dec 2015
- We Lysn Telehealth counselling – contractor since Dec 2022
- Headspace Broken Hill Mental Health clinician contractor
- Sept 2025
- Assessed client mental health needs through comprehensive evaluations and interviews.
- Developed individualized treatment plans to address diverse psychological and emotional challenges.
- Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to coordinate integrated care approaches for clients.
- Developed tailored treatment plans by utilizing various therapeutic modalities such as CBT, DBT, and solution-focused therapy.
Senior mental health clinician
MAARAMA ABORIGINAL HEALTH CORPORATION
SEWB
12.2020 - 12.2021
Mental Health Clinician
BALLARAT HEALTH SERVICES
CAMHS
07.2020 - 09.2019
Senior Mental Health Clinician
CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN HEALTH SERVICE
Alice Springs, NT
09.2019 - 08.2018
- Contract
Youth Mental Health Clinician
CLARE MEDICAL CENTRE
Clare, SA
10.2016 - 08.2018
- Mid North
Community Mental Health Clinician
GOULBURN VALLEY AREA MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE
Victoria
06.2016 - 10.2016
- Child & Youth Mental Health Service specializing in front end response and triage
Mental Health Clinician
DERBY ABORIGINAL HEALTH SERVICE
Western Australia
02.2016 - 03.2016
- Locum
Manager Disability Services Team
DEPT OF HEALTH, AGED & DISABILITY PROGRAM
Darwin, Northern Territory
04.2012 - 04.2014
- Achievements
- Planned the redevelopment of service delivery of clinical specialist services with a team to meet the needs of clients and stakeholders.
- Developed Positive Behavior Support Manual
- Acting Manager, Children’s Development Team Aged and Disability Program Department of Health, Darwin Northern Territory DEC 2011-JUN 2012
- Advanced Practitioner Re-Registration Team Alternative Care Services, Department Children and Families Darwin, Northern Territory contract SEPT-DEC 2011
Director
THE SALVATION ARMY EASTCARE NETWORK
Eastern Victoria Division
02.2004 - 09.2011
- KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Provide leadership which reflects the mission and values of The Salvation Army within the Network Senior Management Teams.
- Provide high-level strategic leadership in service planning across the range of services.
- Provide professional leadership and support to all staff.
- Oversee the operational management of the Network within the approved budget and other resources.
- Ensure that the financial, statistical, and qualitative reporting requirements are fulfilled for the Network, The Salvation Army and funding bodies.
- MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS
- Success of tender to provide a residential unit utilising attachment and trauma based theoretical models.
- Leaving Care – developing Leaving Care OoHC models.
- Recreation and Education Program further developed and delivered educational/recreational program for high-risk youth.
- Attained accreditation via Community Service Organization Standards for Out of Home Care.
- Attained accreditation via QICSA for all other program streams.
Operational Manager
LIFE WITHOUT BARRIERS
Northern Territory
04.2007 - 11.2008
- KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- To develop and maintain high quality programs and services throughout NT.
- To do this within a framework of best practice strategic management and quality leadership.
- Ensure provision of efficient and effective services
Director
THE SALVATION ARMY EASTCARE
Eastern Victoria Division
04.2004 - 04.2007
- Reflected key responsibilities.
- MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS
- Led the development of the Stage 2 submission for the Integrated Family Violence Service within the Eastern Metropolitan Region formed Family Violence Integrating Partnerships and assumed lead agency role in partnership with Eastern Domestic Violence Outreach Service.
- Sourced and set up new premises for 40 staff in Housing and Homelessness Programs.
- Sourced the former DHS provided an Integrated Contingent Service Response for high-risk children and youth.
- Established two-year pilot program area project consultant within Out of Service to incorporate paradigms of Attachment and Trauma practice base.
- 18 MONTHS paid 2007-2008 LEAVE WITHOUT PAY
Assistant Director
THE SALVATION ARMY EASTCARE
EastCare
07.1999 - 02.2004
- KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Provide high-level strategic leadership in service planning.
- Provide professional leadership, support and supervision to program coordinators.
- Develop linkages with other services and ensure the delivery of high-quality services to meet the needs of clients with complex needs.
- Develop processes to enhance and maintain effective multidisciplinary teamwork and the public climate of collaboration staff support and the commitment to EEO principles and practices.
- Develop and maintain appropriate performance standards and accountability requirements for service and programs and ensure that staff undertake regular performance reviews.
- Recruit, select, develop and support staff in the East Care network.
- MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS
- Initiated the East Care service-wide strategic business planning process.
- Established cascading performance management systems linking personal goals to strategic and business plans.
- Developed high quality respected supervision process for professional development.
- Initiated the development of integrated and more robust leadership management team functioning.
Manager
THE SALVATION ARMY EASTCARE
EastCare
07.1996 - 01.1999
- Manage EastCare Outer East and Management Intensive Youth Support Service (concurrent positions)
- KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Manage the Intensive Youth Support Service (IYSS) staff and actively participate in staff recruitment, orientation, supervision and appraisal.
- Improve communication processes including the introduction of weekly staff meetings and the chairing of case discussions.
- Encourage staff to explore creative solutions to program difficulties and to develop clear case plans for program participants.
- Improve service delivery program participants through active engagement of staff in program development and review and the formulation and documentation of program aims, objectives and strategies and improved documentation.
- MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS
- Developed the Intensive Youth Support Service (now CMS) into a highly quality respected program with an excellent reputation in the region.
- Recognition of this led to DHS awarding the agency the components of the Youth Service Stream.
- Developed robust intake procedures and credible secondary consultation with other organizations.
- Built important infrastructure to increase the professionalism of EastCare and capability of staff, such as supervision policy.
Education
Master of Social Work -
01-2002
Diploma of Frontline Management - undefined
01-2001
Bachelor of Social Work - undefined
01-1992
Bachelor of Arts - Social Sciences
01-1989
Qualified Psychiatric Nurse - undefined
01-1976
Skills
- Client relationship building
- Depression treatment
- Anxiety treatment
- Self-esteem building
- Relapse prevention
- Individual counseling
- Child and adolescent counseling
- Grief counseling
- Anger management
- Family therapy
- Care coordination
- Motivational interviewing
- Building rapport
- Individual and group counseling
Certification
Accredited Mental Health Social Worker
Accredited Clinical Social Worker
Affiliations
- 2025-2026 Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, Provider Number 505018X
- 2025-2026 Accredited Member Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)
- 2025-2026 Accredited Clinical Social Worker
FURTHER TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- 2025 Expanding the Window of Tolerance: Empowering clients through self-regulation (Credentialed course)
- Suicide Prevention Summit (Mental Health Academy)
- 2024 Ongoing CPD requirements
- 2023 A Practitioners Guide to Autism Assessment
- 2022 Advanced Supervision Learning Program-Family Violence (AASW)
- 2021 Certificate Infant Mental Health WCHN SA
- 2019-2020 Ongoing CPD requirements
- 2020 February Basic Skills in Perinatal Mental Health COPE
- 2020 January Tuning into Kids 2-day workshop Mindful Victoria
- 2019 December Frontiers in the Treatment of Trauma Stephen Porges & NICABM
- 2019 June MCBT CC/Headspace Eating Disorders/Body Dysmorphia
- 2019 March Cultural Competency Profile Training, Mental Health Assessment of Aboriginal Clients & Suicide Prevention in Aboriginal Communities Combined Workshop
- Prof Tracey Westerman, Indigenous Psychological Services
- 2019 March Relational Formulation Training with Orygen Youth Mental Health
- 2019 March MCBT CC/Headspace
- 2018 -2019 Sept – April Level 1 Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Training
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, USA
- 2018 Ongoing CPD training requirements
- 2017 Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Pat Ogden workshop, Byron clinic
- 2017 Dyadic Psychotherapy ACF
- 2017 DBT Linehan
- 2016 Autism Spectrum Assessment Fundamentals
- 2016 Ice training for frontline workers NCETA
- 2015 Mental Health Summit online training with Mental Health Academy
- 2015 Mindfulness in Therapeutic Practice
- 2015 Using CBT With Depression
- 2015 Depression
- 2015 Communicating with Children
- 2015 Working with Children at Risk
- 2015 Managing Chronic Pain
- 2015 Teaching Anger Management Skills to Clients
- 2015 Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
- 2015 Motivational Interviewing 2
- 2015 Introduction Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
- 2015 Using CBT with Depression
- 2015 Psychological First Aid
- 2014 Motivational Interviewing
- 2014 Mindfulness Based Core Practice Therapy 2
- 2014 Preparing Ministerial Documents
- 2104 Care & Protection in NT
- 2014 Aboriginal Cultural Practice in Care & Protection
- 2012 Induction training to NT Government and Child Protection workshops
- 2011 Critical Incident Stress Management Advanced Group Interventions
- 2011 Bridging the Gap, Darwin.
- 2010 Critical Incident Stress Management Group Crisis Intervention
- 2008 Mindful Based Core Process Therapy (Attachment)
- 2007 Women and Leadership - Darwin
- 2006 Executive Coaching EPR Consulting Pty Ltd
- 2006 - 05 Creating the Future – CEO professional seminar series for CEOs Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare.
- 2001 Certificate III in Business Excellence Australian Quality Council in partnership with Community Link and auspiced by CWAV and DHS
- 2000 Agency Accreditation Certificate Drug Diversion Initiative Clinical Supervisor for:
- Counselling, Consultancy and Continuing Care
- Alcohol and Drug Supported Accommodation
- 1999 Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder Swinburne University and Maroondah Hospital Mental Health Services
- 1998 DHS Overseas Study Grant Researched and reported on service delivery models across the United States for young people diagnosed under DSM with conduct disorders.
- 1996 Combined Schools Workshop for Field Educators (BSW) Melbourne University
- 1989 Legislation Including Children and Young Persons Act Health Commission Victoria
- 1986-7 Two Year Advanced Clinical Family Therapy Training Melbourne Family Therapy Centre
- 1981-2 Two Year Management Development Program Health Commission Victoria
- 1980 One Year Developmental Psychiatry Course Health Commission Victoria
- 1978 Group Interactions and Therapeutic Methods Health Commission Victoria
CORE COMPETENCIES
- Proven strategic and operational skills with an inclusive and inspirational management style.
- Strong all-round industry knowledge through extensive experience in a range of positions
- Demonstrated capacity to work with a diversity of professionals to deliver quality and sustainable outcomes for clients.
- Ability to manage complex and sensitive client relationships.
- Capacity to work independently or as part of a team.
- I display initiative, enthusiasm, am approachable and have a good sense of humour.
Languages
English
Full Professional
Timeline
Senior mental health clinician - MAARAMA ABORIGINAL HEALTH CORPORATION
12.2020 - 12.2021
Mental Health Clinician - BALLARAT HEALTH SERVICES
07.2020 - 09.2019
Senior Mental Health Clinician - CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN HEALTH SERVICE
09.2019 - 08.2018
Youth Mental Health Clinician - CLARE MEDICAL CENTRE
10.2016 - 08.2018
Community Mental Health Clinician - GOULBURN VALLEY AREA MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE
06.2016 - 10.2016
Mental Health Clinician - DERBY ABORIGINAL HEALTH SERVICE
02.2016 - 03.2016
Clinical Mental Health Counselor - MERRION CONSULTING
12.2015 - Current
Manager Disability Services Team - DEPT OF HEALTH, AGED & DISABILITY PROGRAM
04.2012 - 04.2014
Operational Manager - LIFE WITHOUT BARRIERS
04.2007 - 11.2008
Director - THE SALVATION ARMY EASTCARE
04.2004 - 04.2007
Director - THE SALVATION ARMY EASTCARE NETWORK
02.2004 - 09.2011
Assistant Director - THE SALVATION ARMY EASTCARE
07.1999 - 02.2004
Manager - THE SALVATION ARMY EASTCARE
07.1996 - 01.1999
Chisholm Institute - Diploma of Frontline Management,
LaTrobe University - Bachelor of Social Work,
LaTrobe University - Bachelor of Arts, Social Sciences
Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital - Qualified Psychiatric Nurse,
LaTrobe University - Master of Social Work,