Psychosocial Counsellor at RefuSHE

Position Summary  

• The Psychosocial Counsellor will help young refugee and host-community women build the mental wellbeing, confidence and resilience they need to succeed in training, business and work. The role delivers the psychosocial support part of the Angaza program’s entrepreneurship readiness model (Intervention 2(a)), where mental health support is paired with entrepreneurship training.  
• The counsellor will conduct individual and group counselling and supervises community para-counsellors. They’ll run sessions on resilience, stress management and wellbeing. The counsellor also refers women to specialist services (GBV response, legal, health) when needed, works with families and communities to support participants, and tracks wellbeing and agency outcomes through regular assessments.  
• The role is one of RefuSHE’s main safeguard for the women’s emotional wellbeing, as about 2,000 participants a year will go through the Angaza program in Nairobi.  

Key Responsibilities:   

• Give individual and group counselling to program participants, focusing on trauma, stress, anxiety and adjustment to displacement.  
• Screen participants at intake as part of the intersectional vulnerability assessment and flag those who need closer follow-up.  
• Manage a caseload with clear care plans, follow-up schedules and confidential case notes.  
• Respond to participants in crisis and follow the program’s referral and escalation procedures.  
• Run the one-day “Science of Trauma” psychoeducation sessions as required  
• Run sessions on resilience, stress management and mental wellbeing.  
• Support the role-modelling (peer support) groups and safe spaces where women share experiences and learn from each other.  
• Help build soft skills such as self-awareness, communication, decision-making and self-advocacy.  
• Train, mentor and supervise community para-counsellors.  
• Hold regular case reviews and debriefs with para-counsellors to keep quality high and prevent burnout.  
• Refer participants to specialist services (GBV response, legal aid, health, psychiatric care) and keep an up-to-date referral directory.  
• Follow up on referrals to make sure participants actually receive the service.  
• Hold sessions with families and community members so they support women’s participation in training and business.  
• Run regular wellbeing and agency assessments using agreed tools and track each participant’s progress.  
• Keep accurate, confidential records and share anonymised data with the MEAL team.  
• Write monthly reports and contribute to quarterly and annual reports, including case stories shared with consent.  
• Apply RefuSHE’s safeguarding policy and report concerns to the Safeguarding Officer.  
• Work with the FLN Teacher, Community Navigators, Mastercraft Assistants and enterprise staff so participants with wellbeing needs stay in training.  
• Take part in clinical supervision, staff training and program learning sessions.  
• Carry out other related duties assigned by the supervisor.  

Personal attributes   

• Enthusiastic and fun-loving with a passion for working with girl mothers, and their children.   
• Ability to respond to overwhelming and difficult situations calmly, and to be patient with participants who have difficulty expressing themselves.   
• Active listening and intentional, age-appropriate communication.   
• High physical stamina and perseverance.   
• Decision making, critical thinking, evaluation, and problem solving.   
• Ability to provide affection, security, emotional support, and comfort.   
• Ability to remain flexible in a dynamic environment and work well in a team.   
• Creativity: Able to think of new and innovative ways to engage participants.   
• Instructional skills: Able to communicate difficult concepts to participants in an understandable way.   

Qualifications   

Education & Experience   

• Diploma in Counselling Studies from a recognized university or Diploma in Social work and Community Development (KNEC), degree is desirable   
• Registered member of Kenya Counselling and Psychological Association (KCPA).   
• 1-2 years relevant experience.   
• Excellent command of English and Kiswahili.   
• Confident user of MS Office software.   
• Prior experience working in a nonprofit setting.   
• Knowledge of safeguarding and other child protection issues.   
• Trained in trauma-informed care and psychological first aid.   
• Experience running group sessions and psychoeducation for adults.  
• Experience training or supervising para-counsellors or community health volunteers.  
• Knowledge of GBV case management, survivor-centred approaches and referral pathways in Kenya.  
• Familiar with mental health and wellbeing screening and assessment tools.  
• Good record-keeping and basic computer skills (Word, Excel), with a strong commitment to confidentiality.