Counseling Psychologist/Expert - Hargeisa, Somaliland (TIS-MIDA)

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Title                             Counseling Psychologist/Expert
Duty Station                Hargeisa, Somaliland
Duration of Assignment   12 months
Date Posted                10 Mar 2011
Deadline Date                24 Mar 2011

Summary
The Counseling Psychologist will assist the Ministry to assess psychosocial problems and circumstances in Somaliland, prepare report for the psychosocial problem and evaluate individuals' problems by case history, prepare psychosocial counseling manual/tools, recruit and interview group of councilors for the ministry, and create coordination mechanism for the psychosocial service providers to make available individual or group counseling services to assist individuals in achieving more effective personnel, social, educational, and vocational development and adjustment.

Background Information   
About TIS-MIDA
The TIS-MIDA project is a USAID funded -IOM joint initiative that aims to facilitate the transfer of skills, competencies and knowledge of qualified Somali expatriates to specific institutions within Somalia. The beneficiary institution will host the qualified Somali expatriate, and will be responsible to provide a safe and secure work environment. TIS-MIDA will monitor the expatriate while in assignment.


About Somaliland
Somaliland- This region declared independence from Somalia in 1991. However, Somaliland remains unrecognized by any other country or international Organization. It shares border line with Djibouti, Ethiopia, Puntland and the Gulf of Aden. The capital of Somaliland is Hargeisa.


About The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
The ministry of labor and social affairs exists to promote sustainable employment opportunities, management and vocational skills development, training and retraining, harmonious industrial relations, safe and group formation and social integration of vulnerable, excluded and disadvantaged for the development and growth of the economy as well as protection of their fundamental rights and freedoms, through, formulation and implementation of policies, co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation of the performance in the sector; guided by our belief in improved productivity, efficiency, equity and prompt responsiveness to our clients.

Activities / Key Results Expected   The Counseling Psychologist will:
 Counsel individuals, groups, or families to help them understand problems, define goals, and develop realistic action plans.
 Collect information about individuals or clients, using interviews, case histories, observational techniques, and other assessment methods.
 Develop therapeutic and treatment plans based on clients' interests, abilities, and needs.
 Consult with other professionals to discuss therapies, treatments, counseling resources, or techniques, and to share occupational information.
 Analyze data such as interview notes, test results, and reference manuals to identify symptoms and to diagnose the nature of clients' problems.
 Develop strategic and operational plan to enhance the projects.

Target Outputs (Measurable Results)   Deliverables:
1. Quarterly and annual progress reports
2. Assessment report produced with number of patients treated
3. Training manuals produced and group of councilors trained
4. Strategic and action plans produced
5. Monitoring, evaluation and coordination mechanism produced
6. Report on the number of new projects proposed

QUESTS-MIDA Requirements   
Besides the specific outputs mentioned in section IV, TIS-MIDA is requiring the following steps/actions to be undertaken throughout the assignment. These are standard requirements for all assignments undertaken through this project:

1. Transfer of skills: One of the main responsibilities of the qualified Somali expatriate, and one which he/she will be measured against, will be to ensure continuous and systematic transfer of knowledge and skills as related to the assignment. It will have to be agreed with the beneficiary institution which civil servants will have to benefit from this knowledge.
2. Work plan: A work plan will have to be developed with the Supervisor during the first week of assignment which will provide clear and time bound activities to successfully implement the outputs of the assignment. This work plan will be shared with the -MIDA Project Assistant. This work plan can be revised during the mid-term review to reflect new developments or changes in strategy.
3. Interim and Final Reports: A progress report will be submitted by the incumbent to the Supervisor and to the TIS-MIDA Project Assistant. Thereafter a final report will be provided at the end of assignment (based on a 12 months contract).

Qualifications   
?  At least Master Degree in Social Work or Psychology
?  Area of study: Psychology, Socio-psychology or related field
?  Years of work experience in that area: 5-8 post graduate experience.
?  Language needed: English, Somali is essential, knowledge of Arabic is advantage
?  Excellent communication ?oral and writing skills, projects planning, implementation and evaluation skills. ?  The person required for this position must have working experience with governmental institutions preferrably Work experience in the Republic of Somaliland.

Salary   
This will be determined by TIS-MIDA based on qualifications (VI) and the level of the assignment (X).
Security and Insurance Modalities   Health insurance including evacuation due to medical emergence will be provided by the project. How ever, experts will be requested to provide a recent medical certificate starting that they are physically well and apt to work in a hardship area in Africa.

Please note that according to the contract, IOM will not be responsible for the security of the qualified Somali expatriates. The host beneficiary institution will be responsible for the security of the individual.
Before leaving the country of residence and upon arrival in Nairobi or in Somalia, the qualified Somali expatriate will receive a pre-departure briefing including security advice and cultural background information.

How to apply   
All applicants must apply online through the QUESTS-MIDA website. To start the application process the applications are required to register an account on the QUESTS-MIDA website. Go to www.quests-mida.org login and register as a user, then fill the 1-page form and create a password to access the application section. Short listed candidates will be informed of the status of their application. If you encounter any problems when applying visit the FAQs section on the website for more information.