African Communities Counselor

Location: Berkeley, California, United States

Salary:  $57-63k/year (including health benefits) based on skills, experience, and licensure

Start Date: As soon as possible

Schedule: Part-time or Full-time

ORGANIZATION

Partnerships for Trauma Recovery (PTR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to healing the psychological and psychosocial impacts of trauma among international survivors of human rights abuses and forced displacement resulting from war, torture, gender-based, criminal and other interpersonal violence; and persecution related to identity and beliefs. At our Mosaic Healing Center in Berkeley, California, we: (a) Provide globally culturally and contextually responsive, trauma-informed and linguistically accessible psychological and psychosocial care for asylum seekers and refugees from around the world, (b) Expand multidisciplinary clinical capacity to serve highly diverse international populations through an in-depth yearlong clinical training program, (c) Conduct community outreach, support and training to address the needs of forcibly displaced immigrants and newcomers, and (d) Advocate for policies to prevent trauma and re-traumatization among international survivors of human rights abuses and forced displacement.

AFRICAN COMMUNITIES PROGRAM

PTR is seeking one full-time (or two part-time) African Communities Counselor(s) to be part of our African Communities Program which focuses on providing psychological and psychosocial care for asylum seekers and refugees coming from throughout the African continent, as well as on community outreach and psychoeducation. This position is funded by Alameda County Behavioral Health Services and is part of a one-year grant renewal beginning on July 1, 2020 and extending through June 30, 2021, with the likelihood of an additional renewal through June 2022.

Under this grant, PTR provides psychological and psychosocial care for asylum seekers, asylees, refugees and immigrants with a specific focus on African populations. Additionally, we conduct targeted outreach to expand awareness of the psychosocial impacts of trauma and forced displacement and increase access to PTR’s services among African communities and organizations in the Bay Area. 

POSITION OVERVIEW

This is an opportunity to join a dynamic nonprofit organization working at the juncture of global mental health and human rights. The African Communities Counselor will work collaboratively with the African Communities Program team. The primary responsibility of the African Communities Counselor will be to provide globally trauma-informed, culturally responsive and linguistically accessible brief counseling and case management for clients from African countries. 

In collaboration with the program and outreach teams, the African Communities Counselor will provide support with the organization of events to raise awareness around the impacts of trauma; increase understanding of psychological and emotional needs in the community; help foster effective cross-cultural communication; reduce stigma related to matters of mental health and psychological wellbeing; and implement psychoeducational and capacity-building activities with African organizations, partners and communities.  This position also collaborates closely with the program team for the reporting of grant-related activities and the evaluation of outcomes. In addition to experience providing trauma-informed and culturally responsive counseling and case management services for diverse communities, this position requires flexibility, creativity, resourcefulness and independence. Essential for this position is a sustained commitment to advancing global social justice & human rights, with a focus on the needs of African survivors and immigrants seeking greater safety in the United States.   

Due to public health & safety considerations during the Covid-19 pandemic, PTR has been operating remotely since the spring of 2020. The African Communities Counselor will work remotely until PTR returns to in-person work, at which time they would need to be located in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The roles and responsibilities of the African Communities Counselor will include the following: 

Brief Counseling & Case Management

·        Directly provide globally culturally and contextually responsive, trauma-informed and linguistically accessible brief counseling and case management for refugee, asylum-seeking and immigrant adults, youth & children from African countries.

·        Assess client and community members’ mental wellness, psychosocial needs, preferences and abilities. Develop and implement individualized intervention plans. 

·        Provide case management and advocacy support for African clients and community members, including assistance with connecting them to community resources to address their medical, legal, social, economic, employment and educational needs.

·        Assist the African Communities Program and Clinical Managers in the development and design of the case management framework and response interventions.

·        Conduct service mapping in the Bay Area and develop good working relationships with a variety of support networks, service providers, and government and community resources in alignment with the cultural and linguistic needs of African communities.

·        Collaborate closely with the African Communities Program team in the implementation of direct service and outreach activities. Participate in meetings and trainings related to the African Communities Program.  

·        Collaborate with and support African Communities Wellbeing Coordinators in providing case management for community members in an ongoing effort to integrate outreach activities with psychosocial care. 

·        Once in-person services resume, provide brief counseling and psychosocial care at PTR’s Mosaic Healing Center in Berkeley and within community settings such as places of residence or worship, community centers and community-based organizations, and/or school settings around the San Francisco Bay Area.

·        Collaborate in the facilitation of social support groups and psychoeducational workshops for African clients and community members.

·        Support overall client care, collaborate with clinical team, and participate in clinical meetings and supervision.

Community Outreach, Collaboration & Capacity-Building

●        Represent PTR and the African Communities Program to community members, partners and organizations through presentations and capacity-building activities sharing and disseminating information about PTR’s mission, beneficiaries and programming.

●        Assist the African Communities Program team with the development and delivery of psychoeducational workshops for African refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants related to the impacts of trauma, forced displacement and resettlement in the United States and overall psychosocial needs among immigrant communities.

●        Help identify African community leaders and partner organizations who wish to receive consultation and capacity-building from PTR about the psychological and psychosocial needs of African refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants. 

●        Assist the African Communities Clinical Manager with designing and implementing culturally responsive and trauma-informed training for partners, providers and community leaders regarding the mental health and wellness needs of African populations, including capacity building regarding basic knowledge of mental health, stress management and the impacts of trauma.

●        Contribute to the development of relationships and collaborations with local community-based organizations and agencies.

●        Help develop and sustain cross-cultural understanding with community partners, with attention to the needs of resettled African communities residing throughout the Bay Area.

Other Responsibilities

●        Engage in new programming initiatives and partnerships as they arise and identify opportunities for direct service and outreach program development.

●        Participate as a member of the clinical and outreach teams and help achieve the goals of the African Communities Program.

●        Contribute to the improvement of the case management and counseling data management and recording.

●        Complete client charting, data reporting, billing and administrative tasks, and perform other duties as assigned.

●        Attend PTR staff activities and events.

QUALIFICATIONS                                                                                                                                                                                    

Required Education & Experience

• Completed or pursuing a Masters degree in Social Work (MSW/LCSW), Counseling Psychology (MA/MS), Marriage & Family Therapy (MFT/LMFT), or related field
• 2+ years of experience providing case management.
• 2+ years of experience providing counseling and psychosocial care for diverse & underserved populations.
• Experience working cross-culturally with international and/or immigrant populations, including from African countries.
• Experience working collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams.
• Familiarity with or willingness to learn Mental Health Medi-Cal Administrative Activities billing.

Preferred Experience                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

• Licensed or near licensed as a Clinical Social Worker or Marriage and Family Therapist in California.
• Experience working with asylum seekers and/or refugees.
• International work, study and/or living experience, preferably on the African continent.  
• Experience and interest in designing and conducting psychoeducational trainings.
• Experience with or willingness to learn Clinician’s Gateway, InSyst, and Salesforce data management systems.
• Fluency in or knowledge of one or more languages spoken by African communities, including but not limited to Tigrinya, Amharic, Kiswahili, Luganda, Lingala, Arabic and French. 

Competencies & Interests                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

• Global cultural and contextual awareness for working collaboratively with internationally diverse clients and team members.
• Demonstrated commitment to global social justice and human rights.
• Spoken and written fluency in English, as well as one or more other languages preferred.
• Interest in developing and implementing community outreach and training activities.
• Flexibility and ability to adapt to developing program needs and requirements.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
• Maturity, initiative, resourcefulness and ability to creatively problem-solve.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure with limited resources.
• Ability to thrive in a rapidly growing small nonprofit and take on multiple roles.
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite and Google Drive.