PSYCHOSOCIAL COUNSELLOR INTERN

Organization:

The Center for Victims of Torture works toward a future in which torture ceases to exist and its victims have hope for a new life. We are an international nonprofit dedicated to healing survivors of torture. We provide direct care for those who have been tortured, train partners around the world who can prevent and treat torture, and advocate for human rights and an end to torture. We have offices in Ethiopia, Jordan, Iraq, Uganda, Kenya, United State and additional project sites around the world.

Objective of Internship

As part of CVT Clinical Team, the Nairobi based intern responsibility is to provide specialized Mental health services and 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 Under the supervision and guidance of the Psychotherapist Trainer, the inter 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.

• Assist to provide 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 as directed by the Trainer.

• Under supervision of Trainer 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.

Internship Period: 3 Months with possibility of extension for another 3 months’ subject to performance.

Professional Requirements.

• Bachelor/Master Degree in Clinical Psychology, Counseling or related field.
• At least 1-2 years in field experience in the same or similar position.
• 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.
• Willingness to work with minorities group highly desired
• Demonstrated flexibility to adapt to changing requirements and needs.
• Working knowledge of English and Swahili
• Ability to be an empathic counselor
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with ability to maintain neutrality, impartiality and confidentiality in all aspects of work undertaken.
• Attention to detail and time management (including the ability to meet deadlines)
• Interest in or commitment to human rights
• The intern will demonstrate motivated participation in the learning experience
• The intern will participate in the orientation programs of the organization and abide by all terms and conditions as set out in the internship agreement.
• At the end of the assignment, the intern will provide a comprehensive report demonstrating learning and achievements during the internship as guided by the supervisor.