Psychosocial Counselor - Nairobi at Center for Victims of Torture (CVT)

Job Description

Position Summary

The Center for Victims of Torture is seeking for a Psychosocial Counselor to work with urban refugee population who have suffered torture and war trauma. The position is to assist individuals, groups, and communities to recover from the effects of torture and war trauma, and enable them to rebuild their lives and their communities

Reports to: Psychotherapist Trainer

Responsibilities.

In collaboration with site team and under the supervision of the Psychotherapist Trainer, the Psychosocial Counselor functions includes but are not limited to:

• Render psycho-social services to individuals, groups and communities to assist them to recover from the effects of torture and war trauma.
  • Providing comprehensive psycho-social support to survivors of war trauma and torture who have sought assistance by completing an initial screening and intake assessment; individual and group treatment plans; case management including timely referral, follow-up, and advocacy if necessary; home visits; and follow-up assessments.
  • Coordinating their efforts with Community Workers (CWs) to ensure case management goals are properly achieved.
  • Carrying out individual or family counseling sessions with clients affected by war trauma or torture.
  • Facilitating of group counseling processes, including selection of group members, planning the group process, and group facilitation.
  • Providing interpretation between clients and other CVT staff members when needed.
  • Ensuring that all required documentation is completed in a timely and professional manner.
  • Ensuring that all work with clients is confidential and that ethical practices are observed at all times.
• Develop the community’s awareness, understanding and engagement with the issues relating to mental health, war trauma, and torture.
  • Assist in planning and implementing community mental health, war trauma and torture awareness and education campaigns and programs.
  • Sensitize, problem solve, dialogue, and mediate with the wider population about the issues of the war, torture, trauma and traumatized people in order to raise understanding, develop coping strategies and encourage those who need psycho-social services to approach CVT.
  • Coordinate their efforts with Community Workers (CWs) to ensure community awareness goals are properly achieved.
• Make the CVT services known and accessible to people whose psycho-social functioning has been impaired by their experiences of torture and war trauma.
  • Identify children, teenagers, men, and women whose psycho-social functioning may have been affected by war related experiences and encourage them to approach CVT for support.
  • Develop the referral systems and encourage collaboration between local groups and leaders, CBOs, local and international NGOs, and government ministries.
  • Attend interagency meetings to improve service delivery to our client groups and access opportunities to forward CVT’s work.
  • Ensure that the reporting and documentation of these processes is completed and minutes of meetings are filed.
• Train role players and community members in basic trauma and mental health issues:
  • Assisting in designing, planning, implementing and facilitating training programs for local decision makers, community members and CBOs, local and international NGOs, government/ministry staff and CVT colleagues on trauma and mental health issues in order to develop a more supportive environment for people whose psycho-social functioning has been affected by experiences of torture and war trauma.
  • Contribute to completing the documentation and reporting of external training.
• Promote Self-care through Support and Supervision
  • Attending regular support, debriefing, case conferences, and supervision coaching meetings to ensure information and skill-sharing
  • Attending trainings provided by CVT and other agencies as directed by Psychotherapist-Trainer
  • Implementing Psychotherapist-Trainer recommendations and training in day to day clinical work
  • Providing feedback to Psychotherapist-Trainer on training and supervision.
  • Requesting support from Psychotherapist-Trainer or Counseling Supervisor as needed.
  • Submit files to the Counseling Supervisor or Psychotherapist-Trainer for regular review and support (related to counseling duties)
  • Setting objectives for each week and month, which contribute to achieving the objectives. Plan the activities required to achieve these objectives.
  • Submitting weekly and monthly statistics form and reports (in relation to counseling and supervision responsibilities)
  • Setting and follow through on a personal self-care schedule to avoid burnout and vicarious traumatization.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor Degree in Psychology, Counseling or related field. Master Degree in similar field will be an added advantage.
• At least 2-3 years in field experience within a Humanitarian NGO/Agency in the same or similar position.
• Extensive experience providing psychotherapy to individuals and groups.
• Understanding of and experience implementing culturally appropriate mental health interventions, including individual, group and community-based approaches for people who have suffered torture and trauma.
• Experience with gender-based violence highly desirable.
• Willingness to work with minorities group highly desired
• Demonstrated flexibility to adapt to changing requirements and needs.
• Skilled at working as a member of a team.
• Working knowledge of English and Swahili
• Experience in working as a counselor or ability to be an empathic counselor
• Experience working in local and regional context and knowledge of local area and community structures desirable.**
• Previous working experience with refugee desired.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with ability to maintain neutrality, impartiality and confidentiality in all aspects of work undertaken.
• Excellent skills in organization, attention to detail and time management (including the ability to meet deadlines) Interest in or commitment to human rights