POSITION SUMMARY
Americares is responding to Hurricane Harvey in Texas, focusing on meeting health needs of survivors. Our response includes meeting urgent medical needs of survivors, providing needed supplies and services to displaced people, and helping restore health services to vulnerable populations. To date, we have provided more than $2 million in medicines and supplies to clinics, health centers, and shelters and have provided more than $100,000 in grants and procurements to help restore safety net health systems.
The Mental Health and Psychosocial (MHPSS) Program Coordinator will support the Americares MHPSS disaster response and recovery to Hurricane Harvey. The MHPSS Program Coordinator will be based in Southeast Houston and report into the Hurricane Harvey MHPSS Program Manager. Primary responsibilities will include individual and group level counseling for front line workers and care providers (i.e. community health workers, department of health staff) affected by Harvey. The mental health area coordinator will be responsible for providing mental health related programming including:
Job Duties and Responsibilities:
- Facilitate Americares psychoeducational group work interventions and trainings.
- Coordinate referrals and service planning in relevant areas.
- Conduct community outreach and build and maintain relationships with community services providers in relevant areas.
- Maintain accurate records and consistently ensure the confidentiality of information.
- Provide crisis intervention when necessary.
- Incorporates a clinical perspective into planning, organizing, conducting, and evaluating educational and training.
- Conducts training and maintains a positive learning environment that encourages employee participation.
- Provides individual level counseling to hurricane affected employees of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC’s) and local hospitals.
- Communicate effectively in both oral and written forms; expressing complex and technical terminology and concepts in an understandable manner.
- Establish and maintain effective work relationships with others.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
REQUIREMENTS
- Graduation from an accredited college or university with a master’s degree in psychology, counseling, social work or related field is generally preferred.
- At least three years’ experience of licensed or certified professional experience in mental health, preferably experience in disaster mental health.
- Prefer experience teaching or training adult learners.
- Experience working in a team environment and interacting with individuals of different backgrounds and types of education.
- Illustrated background in crisis counseling.
- Strong organizational skills, comfortable multi-tasking and working in a fast-paced, high stress, fluid work environment
- Ability to work during non-traditional hours such as evenings and weekends as needed
- Ability to travel independently throughout relevant region.
- Valid US driver’s license and permission to work in US.
- Proficiency in English required; Spanish language skills is an asset.
- Knowledge of the Port Arthur or East Texas community is an advantage.