This is a legal service offered by psychological counselors trained and accredited as mediators.
Access to Mediators through the referral center – Share with a Counsellor mobile phone App provides access to the listed mediators at the referral & the linkage service center for public access. This is a legal service offered by psychological counselors trained and accredited as mediators. The Mobile Phone Application will allow Individuals, Agencies, Institutions, and Organizations providing such services to list them on the Agency making them visible in the App.
Mediation is a structured, interactive process where an impartial third party assists disputing parties, in resolving conflict through the use of specialized communication and negotiation techniques. All participants in mediation are encouraged to actively participate in the process. Mediation is a "party-centered" process in that; it is focused primarily upon the needs, rights, and interests of the parties, (Wikipedia).
A mediator – This is a person who facilitates communication between the parties and helps the mediation participants to reach a mutually satisfactory solution. The mediator is neither a judge nor an arbitrator; his/her role is not to decide the dispute that has arisen out between the parties. He/she must remain neutral and impartial (mediacja website).
Major Consideration- Professionals meeting the following criterion will be given priority consideration: accredited by professional bodies, Trained on Tele-Counselling and available for part-time remote engagement. Counsellors receiving supervision services in the Agency will be given preference because they have interacted with the platform and have some understanding of its interactions. Counsellors with a private practice, especially physical office/ operation space will be an advantage; when clients need/ prefer physical interaction. They will also provide services to clients that need therapy for Child Therapy, Family / Couple Counselling and Mediation; which are best offered on physical space.
Gender and Disability mainstreaming- Counsellors with disability challenges (paraplegic) are encouraged to join the agency. The Agency is an equal employer and therefore counsellors from all cultural backgrounds, professional; gender and religion is encouraged to be part of the Share with a Counsellor Family.
Culture Diversity- This is best appreciated in vernacular counselling, which will be offered to clients are not able to communicate in English or Kiswahili. The agency will offer vernacular counselling for folks who could not access mental wellness services before, because of barriers attributed to language. The counsellor will be requested to provide this sensitive information during a job application (Native language proficiency). Counsellors that are able to speak in their native language will be linked to the vernacular counselling list, which increased scope of clientele; however, this is not a consideration for recruitment.
Available to on-duty training- Share with a Counsellor will conduct training on Tele-Counselling, Customer Care, and the Operating Systems before the commencement of service provision for contracted counsellors. Professionals interested in joining the Agency team should be willing and available for capacity building and on the job training all of which will be done virtually.
Available to on-duty training- Share with a Counsellor will conduct training on Tele-Counselling, Customer Care, and the Operating Systems before the commencement of service provision for contracted counsellors. Professionals interested in joining the Agency team should be willing and available for capacity building and on the job training all of which will be done virtually.
Terms of Contract- The terms of service /contract to provide services on the platform will be signed on an annual basis, and therefore it is important for counsellors to note; as professionals serving at the agency they are not employees at any capacity full time or part-time, but partners bound by a contractual agreement to provide services at a fee on the platform. This arrangement provides an opportunity for individual counsellors or agencies (private practice) to drive clientele traffic to their practices, through the Share with a Counsellor Mobile Phone Application. This gives counsellor’s serving in other organizations/ institutions/ agencies, an opportunity to make some extra income before and after duty hours. The work schedules are self-directed and flexible, not to hinder normal life; therefore professionals whose efforts went unnoticed while providing pro bono services, or poorly compensated for many years; can make a meaningful living on a part-time basis.
Additional benefits – Share with a Counsellor Agency intends to make the counselling profession as an exciting and rewarding career like other professions, with the 'Care of the healer' given priority. This will be done through:
- Review meeting- All Counsellors contracted to offer services at the Share with a Counsellor Agency will participate in free the in-house virtual review and reflective meetings. Identified information gaps will be addressed through free brief seminars, while some meetings will be used as capacity building forums for the team, internally or externally facilitated.
- Professional Development - the Agency intends to foster counsellor’s professional development, through all the services offered under counselling and supervision. The counsellor is a great resource and will be treated so, however, it is upon the individual counsellors to embrace the available services.
- Capacity building - Share with a Counsellor Agency will advocate, promote, and support counsellors making effort to increase their knowledge base and skills thought any form of capacity building ventures. Presenting opportunities will be shared openly. The agency is not a training institute but has the liberty to collaborate with other accredited training centers to offer training services.
- Resource provision - All counsellors subscribed in the Agency will have access to e-learning materials shared through their emails. Another creative way of motivating lifelong learning for professional will be communicated periodically.
