Expert Psychotherapist Trainer

Summary: The Expert Psychotherapist/Trainer will build the capacity of national staff counselors and local refugee psychosocial counselors (PSCs) to provide mental health services to torture and conflict trauma survivors; oversee and coordinate delivery of mental health interventions for adult and children survivors in mobile units deployed to the filed, in the form of individual and group therapy; maintains communication and collaboration with the partner organization in the mobile units and provides capacity building for the organizations in the region on trauma-informed care as appropriate.

Job Responsibilities:

20% – Psychotherapy Oversight: Oversee and coordinate mental health assessments and interventions, and serve as a mentor with counselors and in individual and group settings to model assessment and treatment methods that are both culturally relevant and empirically supported.

20% – Clinical Supervision and Training: Provide frequent, systematic individual and group clinical supervision, including case discussions, live supervision, and self-care components, to counselors that are deployed in the mobile units. Design and carry out training programs, including didactic training sessions, mentoring, modeling and systematic, close supervision for counselors and psychosocial counselors. Continually assess the development of staff and adapt training and coaching accordingly. Provide advanced supervision and training in supervision skills to counseling supervisors. Provide staff support services within the boundaries of the role. Receive clinical supervision from Clinical Advisor on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

20% – Capacity building: Builds and maintains strong network relationships with International and Local NGOs, UN agencies and government agencies that provide services to the client group. Promotes the use of Trauma-Informed care by providing capacity building in the service delivery, including (but not limited) Gender-based violence. Promotes trauma informed staff care for the partner organizations by providing capacity building and other activities for partner agencies in this area.

10% – Staff Management: Build and maintain a strong and cohesive clinical team. Coordinate workflow, resources and priorities; and facilitate communication across the team, including the partner organization that operate the mobile units. Hire, coach, mentor and develop staff members through ongoing feedback as well as formal performance management systems. Coordinate and facilitate clinical team meetings.

10% – Coordination with other agencies: Coordinate the efforts of the Mental Health area of the mobile units that are run by a partner organization, including collaboration in the coordination. Maintain productive relationships with other partners to provide meaningful and practical capacity building on the areas of trauma-informed care.

5% – Program Development: Work as part of the country team to achieve program objectives. Manage day-to-day operations of the clinical program to ensure activities run smoothly. Adjust or develop new program activities in accordance with client population needs. Participate in regular meetings with lead country staff (Country Director, Zonal Manager and Psychotherapist/Trainers) to share updates and problem-solve challenges.

5% – Reporting: Contribute to the writing, review and submission of regular reports regarding clinical and training activities

5% – Program Evaluation: With country team (Country Director, Zonal Manager and Psychotherapist/Trainers) and in consultation with Headquarters staff, participate in the design and implementation of program evaluation.

5% – Other Duties: Participate in other program and organization-wide activities, meetings and trainings. Complete administrative responsibilities. Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualification

Required education, experience, certificates, licenses or registrations

• Graduate degree in psychology, counseling, clinical social work or related field
• 4 years of experience providing individual and group psychotherapy to trauma survivors
• 3 years of experience supervising mental health professionals and paraprofessionals

Preferred education, experience, certificates, licenses or registrations

• Certification or licensure as a psychologist or psychotherapist
• 6 or more years of experience providing individual and group psychotherapy
• Extensive experience providing psychotherapy to children, adolescents, families and SGBV survivors.
• 5 years of experience supervising mental health professionals and paraprofessionals
• Experience working in the field of torture treatment
• Experience working in humanitarian settings, including camp-based settings
• Experience working with interpreters

Competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities)

• Understanding of and extensive experience implementing culturally appropriate mental health interventions, including individual, group and community-based approaches for people who have suffered torture and trauma in various contexts.
• Understanding of and experience developing curricula and providing tailored training for mental health counselors on counseling approaches, sensitization on the effects of trauma and war, and designing culturally and contextually appropriate therapeutic interventions.
• Experience training varying levels of mental health workers, including psychologists with graduate degrees and supervision responsibilities and paraprofessionals with no or limited prior exposure to mental health work; and demonstrated ability to provide them with on-the-job coaching, supervision, and support to ensure continuous capacity building and no harm to the clients.
• Demonstrated cultural sensitivity in professional environments, ideally in mental health care.
• Demonstrated experience working in a mental health capacity with both adults and children. Experience working with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence preferred.
• Experience working in environments with limited resources and infrastructure. Experience working in East Africa preferred.
• Skilled at carrying out program needs assessments, program development and program evaluation.
• Strong organizational skills and experience initiating systems for the efficient workflow of a team.
• Skilled at working as a member of a team, as well as managing a team and supporting positive dynamics.
• Flexibility and adaptability to work in environments with limited resources and infrastructure and in an isolated environment lacking in amenities.
• Demonstrated flexibility to adapt to changing program requirements, client needs and political climate.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word and Excel)
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communications skills
• Ability to travel by car up to 2 hours per day on rough, unpaved roads.
• Fluency in English required. Fluency in Amharic and/or Tigrinya desirable but not required.
• Interest in or commitment to work against torture

Supervisory Responsibilities: Associate psychotherapist/trainer, counseling supervisors, counselors, psychosocial counselors (PSCs)

Work Environment: Amhara Region’s security situation is unstable, includes areas of high volatility, active conflict, high density of internally displace people and those who have returned to their places of origin after a severe deterioration of the infrastructure. While this position is based in Bahir Dar, there is the possibility of travel on a supervisory role with the mobile units deployed with partner organizations, particularly in Wag Hemra and possibly in other areas such as Gondar and Dessi. Also, this position might be backing up the activities in the neighbouring region of Tigray which is also unstable and at times there is active conflict. Finally, other areas of possible travel are Afar and Addis Ababa.

Therefore, diplomacy, negotiation abilities to maintain productive relationships with other agencies, is key to the success of this position. Because the managers of this position are not situated in the same geographical area, being able to work independently is also key. Finally, this position requires great flexibility as situations in the ground might change and significant adaptations to the program need to happen.

Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to sit; stand; walk; climb stairs; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. This position requires the ability to occasionally lift supplies of up to 15 pounds. Ability to travel by car for up to 2 hours per day on rough roads.

Travel: Ability to travel to a variety of locations, including refugee camps, IDP centers and nearby towns.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.