Mental Health Psychosocial Support Officer

Job Description

Organizational Description:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the largest humanitarian agencies in the world, providing relief, rehabilitation, and post-conflict reconstruction support to victims of oppression and violent conflict. IRC works to address both the immediate, lifesaving needs of conflict-affected people in an emergency and the reconstruction needs in post-conflict societies. IRC is committed to a culture of good leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships, and accountability to those we serve.

Scope of work/ job purpose:

Under the direct supervision of the Camp Manager and technical Program Manager, the MHPSS Officer will supervise CWI mental health psychosocial prevention services in Sherkole and Bambasi refugee camps. The MHPSS Officer will train refugee community workers and social workers to respond to GBV and MH issues in the camps. This includes providing capacity-building training for IRC, UNHCR, PPS & partner staff and using monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure high-quality services.

Detailed responsibilities and tasks:

- The CWI MHPSS will provide direct mental health counseling for very difficult cases to support CWI clients to heal from trauma and will adhere to the IRC CWI’s survivor-centered approach. - The role will also require support for capacity-building, including but not limited to, enhancing staff expertise in psychological first aid, trauma counseling, subsentence abuse and self-care for secondary trauma. - The CWI MHPSS will support other CWI staff in training for implementing partners from the health, protection, and legal sectors, and will support the design and roll-out of psychosocial programming in safe spaces to support the healing, resilience, and empowerment of refugee women and adolescent girls. - Provide direct counseling support in difficult cases of PTSD, technically adhering to GBV guiding principles and the IRC’s survivor-centered approach to GBV case management. - Provide guidance and technical support to CWI staff and refugee Social Workers treating cases of trauma, to ensure mental health standard processes are followed for optimal recovery and healing. - Develop and deliver training as requested for IRC and partner staff on the most pertinent training topics to build internal knowledge and enable the best quality of services to beneficiaries. - Develop guidelines and tools to specific areas of trauma, and stress management. - Build positive working relationships with relevant GBV program partners and support CWI RO and CWI PO as requested in conducting training and coaching sessions for service providers in the camp and for government actors in the local community - Work with program teams to develop a series of sessions on stress management, and self-care, and deliver these sessions to refugee diverse women and girls. - Work with CWI management to amend on and support the development of safe space programming that responds to the mental health and psychosocial support needs of refugee women and adolescent girls. - Contribute to the development of CWI IEC/BCC materials to ensure that mental health and trauma topics are well-presented for raising community awareness - Work with CWI Response Officers and Social Workers to support their wellbeing and management of secondary trauma, and lead group activities and workshops as requested/needed. - Work with IRC CWI management to develop more comprehensive strategies, guidelines, and programs for stress management and staff wellbeing.

Develop culturally appropriate psychosocial activities, including social support activities -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- These include but are not limited to training in psychological first aid, designing comprehensive recreational, vocational and social activities; development of material for awareness campaigns. - Support CWI training, workshops, and retreats in other field sites as requested. - Other duties and responsibilities may be given by immediate and technical supervisors

Case Management and Psychosocial Support ----------------------------------------

- Responsible for the overall provision of protection case management services and provision of the community based, focused and non-specialized psychosocial support - Ensure that the case workers maintain complete, accurate, and confidential e-case files to document beneficiary interactions and interventions using IRC tools, in collaboration with the Prol IMO - Make sure to follow case management data protection protocol for case files and beneficiary identifying personal information. - Compile and produce weekly and monthly protection case management load and PSS activity reports to provide information on activities conducted, topics discussed, challenges, faced - Support the implementation of monitoring and evaluation tools and collaborate with the Snr. Integrated protection Information - Management Officer on the case management and PSS beneficiary counts to inform the donor reports - Ensure daily reporting of attendance per activity and ensure that the data collected is accurate - Ensure the development of effective working relationships with Ukrainian stakeholders including partner agencies, civil society groups, authorities, community leaders and service providers for prompt referral, follow up and information sharing. - Contribute to the maintenance of an up-to-date service mapping of the service providers operating in the area and take proactive steps to remain informed about the available services. - Receive cases referred from other agencies and allocate those cases among team members. Ensure provision of feedback regarding actions taken to other agencies, when vital and appropriate in light of confidentiality requirements. - Assist the CWI Manager with the integration of mental health and psychosocial support into general health care

Develop culturally appropriate psychosocial activities, including social support activities -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- These include but are not limited to training in psychological first aid, designing well-rounded recreational, vocational, and social activities; development of material for awareness campaigns. - Serve as the primary point of contact between IRC and local partners involved in psychosocial activities. - Strengthen the community-facility referral system for COVID-19 in psychosocial problem. - Establish, equip and run recreation centers to people in need of psychosocial support - Work in keeping with IASC guidelines on mental health and psychosocial support and promote guidelines where appropriate. - Coordinate/ensure activities with relevant Government Authorities, International and National Organizations, including standardized reporting practices. - Work closely with other mental health and psychosocial staff in to ensure coordinated activities - Develop and provide culturally appropriate community based mental health care services - Collaborate with community and existing institutional structures to ensure protection of those suffering mental illness

Represent IRC in coordination meetings when necessary -----------------------------------------------------

- Compile information and prepare written reports as necessary - Organize public awareness and de-stigmatization campaigns around mental health issues with support from local staff including IDPs - Work together with other agencies, local and international and with relevant government bodies

Qualifications

- BA/Master’s degree in psychology or related field with at least 2 years of counselling and social work experience - BSC degree in Psychology or related field with at least 2 years of counselling and social work experience - At least 2 years of mental health and psychosocial programming experience. - In depth knowledge and experience of mental health and psychosocial programming in the humanitarian context essential. - Familiarity with IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings

Training experience required on MhGAP -------------------------------------

- Proven counselling skill - Strong organizational and supervisory skills. - Strong writing and reporting skills. - Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work within different cultural environments - Honest, hardworking and a self-motivated person. - Ability to work within a team structure or in isolation, flexible, and can cope with stressful workloads and working with limited resources - Ability to travel on short notice to project sites by car or air

Excellent English verbal and written skills -------------------------------------------

- Computer skills: word, excel, and project manager

IRC is an equal employment opportunity employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.

Professional Standards: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols, and other supportive benefits and allowances

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.