Sahar Yazdani

I am a family violence crisis specialist who does intake and assessment work. I support and manage women and children who are at risk of family violence.

My Role and Responsibilities:

• Assess the immediate risks the client is in, and then provide safe and secure options for them such as: providing secure short term housing, connecting them with case management support, and contacting the police and child protection if the client and/or child is in immediate danger.

Achievements

• Work effectively and efficiently in a high pressure environment.
• Work in a team environment.
• Collaborate with other organizations and institutions.
• Assess immediate risk, and provide ongoing support and management.
• Proficiency in the MARAM risk assessment and management framework.

Working with youth and children in a community-based setting - Designated counsellor for youth camps working in a group and individual based counselling setting. Run, coordinate, and organize camps and events for youth between the ages of 15-30 to assist in their moral and intellectual development.

Achievements:

• Ability to respond to the needs of the teenagers and older youth
• Ability to work in a community-based setting including camps
• Ability to speak to youth who face mental health issues and refer them to relevant services
• Ability to support individuals in relations to their family situations

AMES Australia provides English classes to newly arrived migrants and refugees through the Adult Migrant English Program. The role of the AMES counsellors is to liaise with clients to discuss any issues to do with their learning plan or future pathway, or other personal, family issues that may arise.

My role and responsibilities included:

• Conduct Individual Pathway Guide (IPG) interviews with new clients and develop a learning strategy.
• Provide ongoing pathway and career planning.
• Provide initial personal counselling session.
• Provide a referral service for a range of personal counselling requirements.
• Offering emotional support to clients.
• Exposed to a team of different disciplines; developed my capacity to work coherently with other professionals

Achievements:

• Built an excellent rapport with both clients and teachers.
• Consistently met my target (contact) hours.
• Further developed my capacity to work effectively with other professionals.
• Organized and attended weekend Career Expo events with clients

• Intake and assessment and offer emotional support.
• Counsel the elderly.
• Meet clients and revised long-term goals.
• Liaised and consulted with other allied health and welfare professionals

• Responsible for preparing lessons and teaching a grade 1 class with 16 students.
• Assisted in working with students in developing their fine motor skills.
• Experience in effectively carrying out administrative responsibilities such as registering students, liaising with parents, and enrolling students.
• Counselling parents and students on a variety of issues

AFS is a specialist service organisation established to serve the African/ Australian communities. AFS provides a range of including community capacity building, outreach and case management, family violence support and various training packages.

Role and Responsibilities:

• Intake and assessments.
• Directed clients to various services.
• Counselling one on one.
• Case management

VASS is an incorporated not-for-profit association providing support to people of Arabic-Speaking-Background (ASB) communities in Victoria. VASS provides a range of support including counselling, case work, referrals, advocacy, community development, mediation, and social,

cultural and linguistic support to people of ASB and other culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Role and Responsibilities:

• Provided one on one counselling.
• Offered emotional support.
• Helped with resumes, housing applications and worked through various forms.
• Directed clients to various services
• Provided ongoing pathway and career planning

The Townsend International School is a Prep – Year 12 International School located in the Czech Republic. The role of the counsellor is to liaise with the students on a range of school related, career based or adolescent issues.

Role and Responsibilities:

• Worked with a variety of students in creating effective ways to deal with their personal issues.
• Liaised and consulted with allied welfare professionals.
• Developed my ability to analyse and obtain necessary information about individuals.
• Exposed to international students from different backgrounds and cultures.
• Provided career guidance to students

Achievements:

• Interacted professionally and collaboratively with staff and students.
• Developed my ability to analyse and explore information relevant for client growth and self-knowledge.
• Increased my knowledge and understanding of various cultural issues effecting international students.

• Provided individual and group counseling sessions to students in order to discuss academic, social and emotional issues.
• Collaborated with teachers to develop strategies for improving student performance in the classroom.
• Assisted families in understanding resources available within the community to address their needs.
• Coordinated crisis interventions for students facing difficult life situations.
• Created referral networks with outside mental health professionals for additional support services when needed.