Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Officer

For over half a century, Tanzania has been a country of asylum, hosting one of the largest refugee populations in Africa. Currently, the country hosts approximately 287,903 Burundian and Congolese refugees, many of whom arrived in 2015 as the crisis in Burundi increased. To date, refugees continue to co-exist with the host communities in Kigoma region expressing multiple reasons and needs. Within this context, IRC provides protection and basic assistance in the areas of Safety (comprises of Protection and Rule of Law, Women Protection and Empowerment, and Child Protection), Health (mental health and psychosocial support services and reproductive health), and Education.

 Job Overview:

This will be responsible for delivering psychotherapeutic counselling to Burundian/Congolese Refugees and giving guidance and supervision to CMHWs incentive staff on the delivery of MHPSS services. He/ She will be involved in constant participation, facilitation, and organization of MHPSS service and activities delivered in the camp. He/ She will also liaise with sectors and other partners on mental wellbeing concerns. The MHPSS facilitator position is in the Nyarugusu camp.

Major Responsibilities.

• Plan, develop and facilitate MHPSS activities in the MHPSS wellness center in a participatory manner.
• Plan and facilitate individuals and support group therapeutic sessions.
• Conduct intake and post -session assessments for all MHPSS beneficiaries. 
• Ensure timely referral and follow-up of case in need of further support.
• Facilitate group sessions and brainstorming sessions with beneficiaries for MHPPS related activities.
• Regularly monitor activities and provide feedback to staff to ensure high quality implementation of program activities.
• Build the capacities of volunteers, including training in MHPSS, to facilitate participatory and inclusive activities.
• Weekly and monthly reports and progress against targets.
• Contribute to data entry and analysis of information.
• Facilitate Psychosocial support activities in line with IRC policies and procedures.
• Supervise and develop detailed work plans for incentives staff for proper implementation of psychosocial services.
• Collaborate with the supervisor to prepare an individual workplan based on the annual plan.
• Facilitate activities that raise awareness about mental health and psychosocial support.
• Conduct focused Group discussion (FGDs) with community members, community leaders, religious leaders, adolescents, children, and youth.
• Contribute quarterly, and annual donor reports.
• Attending meetings, training as advised by supervisor and sharing feedback.

 Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to Senior Health Manager.
• Position directly supervises: Incentives worker in the Camp
• Other Internal and/or external contacts: National Staff.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s in counselling psychology, clinical psychotherapy, or another related field.
• Experience working with emotionally distressed people and people with mental disorders.
• Ability to work independently with a high degree of initiative required.
• Computer skills: Knowledge of MS word; Excel and Outlook required.
• Minimum three years’ work experience in program implementation.
• Strong ability to organize work, meet deadlines, maintain composure, prioritize work under pressure, coordinate multiple tasks and maintain attention to detail.

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies: 

• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Effective negotiation, facilitation and consensus building skills.
• Ability to work under pressure while producing results.
• Ability to “think out of the box” and to make innovative proposals related to Mental health and psychosocial support.
• Tact, discretion, and diplomacy.
•  Teamwork
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences.
• Communication
• Producing results
• Moving forward in a changing environment
• Creating an empowering and motivating environment

Language/Travel

 Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and Swahili as well as, an overall ability to be clear and concise in all communications.

Working Environment: Security level yellow – The situation in most of the country is calm. Some parts of Kigoma region experience insecurity-highway banditry.

Partnership: The IRC is committed to working with partners as our preferred operating model and adhering to our six partnership principles: equality, complementarity, mutuality, solidarity, results orientation, and humility.

Commitment to Client Responsiveness: By committing to Client-Centered Programming, at the IRC Tanzania, we place the people we serve – our clients – at the center of our programming and services. The IRC Tanzania Staff have an important role to play in supporting the implementation of client-responsive programming through raising awareness to the community and clients about the existing feedback mechanisms and how to use them including the response processes, access, and eligibility to services, and contribute to building an institutional culture that prompts staff to listen to clients and to communicate and respond to their requests, feedback, and complaints.

Professional Standards: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.  

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity.  We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.  

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, marital status, veteran status or disability. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform crucial job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.