About Aasraa
Aasraa has been working with the most vulnerable children of society in Dehradun, Uttarakhand since 2009. These children come from diverse backgrounds; street children, orphans, abandoned, abused, special needs, single parent families, migrant laborers, daily wage laborers, and financially weaker sections of society, etc. Started with 35 Children Aasraa has impacted over 28,000 children in 16 years.
Aasraa has created a successful model, comprising different programs and approaches to address the specific needs of these children. It is called the ‘Street to School to Skills’ model. We aim to bring these children into the fold of education and skills training and empower them for a better future.
The Aasraa model starts with the ‘Community Outreach’ program identifying out-of-school children from streets, river bed communities, and mainly urban lower-income slums, including children who are begging, rag picking, and hawking.
We bring them into the education stream through the innovative ‘Street Smart’ Program (Mobile Education Carts, Audio-visual Mobile Learning Centers (Buses), and non-formal Learning Centers) in the community to build trust and further prepare them for formal schooling via Government schools and Open Basic Education program of National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).
The ‘School Quality Enhancement Program (SQEP)’, works with the Uttarakhand Education Department in 18 Government schools to increase enrolment through Street Smart programs, infrastructure development, capacity building, and TLM, including pre-school, primary, upper primary, and secondary schools. We are also running a Girls Education Program (Titan Kanya+) in Udham Singh Nagar.
Children who are too old to be enrolled in regular school are mainstreamed through the ‘Open Basic Education’ program of NIOS.
As these children are first-generation learners, additional academic support is also provided through an after-school remedial program- ‘Wings’, that offers tutorials and homework support to fill their learning gaps.
Dedicated ‘Shelter Homes’ for boys and girls have been established to support children in need of care, protection, and an opportunity to thrive.
Aasraa has a Centralized Kitchen, which provides almost 2000 nutritious meals every day to the children in our shelter homes and at the projects that are not covered under the Mid-day-meal scheme of the government.
‘Higher Education and Skills Training’ programs are the final piece of the puzzle in the Street to School to Skills model, allowing children to obtain degrees and certifications, making a stronger, more inclusive India where marginalized children have a seat at the table. Our dedicated life skills and placement teams work together with the children to make them independent and self-reliant.
Aasraa's holistic approach to child intervention includes nutrition, medical attention, and thermal clothing in freezing winters; no child can learn when hungry, sick, or cold.
Aasraa currently works with over 11,000 children in Dehradun, Udham Singh Nagar & Pauri Garhwal districts of Uttarakhand. Over 70% of our beneficiaries are girls.
Job Description: Mental Health Counsellor
Purpose of the Job: To promote the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of children and adolescents associated with Aasraa by providing counselling support, mental health interventions, crisis management, awareness generation, and stakeholder engagement, ensuring a safe and nurturing environment for every child.
Objective of the role: The Mental Health Counsellor will identify children requiring psychosocial support, provide individual and group counselling interventions, engage with families and communities, manage crisis situations, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to ensure holistic care and improved mental well-being outcomes for children.
Timings: 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Reporting to: Counsellor
Location of the role: Dehradun, Uttarakhand
Key Responsibility
- Identification of students in need of counselling along with Project Leaders, Teachers and other stakeholders and making treatment plan
- Provide individual sessions to identified students dealing with Academic, Behavioural, Emotional and other related concerns.
- Planning and conducting Group Sessions with children on life-skills topics like stress management, emotional regulation, Conflict resolution etc
- Conducting sessions with parents when required to gather information regarding students, their family dynamics. Also providing parental guidance to them.
- Visiting Community to identify students in need of counselling and generate awareness about mental health.
- Handling Crisis situations like loss of family members, violence, self-harm etc and create a safety plan for the student
- Maintaining child counselling register, documents and reports related to work
- Coordinating with other teams to provide holistic care to the student and support them in their wellbeing
Please note: Additional duties and responsibilities may arise based on the evolving needs and requirements of the Trust. The role may require flexibility and a proactive approach to support program objectives and organizational priorities as needed.
Education and Experience requirements:
Education Qualifications
- Master's Degree in Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Clinical Psychology, or a related field
Core experience
- 1–2 years of experience as a Counsellor in an NGO, educational institution, community program, or related setting. Freshers with relevant internships, field placements, or volunteer experience in counselling may also apply
Preferable Knowledge
- Child Psychology, Child Development, Trauma-Informed Care, Child Protection, Behaviour Management, Family Systems, Ability to facilitate group sessions and life skills workshops and Mental Health Interventions
Competencies Required
Technical competencies:
- Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
- Strong understanding of counselling theories and practices.
- Knowledge of child and adolescent mental health.
- Understanding of trauma-informed approaches.
- Case assessment and treatment planning skills.
Behavioral Competencies:
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
- Patience, empathy and sensitivity while working with underprivileged youth.
- Ability to coordinate with multiple stakeholders including students, parents, volunteers and team members.
- Professional ethics and confidentiality.
- Cultural sensitivity and adaptability.
- Commitment to child rights and child welfare.
Pay: ₹20,000.00 - ₹25,000.00 per month
Work Location: In person
