African Communities Counsellor 108 views

Partnerships for Trauma Recovery is looking for an African Communities Counsellor

About Us:

Partnerships for Trauma Recovery (PTR) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to healing the psychological and psychosocial impacts of trauma among international survivors of human rights abuses and forced displacement resulting from war, torture, gender-based, criminal, and other interpersonal violence; and persecution related to identity and beliefs. At our Mosaic Healing Center in Berkeley, California, we: (a) Provide globally culturally and contextually responsive, trauma-informed and linguistically accessible psychological and psychosocial care for asylum seekers and refugees from around the world, (b) Expand multidisciplinary clinical capacity to serve highly diverse international populations through an in-depth yearlong clinical training program, (c) Conduct community outreach, support and training to address the needs of forcibly displaced immigrants and newcomers, and (d) Advocate for policies to prevent trauma and re-traumatization among international survivors of human rights abuses and forced displacement.

Location: USA

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance

Position Review:

This is an opportunity to join a dynamic non-profit organization working at the juncture of global mental health and human rights. The African Communities Counsellor will work collaboratively with the African Communities Program team. The primary responsibility of the African Communities Counsellor will be to provide globally trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and linguistically accessible brief counseling and case management for clients from African countries.

In collaboration with the program and outreach teams, the African Communities Counsellor will provide support with the organization of events to raise awareness around the impacts of trauma; increase understanding of psychological and emotional needs in the community; help foster effective cross-cultural communication; reduce stigma related to matters of mental health and psychological wellbeing; and implement psychoeducational and capacity-building activities with African organizations, partners and communities. This position also collaborates closely with the program team for the reporting of grant-related activities and the evaluation of outcomes. In addition to experience providing trauma-informed and culturally responsive counseling and case management services for diverse communities, this position requires flexibility, creativity, resourcefulness, and independence. Essential for this position is a sustained commitment to advancing global social justice & human rights, with a focus on the needs of African survivors and immigrants seeking greater safety in the United States.

Responsibilities:

• Directly provide globally culturally and contextually responsive, trauma-informed, and linguistically accessible brief counseling and case management for refugee, asylum-seeking and immigrant adults, youth & children from African countries.
• Assess client and community members’ mental wellness, psychosocial needs, preferences, and abilities. Develop and implement individualized intervention plans.
• Provide case management and advocacy support for African clients and community members, including assistance with connecting them to community resources to address their medical, legal, social, economic, employment and educational needs.
• Assist the African Communities Program and Clinical Managers in the development and design of the case management framework and response interventions.
• Conduct service mapping in the Bay Area and develop good working relationships with a variety of support networks, service providers, and government and community resources in alignment with the cultural and linguistic needs of African communities.
• Collaborate closely with the African Communities Program team in the implementation of direct service and outreach activities. Participate in meetings and trainings related to the African Communities Program.
• Collaborate with and support African Communities Wellbeing Coordinators in providing case management for community members in an ongoing effort to integrate outreach activities with psychosocial care.
• Once in-person services resume provides brief counseling and psychosocial care at PTR’s Mosaic Healing Center in Berkeley and within community settings such as places of residence or worship, community centres and community-based organizations, and/or school settings around the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Collaborate in the facilitation of social support groups and psychoeducational workshops for African clients and community members.
• Support overall client care, collaborate with clinical team, and participate in clinical meetings and supervision.
• Represent PTR and the African Communities Program to community members, partners and organizations through presentations and capacity-building activities sharing and disseminating information about PTR’s mission, beneficiaries, and programming.
• Assist the African Communities Program team with the development and delivery of psychoeducational workshops for African refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants related to the impacts of trauma, forced displacement and resettlement in the United States and overall psychosocial needs among immigrant communities.
• Help identify African community leaders and partner organizations who wish to receive consultation and capacity-building from PTR about the psychological and psychosocial needs of African refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants.
• Assist the African Communities Clinical Manager with designing and implementing culturally responsive and trauma-informed training for partners, providers and community leaders regarding the mental health and wellness needs of African populations, including capacity building regarding basic knowledge of mental health, stress management and the impacts of trauma.
• Contribute to the development of relationships and collaborations with local community-based organizations and agencies.
• Help develop and sustain cross-cultural understanding with community partners, with attention to the needs of resettled African communities residing throughout the Bay Area.
• Engage in new programming initiatives and partnerships as they arise and identify opportunities for direct service and outreach program development.
• Participate as a member of the clinical and outreach teams and help achieve the goals of the African Communities Program.
• Contribute to the improvement of the case management and counseling data management and recording.
• Complete client charting, data reporting, billing, and administrative tasks, and perform other duties as assigned.
• Attend PTR staff activities and events.

Requirements:

• Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW/LCSW), Counseling Psychology (MA/MS) or Marriage & Family Therapy (MFT/LMFT) or related field.
• 2+ years of experience providing case management.
• 2+ years of experience providing counseling and psychosocial care for diverse & underserved populations.
• Experience working cross-culturally with international and/or immigrant populations, including from African countries.
• Experience working collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams.
• Familiarity with or willingness to learn Mental Health Medi-Cal Administrative Activities billing.

Preferred Experience:

• Licensed or near licensed as a Clinical Social Worker or Marriage and Family Therapist in California.
• Experience working with asylum seekers and/or refugees.
• International work, study and/or living experience, preferably on the African continent.
• Experience and interest in designing and conducting psychoeducational trainings.
• Experience with or willingness to learn Clinician’s Gateway, InSyst, and Salesforce data management systems.
• Fluency in or knowledge of one or more languages spoken by African communities, including but not limited to Tigrinya, Amharic, Kiswahili, Luganda, Lingala, Arabic and French.

Competencies & Interests:

• Global cultural and contextual awareness for working collaboratively with internationally diverse clients and team members.
• Demonstrated commitment to global social justice and human rights.
• Spoken and written fluency in English, as well as one or more other languages preferred.
• Interest in developing and implementing community outreach and training activities.
• Flexibility and ability to adapt to developing program needs and requirements.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Maturity, initiative, resourcefulness, and ability to creatively problem-solve.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure with limited resources.
• Ability to thrive in a rapidly growing small non-profit and take on multiple roles.
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite and Google Drive.

Company’s Website: www.traumapartners.org

Interested candidates please apply with your resume and cover letter with subject: Application for African Communities Counsellor Position