Professional Counsellor x2 Right to Care Zambia

ABOUT US
Right to Care is at the vanguard in supporting and delivering prevention, care, and treatment services for HIV and associated diseases. We work with government and communities to find pioneering solutions to build and strengthening public healthcare.

We embrace a strong entrepreneurial culture and focuses on innovation and the use of technology to enhance services, address skills shortages, and deliver quality healthcare outcomes. Our areas of expertise include HIV and TB care and treatment, pharmacy automation, medical male circumcision, and cervical cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Right to Care Zambia has been awarded a five (5) year project funded by the USAID through the PEPFAR mechanism. The USAID – Action HIV project aims to reduce HIV mortality, morbidity and transmission by achieving the UNAIDS and PEPFAR goal of 95/95/95 HIV treatment coverage by providing comprehensive HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment maintenance services in Luapula, Northern and Muchinga provinces of Zambia. The USAID Action HIV project will work closely with and in support of the Ministry of Health.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Minimum Required Qualifications and Experience:

• Grade 12 Certificate
• Diploma in Psychosocial Counselling or Diploma in Social Science, Basic counselling or HIV/AIDS training and project management.
• 3 years’ experience in counselling supervision

Desirable Qualifications and Experience: 

• Degree in Project Management/Public Health/communication
• Basic HIVAIDS training
• 5 years’ experience in counselling supervision

TECHNICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES

• Confidence & Self Control
• Good counselling skills
• Planning and Organizing
• Professionalism
• Ability to work Under pressure
• Results focused
• Personal management skills
• HTS linkage Viral Load HVST

KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS

• Planning the management of clients on the Tx_Curr and Tx_New
• Identifying problems and setting priorities with the patient pertaining to appointments
• Sharing and distribution of IEC materials both at facility and community on the importance of adherence to treatment
• Evaluate the quality of adherence counselling for the purpose of retention.
• Provide technical support to Peer educators and CBHSP on Linkage and Retention of clients on ART
• Ensure that all clients tested HIV positive at community sites are referred and linked to the facility for treatment initiation
• Effective Counselling of clients in a professional and non-judgmental manner
• Risk Assessment and IPV Screening
• Assist clients in making informed decisions about their health
• Reassuring clients about confidentiality during Pre-and Post-Counselling.
• To provide ongoing appropriate, supportive counselling to HIV, ART, and TB patients, with appropriate referral to other supportive services
• Detect and report barriers to adherence.
• To provide education and information on Retention, HIV / STI / TB and ART related issues in the community.
• Provide Health Education to clients on HIV, ARVs, Adherence to ART, & Viral Load
• Ensuring that all lists of clients pending appointments in the month under review are availed for tracking
• Calling and visiting clients prior to their appointments and ensuring that barriers identified in appointments attendance are explored and addressed with the client
• .Appropriate and extensive planning tracking of early and missed appointments
• Draft workplans on retention
• Ensuring all documentation of client is up to date through weekly and daily checks of registers and tools.
• Adequate monitoring of clients picking drugs on scheduled dates and plan for serial defaulters for the purpose of compliance
• Prepare weekly and monthly retention reports and share with Technical Leads on the progress of retention
• Conducting Weekly and Monthly verification for all clients linked into care and MISAP/IIT reconnected into care.
• Improve bi-directional referral systems between the community and facility-based services
• Support community-based HIV services Providers for establishment of new PLHIVs supportive groups and managing them
• Updating the Client Locator Manual and electronic tracker
• Updating the Appointment Management Tracker tools both manually and electronically
• Updating the early and late missed appointment manual and electronic tracker
• Communicate the statistics to the Line manager by the 25th of each month.
• Compile and store regular reports relating to RTC – supported HIV service as required by RTC management (MMR, HTS Statistical Report, PC Weekly Report).
• Prepare HIV Linkage and Retention daily, weekly and monthly reports and submit to the Hub HTS Coordinator M&E Officer.