Counselor Educator

Counselor Educator

Counselor Educator

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Posted: Oct 7, 2026

Deadline: Not specified

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Counselor Educator

Contract

Location Jigawa

Job Field Education / Teaching / Training

Responsibilities

• Identify the psychosocial, socio-economic and administrative needs for patients
• Actively promote the availability of counselling services and carry out, individual or in group counseling, basic psycho educational sessions, to patients, their families (when needed), in order to alleviate their psychosocial difficulties within the project scope.
• Reports to the unit Supervisor if patients need referral to other specialists or other institutions for further assistance, when necessary, in order to propose the best support available.
• Participate in the creation of any material needed for counseling activities and look after it,
• Keep files and statistics of daily activities and participate in team meetings to share experiences and discuss special cases with other counselors, preserving confidentiality
• Inform line manager of any problem of any kind arising during the day-to-day activities.
• Take active part in trainings, supervisions/Intervention and support the activity manager, when necessary, in doing sensitization for MSF staff or external partners about mental health /psychosocial issues.
• Discuss difficulties and problems in counselling with supervisor.
• Receive patient referrals from the medical teams and conduct intake and psychological assessment of all patients referred for mental health support, following the MSF standards and procedures.
• Identify the emotional and psychosocial needs of all patients referred and discuss with the MHAM a preliminary treatment plan for their continuum of care.
• Facilitate individual, family or group counselling/support sessions for patients on the VVF and Maternity Wards, caregivers of ICU and NBU patients, as well as for SV survivors, and other vulnerable populations within the MSF Jahun project’s target population.
• Provide follow-up counselling sessions for all patients receiving mental health support using a Cognitive-Behavioural model: paying attention to level of emotional distress, symptomatology, building resilience, increasing coping mechanisms, problem management and decision-making skills in patients.
• Liaise with the caregivers of patients receiving mental health care to provide holistic support to the family unit where necessary.
• Perform Psychological First Aid (PFA) with patients, and when needed their families, who are having difficulties making decisions for surgery or to take a treatment or follow a patient-care plan where needed.
• Provide PFA for HIV-positive patients, and refer them to the MoH clinic for follow up.
• Plan, facilitate and report on the psychosocial activities and other group interventions with specific target populations in the hospital, for example, art and craft therapy for women on the VVF ward.
• Following a patient-centred approach, ensure that in providing mental health and psychosocial care for patients, their rights, needs, and wishes are respected and prioritized:
• Their right to be treated with dignity and respect
• Their right to choose a course of action related to their mental health or medical condition
• Their right to privacy and confidentiality
• Their right to non-discrimination
• Their right to comprehensive information to help make their own decision
• Collaborate with the Health Promotion team on community awareness-raising about the mental health signs and consequences of SV, obstetric complications, and VVF.
• Work in collaboration with the medical teams (doctors, nurses, midwives) to ensure comprehensive support for patients, emphasizing the mental health consequences of medical interventions.
• Consult with the medical teams to be informed about the medical condition and prognosis for patients identified as needing mental health support in order to provide them with holistic care.
• Applying a multidisciplinary approach, participate in palliative care discussions with the medical teams and caregivers in ICU and NBU.
• Develop action plans to address the emotional and social needs of SV survivors and provide follow up to ensure provision of the needed services.
• Conduct rounds of the VVF and Maternity wards once daily to retrieve and process all