AFSC Program Counsellor Job - Career Point Kenya

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker organization that includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace, and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the Quaker belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice. The South Sudan Program based in the AFSC Africa Regional Office (ARO) in Nairobi is implementing a three-year Trauma Healing program for enhanced peace building in South Sudan. The organization is searching for a qualified program counsellor to provide psychosocial support to peace builders and coordinate the program.

Job Description

Job Title: Program Counsellor (PC) – South Sudan program

Supervisor: Country Representative Somalia Program

Location: Juba, South Sudan

Summary of Responsibilities: 

Program Counsellor (PC) will support efforts to address secondary trauma among the peacebuilders for enhanced peaceful co-existence in South Sudan. The PC will also assist in efforts to increase the capacity of peace builders in self-trauma healing and supporting others to heal through cascading the knowledge, skills acquired and learnings during implementation. Specifically, the PC will provide Counselling and psychosocial care for the peace builders, support the program officer to convene peacebuilders and their organizations, support development and operationalization of work-based trauma healing policies for local partner organizations, policy advocacy and support experience sharing efforts. It is envisioned that the intervention would result in creating a community of peacebuilders, who are able to deal with their own trauma, and that of other peace builders in the sector as well as community members served.

Description of Responsibilities:

• Facilitate one on one counselling services, group therapy, referrals to those most affected peace builders particularly after an exposure to critical incidents.


• Provide diffusing and psychological first aid on telephone to distressed partner staff after exposure to traumatic experience when a one-on-one session cannot be arranged immediately


• Support the SS PO to work directly with two AFSC partners to plan and implement the program activities.


• Support the PO to develop resources, relationships, and processes for increasing the capacity of partner organizations in South Sudan to develop and operationalize work-based trauma policies


• Identify and provide support in planning innovative and creative outreach activities by peace builders including referral for higher level therapeutic care


• To offer psychoeducation on thematic issues such as stress, and critical incident stress to increase their knowledge and self-awareness


• Articulate AFSC’s values and principles including its commitment to peace and nonviolent approaches to social justice and peacebuilding among partner organizations.


• Support research, developing policy briefs, writing of briefs, case studies, program knowledge management and other relevant materials reflecting on best practices and lesson learnt for periodic AFSC South Sudan publication and presentation to local and international audiences.


• Conduct continuous monitoring and evaluation of the program activities from a results-based perspective.


• Contribute to the development of training modules, curricula, and courses to train trainers to meet the different needs of South Sudan partners


• Technically support the South Sudan program partners to improve in their peace building and trauma healing program delivery to their targeted population with greater impact and effectiveness.


• Support capacity building of South Sudan peace builders in mainstream trauma healing into peace building initiatives.


• Support the South Sudan partners in identifying advocacy issues and escalate them through existing AFSC advocacy structures.

Qualifications and Attributes:

• Diploma in a relevant field such as Counselling, Psychology, Social work, or related field. A degree will be an added advantage.


• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in relevant work.


• Strong Writing, presentation, and interpersonal skills


• Experience in coordination of trauma healing programs, relationship building, and partnerships


• Ability to develop collegial and professional relationships with various stakeholder groups, especially religious and traumatized communities.


• Excellent leadership, facilitation, communication, and trauma healing program development skills.


• Highly organized, passionate about trauma healing initiatives that have the power to enhance peaceful coexistence.


• Ability to take own initiative and work both independently and as a team.


• A desire to grow the program and individually through the work.


• Ability to meet deadlines under pressure.


• Capacity to work in a multicultural environment


• Must have understanding and respect for the principles, concerns, and considerations of AFSC regarding issues of race, class, Nationality, Region, Religion, gender, sexual orientation, and disability.


• Experience in psychosocial skills and working in South Sudan will be an added advantage

This position will be offered on an initial two-year contract with the possibility of extension based on performance and availability of resources.

South Sudan Nationals are highly encouraged to apply