Job Description

Posted on September 13, 2022

Job Summary
The job of the TOL Counselor is to assesses the psychological, emotional, developmental, and social wellbeing of children, house mothers, and parents/guardians at the Tree of Life Children’s Village (TOL)/Brothers & Sisters Residence and provide clinical therapeutic interventions to address their specific psychosocial needs.  It is the responsibility of the TOL Counselor to conduct psychosocial assessments, receive referrals, triage and prioritize clients’ needs, provide a variety of counseling interventions, perform administrative duties, and facilitate other therapeutic activities as directed. The TOL Counselor will ensure that all departmental, HWC, TOL, Family Legacy, and governmental policies and procedures are followed correctly to ensure that the department works in accordance with the law.
Specific Tasks:
Psychosocial Care Services:

Provide daily clinical counseling therapy to all children, house mothers, and parents/guardians at TOL/Brothers & Sisters Residence
Receive counseling referrals from other departments and communicate client’ needs and treatment plans effectively to other members of staff
Triage and prioritize clients’ need to effectively manage assigned client caseload
Conduct informal and formal assessments of clients’ psychological, emotional, developmental, and social needs
Create individualized treatment plans to meet clients’ personal needs
Provides timely and appropriate assessment, treatment planning, therapeutic interventions, and follow-up to all clients
Use a variety of evidence-based counseling techniques & interventions to conduct individual and group therapy sessions (play-based interventions, therapeutic art activities, sand tray therapy, CBT, trauma-focused interventions, coping skills development, anger management techniques, etc.)
Routinely monitor clients’ progress and adjust their treatment plans as needed
Receive intake and handover from LA counselors, social services staff, and medical staff for all new TOL admissions
Work on department-specific TOL Care Plans (intake, ongoing progress, reforecasting, reintegration) for assigned clients
Prepare TOL children for reintegration (reintegration questionnaires, Google Sheet inputs, post-reintegration counseling follow-ups, handover to LA counselors, etc.)
Conduct HIV disclosure processes with children who are HIV+ and their parents/guardians
Conduct family-centered therapeutic activities within individual TOL/Brothers & Sisters Residence houses
Provide intensive counseling assessments and debriefings to children who have run away from TOL/Brothers & Sisters Residence
Provide house mothers at TOL/Brothers & Sisters Residence with counseling related to child concerns
Facilitate regular therapeutic support groups across TOL/Brothers & Sisters Residence (HIV, sickle cell, sexual abuse, grief, trauma, etc.)
Participate in family-centered counseling sessions with children and their parents/guardians on a variety of issues as needed
Conduct death and/or sick family member disclosures with children and accompany them to funerals and hospital visits as needed
Acts as a resource for other departments and staff across the ministry in understanding the significance of developmental, psychological, emotional, and social factors related to children’s trauma, growth and development, coping, and wellbeing
Participates in trainings for staff across the ministry on a variety of topics related to psychosocial care including, but not limited to, trauma and coping, children’s development, psychosocial needs, treatment strategies, etc.
Promotes the continuous development of children to optimize their responses to traumatic experiences, to minimize psychological stress, and to increase understanding of and coping with trauma and illness.
Assess, determine, and make referrals to other departments when special services or care are needed for clients, such as medical evaluation, social services, community services, or specialized psychological/psychiatric testing.
Facilitate additional therapeutic activities and programming at TOL/Brothers & Sisters Residence as directed
Ensure high quality care for clients by reviewing and researching concerns or complaints and recommending corrective action as needed
Implement trauma-informed programming across Tree of Life
Conduct clinical child life specialist interventions with medical patients across Tree of Life
Conduct clinic and/or hospital visitation with Tree of Life children and parents/guardians as needed

Communication

Clearly and respectfully communicate with children, house mothers, parents/guardians, and staff across TOL/Brothers & Sisters Residence
Practice clear communication with coworkers, direct supervisor, other departments, management, and relevant stakeholders
Closely collaborate with other departments across Family Legacy to communicate about children’s psychosocial needs, goals, and treatment plans
Participate in multidisciplinary team treatment conferences when needed to review and plan for specific client cases
Receive and give clinical counseling handovers to/from LA Counselors and Medical Staff for assigned clients
Closely collaborate with LA counselors to provide continuity of care with clients

Record Keeping and Administrative Duties

Complete appropriate mental health documentation, including but not limited to patient care plans, performance outcomes, progress reports, and daily activity tracking as required by HPCZ, the Zambian Counselling Council, the Psychological Association of Zambia, the HWC, and Family Legacy
Perform daily scheduling tasks to manage and maintain an independent caseload of clients
Document and submit daily individual counseling statistics to direct supervisor in a timely manner
Attend and participate in daily counseling department meetings
Attend and participate in weekly departmental professional development activities (including trainings, case presentations, etc.)
Perform record-keeping duties by maintaining clients’ counseling records in confidential files
Compile comprehensive counseling reports for the ministry as directed
Follow all departmental, HWC, and government policies and procedures as instructed
Comply with rules and regulations of the Zambian Counselling Council (ZCC) and Psychological Association of Zambia (PAZ)
Maintain working knowledge of the legal issues pertaining to the counseling program so they are in-line with relevant government agencies and rights of all stakeholders.

The Employee shall also be expected to undertake any additional responsibilities as delegated by his or her supervisor.
Knowledge, Skills, Behaviours, and Experience Required to Achieve Role’s Objectives:
Skills Required

Demonstrates commitment to FL mission, vision, and values.
Exhibits and promotes Christian principles of servant leadership in decision making and working with other members of staff, especially in conflict resolution.
Develops, motivates, and coordinates team members by setting and holding high standards for performance.
Promotes innovation and learning amongst team members to achieve goals.
Communicates clearly and effectively both verbally and written.
Gains, develops and retains credibility for personal relationships with others.
Ability to work well with others in a multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural environment.
Strong planning and organizational skills
Financial management and budgeting skills
Ability to adapt personal views to get best outcome for the ministry.
Cooperates effectively with other departments for the benefit of the ministry.
Aware of own strengths, weaknesses and pro-active in using feedback for self-development.
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities

Other Competencies/Skills:

Demonstrates commitment to Family Legacy mission, vision, and values
Has a heart to work with vulnerable children and families even when faced with challenges
Has a heart for counseling other staff members within Family Legacy
Very strong clinical counseling skills/knowledge, especially working with families
Strong interpersonal skills
Strong oral and writing skills
Maintain confidentiality and privacy of all clients
Basic computer proficiency skills (Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, & email)
Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of view
Solicits feedback from coworkers about the impact of his/her behavior
Relational and personable
Ability to work as a team and collaborate with others
Adheres to all deadlines
Must have no prior convictions of harm to a child

Educational Qualification and Experience

Bachelor’s Degree in psychology or psychosocial counselling is strongly preferred
Have a minimum of Associate-level license in psychosocial or child counselling accredited by the Zambia Counselling Council (ZCC) or Psychological Association of Zambia (PAZ)
Certificate level qualification in psychological, child, and/or clinical counselling will be an added advantage
Maintain current Zambian licensure as a counselling practitioner.
Have at least 1 year of experience in a similar position or persuasion

How to apply:
Follow this link and complete the application process by sending your CV and qualifications to career[email protected]
Closing Date: 25th August 2022