Job Description

Summary: The Psychotherapist/Trainer will build the capacity of national staff counselors and local refugee psychosocial counselors (PSCs) to provide mental health services to torture and conflict trauma survivors; oversee and coordinate delivery of mental health interventions for adult and children survivors in refugee and IDP camps, in the form of individual and group therapy; and liaise with other NGOs and local organizations.

Job Responsibilities:

Psychotherapy Oversight: Oversee and coordinate mental health assessments and interventions, and serve as a mentor or co-therapist with counselors and PSCs in individual and group settings to model assessment and treatment methods that are both culturally relevant and empirically supported.

Clinical Supervision and Training: Provide frequent, systematic individual and group clinical supervision, including case discussions, live supervision, and self-care components, to counselors and PSCs. Design and carry out training programs, including didactic training sessions, mentoring, modeling and systematic, close supervision for counselors and psychosocial counselors. Continually assess the development of staff and adapt training and coaching accordingly. Provide advanced supervision and training in supervision skills to counseling supervisors. Provide staff support services within the boundaries of the role. Receive clinical supervision from Clinical Advisor on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

Staff Management: Build and maintain a strong and cohesive clinical team. Coordinate workflow, resources and priorities; and facilitate communication across the team. Hire, coach, mentor and develop staff members through ongoing feedback as well as formal performance management systems. Coordinate and facilitate clinical team meetings.

Community Assessment: Mentor PSCs to complete needs assessments, sensitizations, and psychoeducation in refugee camps in order to identify target populations, and to determine appropriate mental health interventions for people who have been tortured and/or traumatized by war.

Program Development: Work as part of the country team to achieve program objectives. Manage day-to-day operations of the clinical program to ensure activities run smoothly. Adjust or develop new program activities in accordance with client population needs. Participate in regular meetings with lead country staff (Country Director, Zonal Manager and Psychotherapist/Trainers) to share updates and problem-solve challenges. 

Collaboration: Coordinate services with other organizations and provide training to these organizations to better address the needs of identified client populations in the camps.

Reporting: Contribute to the writing, review and submission of regular reports regarding clinical and training activities.

Program Evaluation: With country team (Country Director, Zonal Manager and Psychotherapist/Trainers) and in consultation with Headquarters staff, participate in the design and implementation of program evaluation.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Associate psychotherapist/trainer, counseling supervisors, counselors, psychosocial counselors (PSCs).

Work Environment: Mai Tsebri town is in the contested region of Tigray, and is the location of the two largest Eritrean refugee-hosting camps in Ethiopia. The current conflict in Tigray means that ethnic tensions exist within the town, and there is an ongoing military presence including checkpoints on the roads. Humanitarian passage is allowed but there are ongoing security concerns. CVT maintains a full-time Risk and Security Manager, drivers and guards to ensure staff safety. CVT has a compound in Mai Tsebri town: a portion of this compound is the office, the other portion is dedicated to living space for expatriate and visiting staff. The compound has running water, electricity and internet services, although when services are suspended in the town, there may be reduced access.  CVT maintains two Healing Centers in the refugee camps, approximately 15 minutes from the office, as well as one Healing Center in the IDP camp, approximately 5 minutes from the office. Clinical staff have a daily presence in the Healing Centers, to which CVT provides transportation. 

Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to sit; stand; walk; climb stairs; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. This position requires the ability to occasionally lift supplies of up to 15 pounds. Ability to travel by car for up to 2 hours per day on rough roads.

Travel: Ability to travel to a variety of locations, including refugee camps, IDP centers and nearby towns.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.   

Reports To: Clinical Advisor for Mental Health, Clinical Programs Director

Country of Assignment:  Ethiopia

Department:  International Services

Duration: 11 month employment agreement

Start date: September 1, 2021

Position status: Unaccompanied

Job Requirements

Required education, experience, certificates, licenses or registrations

• Graduate degree in psychology, counseling, clinical social work or related field
• 4 years of experience providing individual and group psychotherapy to trauma survivors
• 3 years of experience supervising mental health professionals and paraprofessionals

Preferred education, experience, certificates, licenses or registrations

• Certification or licensure as a psychologist or psychotherapist
• 6 or more years of experience providing individual and group psychotherapy
• Extensive experience providing psychotherapy to children, adolescents, families and SGBV survivors.
• 5 years of experience supervising mental health professionals and paraprofessionals
• Experience working in the field of torture treatment
• Experience working in humanitarian settings, including camp-based settings
• Experience working with interpreters

Competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities)

• Understanding of and extensive experience implementing culturally appropriate mental health interventions, including individual, group and community-based approaches for people who have suffered torture and trauma in various contexts.    
• Understanding of and experience developing curricula and providing tailored training for mental health counselors on counseling approaches, sensitization on the effects of trauma and war, and designing culturally and contextually appropriate therapeutic interventions.
• Experience training varying levels of mental health workers, including psychologists with graduate degrees and supervision responsibilities and paraprofessionals with no or limited prior exposure to mental health work; and demonstrated ability to provide them with on-the-job coaching, supervision, and support to ensure continuous capacity building and no harm to the clients.
• Demonstrated cultural sensitivity in professional environments, ideally in mental health care.
• Demonstrated experience working in a mental health capacity with both adults and children. Experience working with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence preferred.
• Experience working in environments with limited resources and infrastructure. Experience working in East Africa preferred.
• Skilled at carrying out program needs assessments, program development and program evaluation.
• Strong organizational skills and experience initiating systems for the efficient workflow of a team.
• Skilled at working as a member of a team, as well as managing a team and supporting positive dynamics.
• Flexibility and adaptability to work in environments with limited resources and infrastructure and in an isolated environment lacking in amenities.
• Demonstrated flexibility to adapt to changing program requirements, client needs and political climate. 
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word and Excel)
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communications skills
• Ability to travel by car up to 2 hours per day on rough, unpaved roads
• Fluency in English required. Fluency in Amharic and/or Tigrinya desirable but not required
• Interest in or commitment to work against torture

How to Apply

To Apply: Submit CV and letter of interest at the website