Psychosocial Counsellor and Life Skills Educator

War Child Canada is globally recognized for our grassroots, community-driven model of humanitarian action that’s rooted in collaboration and entirely locally led. We have developed a solid track record of long-term, sustainable impact supporting children and families living in areas dominated by conflict and crises. 

War Child’s flagship Afghanistan program advances social impact in the lives of vulnerable children, women, and their families through its humanitarian and development programming in Protection, Health, Education and Livelihood sectors in various provinces of Afghanistan.

Job Summary:

The Psychosocial Counsellor and Life Skills Educator is responsible for providing psychosocial support, individual and group counselling, and life skills education to project participants to promote their mental well-being, resilience, and personal development. The position plans and facilitates counselling sessions, delivers life skills training, identifies and refers individuals requiring specialized support, and ensures activities are implemented in accordance with organizational policies, safeguarding standards, and donor requirements. The Psychosocial Counsellor and Life Skills Educator also maintain accurate documentation, coordinates with relevant stakeholders and service providers, and contributes to the effective implementation and reporting of project activities.

Duties and Responsibilities:

·       Provide individual and group psychosocial counselling sessions to project participants in accordance with organizational policies and professional ethical standards.

·       Plan, organize, and facilitate life skills education sessions on topics such as communication, problem-solving, decision-making, stress management, self-esteem, conflict resolution, and resilience.

·       Conduct psychosocial assessments to identify participants' needs and develop appropriate support plans.

·       Identify individuals requiring specialized services and facilitate referrals to appropriate protection, health, mental health, legal, or social service providers while ensuring safe and confidential case management.

·       Support the development and implementation of psychosocial support and life skills activities in line with project objectives and work plans.

·       Organize awareness sessions, group activities, and community events that promote mental well-being, social cohesion, and positive coping mechanisms.

·       Maintain accurate and confidential records of counselling sessions, referrals, attendance, and other project documentation.

·       Monitor participants' progress and provide regular follow-up and mentorship to support their well-being and personal development.

·       Coordinate closely with project staff, government authorities, service providers, community leaders, and other stakeholders to ensure effective service delivery.

·       Contribute to project monitoring, reporting, and documentation by preparing timely activity reports, success stories, lessons learned, and other required information.

·       Ensure all activities are implemented in compliance with organizational policies, safeguarding standards, protection principles, and donor requirements.

•           Perform any other duties assigned by the supervisor to support the successful implementation of project activities.

Qualification:

·       Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Counselling, Education, Social Work, or a related field, with a minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience.

·       Professional certification in Counselling is preferred.

·       An additional qualification or certificate in Life Skills Education

Experience:

·       Experience in managing humanitarian or development projects, with a focus on youth development, migration, protection, or emergency response.

·       Strong experience in engaging with stakeholders, including local authorities, INGOs, and UN agencies.

·       Prior experience in team work, counselling, capacity building, and fostering professional relationships.

·       Familiarity with community-based approaches, including beneficiary selection, accountability mechanisms, and safeguarding practices.

·       Have relative experience working with reporting and data collection tools such as Kobo, Survey Monkey, Google forms etc. 

Skills and Abilities:

·       Strong understanding of local contexts, including cultural and political dynamics in Afghanistan.

·       Proficiency in English, Dari and Pashto. Proficiency in other languages will be considered a plus point.

·       Strong reporting, presentation, training facilitation, and budgeting skills.

• Strong inter-personal and communication skills, ability to work under stressful conditions, and able to meet tight deadlines.   

War Child Canada is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified Afghan women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Interested applicants are invited to complete the application process using the link below. If the link does not work when clicked, please copy and paste it into your browser's address bar:

https://ee.kobotoolbox.org/x/3QUAKLuq