Sophiatown Community Psychological Services is a community mental health service targeting vulnerable population groups in the inner city of Johannesburg, and in and around Soweto. Sophiatown CPS offers a range of counselling and other psycho-social support services, with a particular focus on children and families whose emotional well-being has been impacted by HIV/AIDS and bereavement; forced displacement and war; violence in the home and the community; extreme poverty; the burden of care, and other forms of economic and social marginalization.Sophiatown Community Psychological Services seeks to appoint a Counsellor/Project Coordinator to be based in Soweto.
Purpose of the position is to be part of the Sophiatown counselling team, run counselling groups for children and youth, and manage an innovative family-based intervention project in Soweto.
Responsibilities:
- Individual and family-based counselling
- Facilitation of group-based psycho-social support interventions
- Facilitation of therapeutic holiday programmes, parenting workshops, retreats and other community interventions
- Coordination of a community project involving HIV/AIDS affected children and their families
- Ongoing professional development
- Effective record-keeping, report-writing and other administrative tasks
- Design and implementation of basic participatory M and E processes
Requirements
- Grade 12
- Fluent in spoken and written English and fluent in at least two other official SA languages
- Successful completion of a Counselling Course with a reputable organisation
- At least three years’ experience in counselling in a related organisation
- A professional, non-judgemental, authentic and empathic approach to all people, and commitment to the ethos of Presence, Solidarity, Integrity and Dignity
- Proven experience in running counselling groups with children, as well as with caregivers
- Proven experience in community work
- Ability to work both independently and in teams
- Proven ability to write process notes and reports on work done
- Computer skills (MS Word and Outlook)
- Emotional resilience and stability
- A valid police clearance certificate
- Valid Code B driver’s license
Desirable skills, experience, and knowledge:
- Knowledge and experience in diverse settings of psycho-social work particular to South Africa such as trauma, bereavement, displacement, domestic violence, violence and abuse, HIV and AIDS
- Training and experience in trauma counselling
- Ability to integrate psycho-social theory and practice
- Ability to reflect on experience and engage with supervision
- Ability to guide, mentor and support other team members
- Proven experience in community project management
- Ability to build networks of support with partner organisations, schools and other service providers
- Initiative and creativity to solve problems in resource deprived settings
- A willingness to go beyond the call of duty
- Resident in the greater Johannesburg and Soweto area
To apply, please send a motivation letter and a CV, together with three contactable referees to [email protected] before or on Wednesday, 3rd July 2019.