Mental Health Officer at Heartland Alliance

Location: Suleja, Niger State

Job Summary

The Mental Health Officer will be responsible for supporting the day-to-day implementation of the activities at the HALG CPM, Suleja. This role will include working with other multi-disciplinary teams to establish, provide and monitor the delivery of focus non-specialized and specialized MHPSS interventions for service users who access care at the centre on a scale of fees that will be determined by HALG leadership / management.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Assess the psychological needs of individuals who present to the centre.
• Establish client-centered and individualized rehabilitation plans based on identified needs.
• Develop and implement therapeutic interventions and activities to help individuals reach their goals.
• Deliver individual and group sessions using structured interviews, and evidence based psychological assessments as well as treatment plans based on identified psychosocial need(s).
• Monitor and evaluate the treatment progress of individuals in the rehabilitation Programme.
• Provide counselling and support to individuals and their families.
• Collaborate with other professionals and organizations to coordinate client care.
• Research and keep up to date with the latest developments in the field of rehabilitation psychology and in the management of psychological conditions.
• Write and submit monthly, quarterly and annual reports detailing interventions.
• In consultation with HALG Mental Health Technical Lead, network with relevant external agencies such as social services, independent and multiple voluntary sectors, to facilitate and promote HALG’s MHPSS and Harm Reduction interventions.
• Perform every other duty as assigned.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the background, knowledge, skill, and/or competency required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

• Master’s degree in clinical psychology or other mental health related field.
• Minimum of 5 years work experience in psychiatric/rehabilitation setting.
• Membership and licensure to professional organization will be a requirement.

Skills and Competency

• To be successful in this role, the candidate is expected to be able to demonstrate the following skills and competencies:
• A positive attitude in working with marginalized, vulnerable, under resourced and/or persons who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments.
• An understanding of the social determinants of health that affect the lives of marginalized, vulnerable, and under-resourced communities.
• A demonstrated understanding of and commitment to issues around confidentiality and professional conduct in a work setting. This job description may be reviewed at any time by HALG to reflect emerging program dynamics.

Other Competencies

• Time Management – Ability to prioritize tasks, manage time, and complete projects in a fast-paced, changing environment with minimal supervision.
• Quality Management - Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness.
• Written Communication - Writes clearly and informatively; Edits work for spelling and grammar; Varies writing style to meet needs; Presents numerical data effectively.
• Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment; Manages competing demands; Changes approach or method to best fit the situation; Able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events.
• Cultural Sensitivity – Respect the cultural environment in which a person is working and does not act in a manner that is outwardly offensive to the local community.
• Non-discriminatory- Do not discriminate against persons based on sexual orientation or gender identity, age, preferred jobs, or behavioral habits.

Language Skills

• Excellent oral and written English communication skills.

Computer Skills

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Outlook/Exchange, Windows operating systems, and PowerPoint.
• Other software routinely used by Heartland Alliance Ltd/Gte.

Work Environment

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• The employee may be required to travel regularly to often insecure and limited-resource environments.