Primary purpose of the position

Child counsellor at the Child Friendly Space (CFS) will typically provide short-term care to children who reside at the reception centre mostly meeting with individual children or a group of children. Regardless of how many children they meet with, he/she will be responsible for creating a safe, welcoming environment that encourages children to trust him/her and feel comfortable talking with him/her.He/She will focus on treating specific symptoms among children, such as:

• Anxiety
• Difficulty sleeping
• Stress

Child counsellor specifically will work with young children and teenagers, creating individualised plans for each child. This may involve employing different strategies that adult counsellors may use and rely on using observational skills more than conversational skills. For example, a child counsellor may encourage young children to play with toys while they monitor their behaviour or habits.

MAIN TASKS

• Build a trusting relationship with children
• Create age-appropriate strategies to work with children and teenagers
• Encourage children to talk about issues they may feel uncomfortable discussing with others
• Observe children’s behaviours as they play
• Accept children issues with understanding and without bias
• Listen to children actively when they share their feelings
• Provide insights to children based on what they share
• Help children better understand themselves
• Challenge children to think about their concerns in new ways
• Communicate with other care providers or professionals to discuss care plans
• Maintain records of sessions
• Use reporting tools to track children progress
• Meet with parents or other guardians to provide essential updates
• Develop care agreements with parents and guardians
• Recommend additional treatment options for the child to parents and guardians
• Participate in training to maintain skills and stay current with developments

Qualifications

• A diploma/degree in Counselling, Social work/Community development, Psychology or a higher diploma in Counselling with a minimum of 2 years in related work experience
• Interpersonal skills
• Empathy
• Observation skills
• Time management
• Active listening skills
• Written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to build relationships
• A positive demeanour and sense of optimism
• Ability to distinguish your feelings from those of a child
• Non-judgmental perspective
• Understanding of and respect for others
• Comfortable working with children
• Ability to work well with other
• Ability to work independently