Psychosocial Counsellor (Re Announced)

Medair is an international humanitarian organization established in 1988. Medair has been operating in Afghanistan since 1996 with programs mainly in the Health, Water & Sanitation, and Livelihoods sectors with significant reconstruction activities in remote areas. Current projects are Water & Sanitation, Food Security, & Disaster Risk Reduction.

An Integrated Emergency Response: Medair aims to respond to high levels of food insecurity, malnutrition, and morbidity in Tirinkot district.  The project intends to improve and extend WASH services including water supply infrastructure and hygiene practices to improve outcomes for vulnerable families.

An Integrated Emergency Response: Medair aims to respond to high levels of food insecurity, malnutrition, and morbidity in Uruzgan, which has been significantly affected by drought and conflict conditions. Building upon Medair’s decades of experience in the Central Highlands and Kandahar, the project intends to improve and extend the utilization of lifesaving preventive and curative nutrition and health services by mothers, PLWs, and children U5; to increase access to clean water, to reduce vulnerability to water-related and other preventable diseases, and to improve and increase food security for the most vulnerable families through food voucher distributions.

Responsibilities: 

• Carry out assessments to identify mental health and psychosocial support needs in the communities in which Medair operates and recommend suitable interventions based on assessment outcomes
• Administer medication and review effects of medication
• Provision of psychoeducation and awareness sessions to increase understanding about MH and reduce stigma of mental health conditions within communities
• Provide individual lay counselling sessions for health and nutrition beneficiaries referred through MHNT or community HN activities, following agreed curriculum
• Educate beneficiaries about stress, anxiety, depression, and maternal mental health issues, etc., at the clinic during individual sessions and in waiting room and through group sessions in the community
• Provide screening of each beneficiary with validated screening scales (WHO-5 tool)
• Measure improvement in coping and well-being of beneficiaries by using validated screening scales
• Develop referral pathway and refer patients with complex mental health conditions to appropriate care facilities as needed
• Support and train the Health Promotion team in mental health education and support the team in developing care group materials around basic mental health and psychosocial support
• Ensure good continuity of care and follow up, in the local language (Pashto)
• Treat every beneficiary and related information with confidentiality and dignity

Quality Management and reporting

• Aim to achieve the highest quality programming possible within the challenging context of Afghanistan
• Ensure all patients are treated based on national and international guidelines and in line with Medair’s Strategic Approach for MHPSS
• Keep clear and up to date records in a confidential manner and assist the H&N Project Manager in the preparation of the weekly and monthly reports to DoPH, Medair and other organisations as requested. Ensure the logistics team is notified of any needs regarding supplies and equipment in the clinic

Additional duties

• Prepare and give trainings as asked by Medair
• Perform any other duties not listed in the JD but requested by line manager

Education: Bachelor’s degree in psychology, Counselling, Diploma/ Certificate of Nursing or Midwifery with mental health or psychosocial training.

Work Experience

• 1 year supervised professional experience after qualification
• Experience in (lay) counselling
• Experience in working with groups

Languages: Good Pashto - oral and written skills is required and some English - oral and written skills is desirable. 

Computer: Working knowledge in MS word and excel

Other skills

• Ability to work in a team and coordinate tasks and responsibilities
• Ability to organize people in an orderly way and prioritize tasks
• Good listening and counselling skills, patient, and kind attitude
• Highly motivated to provide high quality services to beneficiaries of poor communities in a challenging setting
• Good problem-solving skills with a solution-oriented attitude
• Flexible and willing to perform other tasks as required
• Respectful and kind with other staff, beneficiaries, and communities
• Willingness to travel, work and live in a rural setting, and to behave in a manner appropriate to a conservative culture
• Willingness to learn and develop further
• Honest in dealing with beneficiaries and Medair staff

Interested applicants should apply and forward their applications through the online JOB APPLICATION FORM which could be found under the submission email. The link should be copied, pasted and opened in a new page.

Note: Please indicate the position tittle and vacancy number in your application letter. Applications received after the closing date or without the exact position title and vacancy number will not be given consideration. After submitting the online application, if some applicants do not immediately receive an automatic email from Medair, they shouldn't worry about their submission. When you open the link. please use the dropdown menu and choose the tittle of the position.

Note: 

Local Female Applicants are highly appreciated to apply

Medair will provide the following benefits for the selected candidate:

• Competitive salary 
• Employment benefits such as (medical, transportation, economic hardship, food, Mahram and accommodation for non-residents)
• Annual leave, sick leave, maternity leave, and other types of leave as per Medair policy