Counsellor in Aizawl | YRG MERF

YRG MERF

YR Gaitonde Medical Educational & Research Foundation (YRGMERF) was established in 1993 and works across India on healthcare that reaches people who are often left out. Its work brings together treatment, care, support and research, with a long focus on HIV and other infectious diseases. The organisation works through partnerships with communities and health systems so that health outcomes are fairer and last longer. Integrity and sustainability guide how services are designed and delivered. This role sits within YRGCARE's project to strengthen the urban ecosystem against future disease threats, which builds coordination between urban and peri-urban areas so services, referrals and monitoring hold together.

Role

The Counsellor works one to one with adolescents and young people in Aizawl, listening to what they are going through and helping them find ways forward. The work covers mental health concerns such as depression, motivation, HIV prevention, pre-test and post-test counselling, harm reduction, safe sex and safe injecting practices. It also means walking with clients to the services they need, so a referral becomes real care and not just a piece of advice.

Responsibilities

• Provide counselling to adolescents and young people who inject drugs, covering depression, mental health, motivation, HIV pre-test and post-test counselling, harm reduction, safe sex and safe injecting practices.
• Hold one to one safe talk conversations with clients to understand their challenges and work out solutions together.
• Provide motivation counselling to participants living with HIV.
• Accompany clients on referrals to ART and other services, and confirm that the linkage actually happened.
• Deliver NACP services where these are needed.
• Run counselling sessions as planned by the centre.
• Record all work in the project database in real time and keep documentation complete.
• Protect the confidentiality of every client and participant.
• Report on time to the site coordinator and the centre manager.
• Complete the training programme and apply it in day to day work with clients.
• Conduct awareness and prevention programmes in schools and colleges.
• Take part in the activities run by the centre and support related studies, trials and assignments as the work requires.

Requirements

• 1 to 3 years of work experience in counselling or a closely related role.
• Understanding of adolescent health and the issues young people face.
• Ability to counsel on mental health concerns, including childhood and adolescent depression.
• Experience or training in HIV prevention, including pre-test and post-test counselling.
• Comfort working with young people who inject drugs, on harm reduction, safe sex and safe injecting practices.
• Ability to provide motivation counselling to people living with HIV.
• Care in keeping client information confidential at all times.
• Accuracy in recording and reporting client work in a database on the same day.
• Willingness to accompany clients to ART centres and other services.
• Ability to run group sessions in schools and colleges.
• Willingness to complete the project training programme before starting field work.
• Ability to report clearly and on time to a site coordinator and a centre manager.
• Based in Aizawl or willing to move there for the length of the contract.

Benefits

• 24 days of annual leave in addition to public holidays.
• Health insurance coverage.
• A collaborative and inclusive place to work.
• Room to learn and grow professionally.
• An equal opportunity organisation that welcomes differences in ability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, faith and gender.

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