Liz Radcliff has a career spanning the injury management sector. Having completed her Rehabilitation Counsellors degree with Griffith University, Liz has worked with the Queensland Department of Education and Department of Employment, Small Business and Training, and most recently with the Tasmanian Department of Justice.
ASORC recently met with Liz to discuss her career and work.
- How long have you been a Rehabilitation Counsellor?
Since 2007.
- Can you tell us a bit more about the various roles you have worked in?
I have worked in Senior Safety, Injury Management and HR Business Partnering roles since 2007, across three state government departments in two states. Rehabilitation Counselling has been a key element across all these people centred roles.
- What is your current role?
I am currently the Assistant Director, Safety and Injury Management for the Tasmanian Department of Justice. I have been in this role since December 2021. I lead safety and injury management across the Department which includes the Tasmania Prison Service, Community Corrections, Courts, Crown Law, Consumer Building and Occupational Services, WorkSafe Tasmania, a number of Tribunals and Victim of Crime and Family Violence support services. Many of our staff are exposed to trauma and vicarious trauma, occupational violence and aggression. The management of psychosocial hazards in our workplaces has been our focus for the last 2 years.
- What drew you to this career?
Many years ago I became a Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator, assisting employees with work related and personal injuries to return to work. I found this work incredibly rewarding but it was also quite limiting in terms of what I could do to influence the outcomes for employees. The goals were usually limited to the return-to-work hierarchy. I wanted to do more to assist those employees I worked with to return to best possible health and to regain control of their life and career, this inspired me to return to study.
- What is this best thing about your role?
Empowering employees to regain control of their health and career.
- Can you tell us about a recent workday or project that you have found rewarding?
I am in the final stages of a project where the functional job requirements for Correctional Officers have been identified. By identifying and documenting the physical and psychological, social and interpersonal requirements of the role, we can better inform applicants to the role, put controls in place where those job requirements might create a risk to health, safety or wellbeing and to guide doctors and allied health professionals of injured or ill Correctional Officers in identifying suitable duties and/or restrictions for return-to-work purposes. This has been a large project and two other projects have been started as a result of this work.
- What do you find most rewarding about Rehabilitation Counselling?
Good outcomes for the employees I work with, that ranges from them return to their same role or a completely different role in a different employer.
- Would you recommend this profession to our student readers?
Do you have any advice? Absolutely, this is a very rewarding profession. In terms of advice, I would encourage you to practice patience and to be curious. The people you will work with may not always be open to your assistance. They often feel a sense of loss, loss of health, functioning, purpose and plans for the future. With your support and guidance, the people you work with can regain their health and purpose.