Student Life Counselor

ABOUT ALU

ALU provides higher education for a higher purpose. Our students declare missions, not majors.
They develop the real-world skills to take on the world’s most pressing challenges. And they take ownership of their learning from day one through our peer and student-led approach – because ALU believes in the power and agency of young people to start shaping the future right now.
Together with a world-class faculty and staff, our students are igniting a ripple of positive impact across Africa and the world.

We are dedicated to fostering an open yet secure environment, balancing the safety of students, staff, and visitors with respect for individual rights, and safeguarding responsibilities.

HOW WE WORK

The ALU Team works in starkly different ways to traditional academic bureaucracies. We approach education from first principles, empower individuals to design, test, and implement creative new ideas, and work closely together to craft transformative learning experiences. We are deeply passionate about our students and excited by the challenge of building something entirely new.

The African Leadership University is committed to ensuring the safety and Well-being of all students under our care. As part of this commitment , we have a comprehensive safeguarding policy in place , which outlines our Zero-tolerance approach to any violation of safeguarding.

ABOUT THE TEAM 

The Student Life team is at the heart of our university's vibrant community. We are committed to creating a dynamic and supportive environment that fosters students’ interests within and beyond their mission, an authentic pan-African network, individual student growth, well-being, and opportunities for fun! Our team is dedicated to providing exceptional services and experiences that enrich the lives of our students by leveraging all of Kigali as our campus! We strive to build a strong sense of belonging and empower students to reach their full potential.

ABOUT THE ROLE 

The Counsellor will play a critical role in promoting the health and well-being of ALU students. This role involves providing mental health support services and collaborating with the Student Life team to create a healthy and safe campus environment. The Counsellor will be a compassionate and knowledgeable mental health professional dedicated to supporting our diverse student population's mental health needs.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

Provide Primary Mental Health Services:

• Provide one on one mental health support for students experiencing psychological challenges with the academic, career or personal life.
• Assess and counsel students with various mental health conditions including depression,anxiety,bipolar disorder, substance abuse and others.
• Refer students for psychiatric assessment and intervention when necessary  based on psychological screening tests.
• Provide mental health education on topics such as stress management,time management, drugs and alcohol abuse, wellness practice e.t.c.
• Maintain accurate and confidential counselling records for all student visits.

Wellness Culture Promotion and Education:

• Develop and deliver wellness promotion programs and workshops on topics relevant to student needs.
• Create wellness education materials and resources for distribution to the student body.
• Organize health awareness campaigns and events to promote a culture of wellness on campus for both staff and students.
• Create and document systems and procedures to establish rhythms of work that are scalable for the wellness team
• Manage official communication channels between the team and both external and internal stakeholders.
• Manage content creation and uploading on the wellness website.
• Recruit, train and manage all wellness and diversity interns and volunteers.

Emergency Response:

• Respond to mental health emergencies on campus, providing first aid and coordinating with emergency services as needed.
• Train staff and students on mental health emergency procedures.

Diversity Office Duties:

• Engage organizations for persons with disabilities to establish institution-wide inclusion standards and practices.
• Support students with disabilities, students with refugee status, and Internally Displaced Persons (RDP) and Queer Community for academic success through one-on-one sessions, group sessions, and student association programs.
• Work with the Disciplinary Committee to ensure behaviour change among students who have violated the student code of conduct.
• Create and administer Canvas courses to promote a safe and inclusive student community, for example, the Ethics Awareness Course and, Consent Course.
• Ensure the admission process  SOP for students with disabilities is adhered to, and relevant stakeholders have been engaged in the process.
• Advise and guide the Integrity Board members through cases referred from the Disciplinary Committee.
• Advise and guide the Integrity Board on programs and events that promote peaceful co-existence amongst the student population.
• Ensure students are aware of all relevant student-facing policies by designing and implementing a policy awareness campaign.

Collaboration and Support:

• Collaborate with the Student Life team to address student well-being concerns.
• Provide consultation and support to residential life staff on managing student mental health issues.
• Work with the campus nurse to provide integrated care for students with physical health concerns.

Ensure the safety and well-being of all young persons and vulnerable adults with whom we deal,  by adhering to ALU’s comprehensive safeguarding policy, maintaining a zero-tolerance approach to any violations of safeguarding standards.

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

• Master’s degree or PhD in any field of Psychology from a recognized and reputable higher education institution.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• Registered Counsellor with the appropriate professional body in their home country.
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience providing psychological support, preferably within a school or academic setting.
• Proven experience in designing, developing, and delivering diversity promotion programs.
• Proven experience in designing, developing, and delivering mental health education programs.
• Strong knowledge of current mental health information, evidence-based practices, and emerging trends.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

Functional Skills:

• Counselling Skills: Proficient in assessing and creating a treatment plan for mental health conditions.
• Psycho  Education: Ability to develop and deliver effective mental health education programs and materials.
• Emergency Response: Skilled in responding to mental health emergencies and providing psychological first aid.
• Cultural Sensitive Counselling : Experience working in a multi-cultural counselling setting with individuals from diverse social, economic, cultural, sexual orientation, religion and political backgrounds.
• Record Keeping: Ability to use or develop record keeping tools that will capture accurate data and maintain confidentiality.
  
  

Soft Skills:

• Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to build rapport with students, actively listen, and provide empathetic care.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Sensitivity to the diverse cultural backgrounds of ALU students and ability to provide culturally competent healthcare services.
• Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking: Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills, with the ability to assess situations, make sound judgments, and provide appropriate care.
• Compassion and Empathy: Demonstrated compassion, empathy, and a genuine concern for the well-being of students.