MHPSS Senior Counsellor – Staff Welfare and Psychosocial Support (with frequent travel to provinces)

Afghan Family Guidance Association (AFGA) is an Afghan non-governmental, not-for-profit and non-political organization established in 1968. AFGA has been working in the field of Reproductive health and Rights since its inception and has recently become an associate member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF).

AFGA activities were suspended due to war and conflict in the country for ten years (1992-2002) and resumed its activities in 2002 with financial support from International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF).

IPPF is an alliance of 151 family planning associations known as Member Associations which has projects in over 180 countries. IPPF continues to be the largest civil society provider of reproductive health information and services in the world

Job Summary:
Midwives working in Family Health Houses (FHHs) and Midwifery-Led Maternity Care Centres (MLMCCs) play a critical role in providing essential maternal, newborn and related health services to women and girls in Afghanistan. Their work can involve prolonged exposure to demanding working conditions, high workloads, emotional stress, challenging cases, and other pressures that may affect their psychosocial well-being. Recognizing the importance of staff welfare and the well-being of frontline health workers, it is critical to engage a qualified and experienced MHPSS Senior Counsellor to provide accessible, confidential, and professional psychosocial support to midwives working in selected FHHs and MLMCCs. The intervention will focus on the identified FHHs in Balkh and MLMCCs in Kabul and Logar.

Education

● A Master's degree in Psychology, Counselling, Clinical Psychology, Mental Health, Social Work or another relevant field is required/preferred, depending on the applicable recruitment requirements.

Professional Experience and Technical Competencies

● Minimum 4 years of relevant professional experience in MHPSS, psychosocial counselling, mental health, or related programming.

● Demonstrated experience providing individual psychosocial counselling and support.

● Experience working with health workers, frontline workers or other personnel exposed to high-stress or demanding working environments is highly desirable.

● Experience in staff welfare, psychological first aid, stress management, resilience-building, or related interventions is an advantage.

● Strong understanding of confidentiality, informed consent, professional boundaries and ethical counselling practice.

● Ability to work independently, manage a caseload and organize field visits and remote follow-up effectively.

Language Requirements

● Fluency and good communication skills in Persian and/ Pashto are mandatory.

● Working knowledge of English is an advantage for documentation, training, and communication with programme staff.

The MHPSS Senior Counsellor will be responsible for the following

• Psychosocial Counselling and Support

● Conduct in-person psychosocial counselling and supportive sessions with midwives working in the targeted FHHs and MLMCCs. ● Provide individual counselling, psychological first aid and psychosocial support based on identified needs. ● Establish a safe, confidential, respectful and non-judgmental environment for midwives to discuss work-related stress, emotional difficulties, interpersonal concerns and other psychosocial issues. ● Apply appropriate evidence-informed counselling and psychosocial support approaches within the counsellor's professional scope of practice. ● Support midwives to develop healthy coping strategies, strengthen resilience and maintain their psychosocial well-being.

• Assessment and Follow-up

● Conduct an initial assessment of the psychosocial well-being and support needs of individual midwives. ● Develop, jointly with each midwife, an appropriate follow-up and communication plan based on identified needs. ● Provide follow-up counselling and psychosocial support through telephone or in-person, as appropriate. ● Maintain regular and appropriate contact with midwives requiring continued psychosocial support. ● Monitor progress and adjust the frequency and type of support according to individual needs.

• Referral and Case Management

● Identify individuals who may require specialized mental health or other professional services beyond the scope of the counselling provided. ● Facilitate appropriate and confidential referrals to available specialized services in accordance with established referral pathways. ● Follow up on referrals, where appropriate and with the individual's consent, while respecting confidentiality and professional boundaries.

• Staff Welfare and Capacity Support

● Contribute to the overall staff welfare approach for midwives working in targeted facilities. ● Identify common psychosocial stressors and emerging staff welfare concerns affecting midwives. ● Where appropriate, provide brief group-based psychosocial support, stress-management, or well-being sessions for midwives. ● Provide practical recommendations on measures that may contribute to improved staff well-being and retention.

• Coordination and Reporting

● Coordinate closely with the supervisor and designated focal point of the implementing partner. ● Maintain appropriate documentation of counselling and psychosocial support activities while ensuring strict confidentiality. ● Provide regular anonymized reports on counselling activities, psychosocial needs, key challenges, referrals, and recommendations to strengthen staff welfare and support. ● Immediately communicate any significant operational or service-delivery concerns through the appropriate reporting channels, while maintaining client confidentiality. ● Participate in relevant coordination, review, and planning meetings as requested.

Approach and Modality

The assignment will follow a blended model of MHPSS support, combining face-to-face and remote counselling. The MHPSS Senior Counsellor will initially visit the targeted FHHs and MLMCCs to establish contact with midwives, conduct an initial psychosocial assessment, and provide counselling/support. Following the initial visit, the counsellor will develop an individualized follow-up plan with each midwife. Subsequent support may be provided through telephone-based counselling and psychosocial check-ins, particularly for midwives working in remote locations. The frequency of follow-up will be determined according to the individual midwife's needs and the agreed communication plan. The MHPSS counsellor is expected to ensure that the modality of support is accessible, confidential, culturally appropriate, and consistent with professional ethical standards.

Reporting and Supervision

The MHPSS Senior Counsellor will work under the overall supervision of the designated IP Project Manager.

Qualified & interested candidates are highly encouraged to apply for this position through the below-mentioned link. The AFGA HR Department can only consider applications submitted through the official online application portal. Manual applications will not be accepted. When submitting your application, please ensure that you include your CV and cover letter in a single combined PDF file. Do not attach any additional documents such as education certificates, experience letters, or other related materials

Due to a high volume of applications received, the AFGA HR Department is will not be able to reach out individually to each candidate. If you have not received an email or call from the AFGA HR Department, please understand that your application has not been considered for this particular opening at this time.

http://hrmis.afga.org.af/Applicant/Apply/AFGA_381097551

AFGA Recruitment Process Commitment

At AFGA, we do not accept any kind of recommendation, favoritism, or discrimination during the recruitment and selection of candidates. Our process is designed to be objective and merit-based, focusing solely on the qualifications, skills, and experiences of the applicants.

We want to assure all candidates that their applications will be evaluated equally, without any undue influence or bias. AFGA is dedicated to building a diverse and talented workforce that can contribute to the organization's mission and objective