I-TECH: Registered Psychological Counsellor

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Number of positions      : X3
Section                            : Programs – MhINT
Supervisor                      : Program Director
Location                          : (X1 Tshwane, X1 Ekurhuleni and X1 EThekwini)
Position Duration           : Fixed Term Contract (March 2020 – September 2020)

Organizational Background:

The International Training and Education Center for Health (I-TECH) is a United States of America federally-funded project which supports the development of HIV / AIDS care and treatment training initiatives in 25 developing countries acutely impacted by the global AIDS epidemic. I-TECH is an initiative of the University of Washington Schools of Medicine and Public Health & Community Medicine. Its Central Office is headquartered in Seattle, Washington and it currently supports ten international offices, including one in Pretoria, South Africa.

I-TECH South Africa Goal:

I-TECH South Africa’s goal is to support the South African National Department of Health in strengthening national health systems to ensure delivery of high quality, sustainable health care services.

Commitment to Diversity:

I-TECH recognises that disparities in health around the globe stem from inequity. I-TECH South Africa encourages and supports the multiple identities of staff, faculty and students including, but not limited to, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, language, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, culture, spiritual practice, geography, mental and physical disability and age. I-TECH strives to become a local, national, and international leader in developing and maintaining increased representation and recognition of each of these dimensions of diversity among its faculty, staff, and students.

Brief Summary of Position:

The MhINT Registered Psychological Counsellor will be responsible for training, supervision and mentoring of lay counsellors to provide adherence and lifestyle change counselling for identified chronic conditions as well as counselling for common mental disorders, namely depression and trauma symptoms, in the facilities and communities in the targeted areas.

The role is critical to the uptake, monitoring and sustainability of the intervention and will directly contribute to:
The development of the lay counsellors micro-counselling skills
Monitoring of intervention data and record keeping
Identifying and providing additional training to enhance lay counsellors’ skills
Provision of emotional support, mentorship  and supervision to the lay-counsellors
Improving the quality of service and in particularly, facilitating the integration of mental health care services at the targeted primary health care facilities
Part of best practice is that the position will self-monitor and attempt to always keep emotionally well / balanced. The position will need to engage in monthly supervision sessions and engage in weekly telephonic supervision to prevent build-up of work-related and personal tensions that may arise.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:
Provide training, supervision and support for lay counsellors in:
Psycho-social interventions for the promotion of mental health and prevention and treatment of mental health problems (depression and trauma symptoms) within a task sharing model;
Adherence counselling and counselling for lifestyle changes for identified chronic conditions;
Contribute to general planning and strategic vision of the MhINT programme in collaboration with the programme team members.
Participate in activities to orientate district, sub-district and facility stakeholders to the MhINT programme;
Work and liaise with the other sub-contracted developmental partners in implementation of the programme within the district;
Represent I-TECH in the sub-district and district and activities, as well as towards other relevant stakeholders at local level;
Attend the District Developmental Partners meetings and other activities as the need arises;
Participate as a member of the district mental health task team and facility health management team and participate in mental health promotion activities at the facilities as required;
Provide one-on-one weekly supervision and mentoring to lay counsellors in their facilities and telephonic supervision four times a week;
Provide group supervision to all the lay counsellors in your sub-district once a week and individual telephonic supervision as needed;
Ensure ethical practice and adhere to the code of confidentiality and be respectful of patients as well as lay counsellors at all times;
Identify additional training needs and facilitate skills development of lay counsellors in your sub-district and communicate them with the MhINT operational team and district training centre / HAST coordinator;
Provide emotional support and debriefing to the lay counsellors where needed and remind them to seek professional help where necessary. Encourage them to utilise relaxation techniques as trained;
Provide the psychology coordinator and MhINT operational team with updates of your schedule and how you are managing your supervisory role in different facilities in your designated sub-district;
Collect and manage monitoring and evaluation data for the programme’s psycho-social interventions which involves:
Recording the lay counsellor’s activities on the weekly activity tracking tool and submitting them to the MhINT Coordinator;
Providing the MhINT coordinator, Senior Programme Managers and to the MhINT team with weekly analysis of the programme implementation data;
Submitting monthly reports on your training, supervision and coordination activities to the MhINT coordinator;
Provide feedback on your activities at facility staff meetings and sub-district meetings as required;
Attend and take part in the learning community during MhINT team planning / top up training sessions;
Engage in weekly telephonic supervision with your clinical supervisor / MhINT coordinator;
Attend monthly supervision offered by the MhINT coordinator;
Contact the MhINT coordinator by e-mail and telephone if you have any concerns as and when needed;
Take part in quality improvement meetings at the facility;
Perform any other duties as assigned for the project.
Required Education, Training & Experience:
Bachelor of Psychology degree (B. Psych) and current registration with the Professional Board of Psychology (HPCSA) as a registered psychological counsellor.
Desired Qualities
Fluency in English and widely spoken language spoken in the targeted district
Ability to delegate
Good problem management skills
Professional and respectful of other people
Excellent spoken and written communication skills
Systematic work approach with good organisation skills
Analytic and inquisitive
Enthusiastic, approachable and confident
Good problem management skills
Excellent time management skills
Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines and take initiative
Willing to share knowledge, skills and expertise
Willing to travel extensively
Application process:

Applicants are required to quote the relevant Position Title mentioned above when submitting their applications via email to [email protected] by 02nd February, 2020.  No late applications will be considered. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Preference will be given to South African applicants.

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