Counseling Supervisor

Internal/External Vacancy Announcement

About CVT:

The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to providing trauma rehabilitative services to survivors of gross human rights abuses, including torture and works towards a future in which gross human rights violations cease to exist and victims have hope for a new life. We are headquartered in Minnesota, USA with offices in Africa and the Middle East. We work locally, nationally and internationally through programs that provide trauma rehabilitative services, technical assistance and capacity building to human rights activists, civil society organizations, and local service providers around the world who can prevent and treat gross human rights abuses, and advocate for human rights and an end to gross human rights violations.

General Description of Role

The Counseling Supervisor, based in Debrebirhan will report to the expatriate Psychotherapist/Trainer programmatically and Area Manager Administratively. The Counseling supervisor will be under constant training and supervision, and with gradually increasing responsibility and autonomy, provide psychosocial and mental health services to the South Sudanese refugee community and its members.

Job summary

The Counseling Supervisor will fulfill all the duties of a Counselor, rendering psychosocial services to individuals, groups and communities to assist them recover from effects of torture and war trauma. In addition, the Counseling Supervisor will assist Expert Psychotherapists in the management and on-going supervision of PSCs and counsellors’ clinical work and the clinical program. The Counseling Supervisor serves as the focal point for the communication of PSC and counsellors concerns and needs with Expert Psychotherapists and administrative staff. 

Note: The Counseling Supervisor is not a substitute Expert Psychotherapist, but an additional support and mentor for the clinical team. The Counseling Supervisor concurrently fulfills his or her job responsibilities and receives ongoing training and experience to develop his or her clinical capacity in the areas of planning, management, administration, and supervision.

Responsibilities & DUTIES:

Counseling: Work alongside PSCs and counsellors to provide psycho-social services to individuals, groups and communities to assist them to recover from the effects of torture and war trauma 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.

• 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 competed in a timely and professional manner. 

• Ensuring that all work with clients is confidential and that ethical practices are observed at all times.

• Assist in planning and implementing community’s awareness, sensitization, education campaigns, understanding and engagement with the issues relating to mental health, war trauma, and torture.

• Making the CVT services known and accessible to people whose psycho-social functioning has been impaired by their experiences of torture and war trauma.

• Identification, encouragement access CVT services, development of 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.

• Assist Expert Psychotherapist with monitoring on-going daily clinical activities.
• Regularly review PSC and counsellors, caseloads, tasks, planning and ensuring that targets, ethical processes, proper documentation, and reporting procedures are adhered to;
•  Assist in other administrative and supervision activities such as assigned by the Expert Psychotherapists.
• Organize, prepare and chair (if needed) Team meetings as directed by the Expert Psychotherapist
• Assist in ongoing training of counsellors and PSCs,
• provide day-to-day supervision /Group supervision for PSCs including the coordination and delegation of work/assignments, staff coverage, and performance evaluations.
• Representing CVT in meeting assigned by Psychotherapist/Trainer and or Area Manager Community Collaboration and External Training: 
• With support from the Expert Psychotherapists, and in compliance with project objectives, identify potential external training participants (health facility, social welfare, CBO, NGO and INGO staff); 
• Coordinate services with other organizations operating in the camps and provide training to these organizations to better address the needs of torture survivors in the community.
• Assist in designing, planning, implementing and facilitating external and community training programs 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.
• Assist with gathering of information and writing of regular reports regarding clinical and training activities.
• Participate in and assist with the implementation of program evaluation.
• Promote and practice self-care through implementing Expert Psychotherapist’s recommendations to support debriefing, case conferences, and supervision follow through and feedback on a PSCs and counsellors, self-care objectives and schedule.

    Supervision support: 

Reporting: 

Program/Project Evaluation: 

Self-care: 

Liaise with Admin and Logistics as needed to ensure: 

• Planned coordination and requisition of needed counselling and office supplies in good time, and to ensure stewardship and care of materials and supplies in the possession of PSCs and counsellors.
• Good knowledge of CVTs policy, objectives and interventions to introduce to others

Representative of CVT: 

• Participate as member of the program team to achieve program objectives.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Expert Psychotherapists.

Terms of Employment: Initial contract is from October 07, 2024 through to May 31, 2025 with 60 business days probationary period. Possibility of continuation thereafter will be dependent on the funding availability.

CVT has a zero tolerance to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of beneficiaries. Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) is everyone’s responsibility and all staff are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct, that enshrines principles of PSEA, always (both during work hours and outside work hours). 

Qualifications 

• Preferred MA degree completed or in progress in Counseling or Clinical Psychology, Clinical Social Work required.
• Required: Fluency in English and Amharic is must. Knowledge of Afaan oromo is an added advantage.
• Experience providing individual and group psychotherapy or in similar settings in INGO.
• At least two years and above experience with trauma treatment.
• Understanding of and experience implementing culturally appropriate mental health interventions, including individual, group and community-based approaches for people who have suffered trauma.
• Understanding of and experience developing and providing training on mental health topics including the effects of trauma and war.
• Experience working locally, preferably in western Ethiopia
• Experience supervising mental health counselors. 
• Flexibility and adaptability to work in unpredictable, isolated environment, lacking in amenities.
• Demonstrated flexibility to adapt to changing program requirements, client needs, and political climate.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including empathic listening.
• Ability to communicate in a highly professional manner with clients, community members and professional partners.             
• Strong administrative skills (computer skills highly desirable).
• Able to complete required reporting and documentation by deadlines.
• Able to maintain confidentiality.  
• Able to work independently; self-motivated.
• Problem solving and conflict resolution skills.
• Skilled at working as a member of a team.
• Ability to promote the values of equality, non-discrimination, and human rights for all.
• Experience working in the Amhara Region, with a strong preference for candidates who have lived and worked with the IDPs in Debre Birhan.

How To Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should email a copy of their CV and  application letter, clearly articulating in English motivation for applying, qualifications and experiences that are relevant to 

the position to EMbatha@CVT.ORG and copy  cvtethr@cvt.org , with the subject title “Counseling Supervisor  , [Your Name].” CV should include the names and contact information of three work 

related referees.  Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview process.

Closing date for applications: September 18, 2024 before 5:00pm

Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.