Role Summary

The Mental Health Program Officer serves as a frontline catalyst for healing, hope, and holistic well-being across multiple terrains of vulnerability—from refugee settlements and post-conflict districts to faith-rooted community spaces like churches and spiritual care
networks.

Guided by Mental Health Program Coordinators and ultimately reporting to the Mental Health Lead, this officer designs and delivers mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) interventions that honor cultural contexts, spiritual identities, and community resilience. They respond to trauma not just with technical competence, but with a presence grounded in empathy, equity, and faith-informed care.
 

This role balances direct service delivery with systems-thinking—building local capacity, strengthening referral pathways, and equipping frontline actors such as lay counselors, clergy, and women’s leaders. Whether facilitating a healing circle beneath a mango tree, supporting a church’s trauma outreach, or guiding a family through reintegration after conflict, the Mental Health Program Officer is both a steward and servant of restoration.

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They operate at the intersection of emotional recovery, spiritual wholeness, and community empowerment—nurturing partnerships, upholding safeguarding principles, and keeping the lived experiences of the vulnerable at the heart of the mission.
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Key Skills

• Trauma-informed care and Psychosocial support/ First Aid (PFA) - Ability to recognize, respond to, and support individuals dealing with acute and chronic trauma, grief, or psychosocial distress.  

• Community Engagement & Facilitation - Skilled in participatory approaches that mobilize community strengths, including churches, refugee leaders, elders, and women’s collectives.  

• Faith & Culture Sensitivity - Able to integrate mental health support within faith-based systems and respect spiritual expressions of healing without imposing one-size-fits-all solutions.  

• Monitoring, Documentation & Referrals - Diligent in recording client progress, referral tracking, and safeguarding sensitive case management procedures.  

• Capacity Strengthening - Experience training lay counselors, volunteers, and faith leaders in basic MHPSS concepts and inclusive care practices.  

• Cross-sector Collaboration - Comfort working with health services, protection officers, education teams, and local government or humanitarian actors.  

• Adaptability & Emotional Resilience - Prepared to work in challenging environments— including displacement settings or emotionally intense field visits—with a grounded presence.  

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Key Tasks

1. Deliver Responsive Psychosocial Support in Displacement Settings:
• Facilitate group-based and individual psychosocial interventions adapted to camp, transit, or host settings
• Integrate Psychological First Aid (PFA), psychoeducation, and storytelling practices in emergency and transitional shelters
• Provide basic emotional support to new arrivals and high-risk individuals during humanitarian intake and triage

2. Strengthen Faith and Community-Based Healing Networks:​

• Support and train local church leaders, refugee pastors, and interfaith leaders to integrate psychosocial care into spiritual support
• Co-create safe spiritual spaces for grief processing, resilience-building, and collective healing
• Engage traditional and faith-based healing systems with respect and contextual humility

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3. Coordinate Trauma-Informed Outreach & Mobile Services:
• Plan mobile mental health visits to underserved zones within settlements or host districts
• Tailor messaging to address stigma and promote access through culturally resonant channels, such as radio, theatre, or trusted community actors
• Use referral trees and community gatekeepers to reach isolated individuals (e.g.,widows, survivors, unaccompanied children)

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4. Build Local Capacity for Sustainable MHPSS Support:
• Facilitate basic MHPSS training for refugee volunteers, peer supporters, and community health workers
• Mentor faith-based and lay leaders in delivering non-clinical psychosocial support
• Contribute to training materials that integrate faith, gender sensitivity, and safeguarding

5. Maintain Ethical Case Documentation and Referrals:
• Support high-quality data entry, case notes, and service tracking using organization-approved tools
• Flag and follow up on safeguarding concerns, gender-based violence (GBV), and severe distress using agreed referral pathways
• Ensure informed consent, confidentiality, and survivor-centered care

6. Contribute to Program Learning and Adaptation:
• Provide field-level insights during reflection and learning sessions with the Mental Health Coordinator
• Help adapt tools and delivery methods in response to feedback from affected populations
• Participate in debriefs, supervision, and peer-learning to support staff wellness and quality assurance​