Consultancy Service Request For Mental Health Awareness and Skill-Based Counseling Intervention Training

Job Description

Natanim Charitable Organization (NCO)

Consultancy Service Request

For Mental Health Awareness and Skill-Based Counseling Intervention Training

1. About Natanim Charitable Organization (NCO)

Natanim Charitable Organization (NCO) is an Ethiopian indigenous civil society organization working in mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), disability inclusion, advocacy, capacity building, research, and community-based interventions. NCO is committed to promoting psychosocial well-being and the rights, dignity, participation, and inclusion of persons with disabilities.

Under the CADiR (Collective Action for Disability Rights) Project, supported by NORAD through Atlas Alliance and Youth Mental Health Norway, NCO is seeking qualified individual consultants, experts, or consulting firms to provide practical training on mental health awareness and skill-based counseling interventions for educational personnel.

The training aims to strengthen the knowledge, confidence, and practical skills of special needs experts and homeroom teachers to recognize common mental health concerns, communicate supportively, respond safely to learners experiencing distress, and refer learners to appropriate services when necessary.

1. General Information

• Assignment Title: Mental Health Awareness and Skill-Based Counseling Intervention Training
• Implementation Locations: Mekelle, Addis Ababa, Dessie, Jimma, Sebeta, and Dire Dawa
• Training Time: End of November 2026 or December 2026, on a scheduled date selected by NCO (the contract provider).
• Consultant Location: Technical consultants are invited locally from the areas/institutions where the trainings will be conducted (e.g., applicants for the Mekelle sessions should ideally be based in or have relevant institutional presence in Mekelle). Financial proposals must account for local participant volumes.
• Number of Consultants: One (1) individual consultant/ consultant firm per location for Addis Ababa, Diredawa, Mekelle, Dessie, Jimma, and Sebeta.
• Type of Consultant: Both firm-level and individual-level consultants are eligible. All necessary government taxes will be deducted at source in any case.
• Contracting Organization: Natanim Charitable Organization (NCO)
• Eligible Applicants: Qualified individual consultants/experts or consulting firms
• Target Participants:

o Addis Ababa: 21 participants

o Dire Dawa: 21 participants

o Mekelle: 21 participants

o Dessie: 21 participants

o Jimma: 21 participants

o Sebeta: 20 participants

• Training Duration: Five consecutive days per session, of ~20–21 trainees each, totaling 5 days per location to cover all participants.
• Posted Date: November 5, 2026
• Application Deadline: November 15, 2026

1. Scope of Work

The selected consultant or consulting firm will be responsible for planning, developing, delivering, assessing, and reporting on the training. The major responsibilities include:

A. Inception and Training Planning

• Conduct an inception meeting with NCO to agree on training objectives, implementation arrangements, participant distribution, and reporting requirements.
• Develop a short inception note and implementation plan demonstrating how the provider will guide participants through manageable training.

B. Training Curriculum and Material Development

Develop a structured and practical training package that includes learning objectives, session plans, facilitator notes, participant handouts, exercises, case scenarios, role-play activities, and pre- and post-training assessment tools package provided to each trainee in soft copy, covering:

The training content should cover the following key areas:

• Mental health and psychosocial well-being.
• Common mental health concerns affecting school-age children and adolescents.
• Recognizing signs of emotional distress, behavioral changes, trauma-related reactions, bullying, and exclusion.
• Foundational supportive counseling skills, including active listening, empathy, open-ended questions, reflection, validation, and non-judgmental communication.
• Basic coping, grounding, calming, and emotional regulation techniques appropriate for school settings.
• Psychological first-line support and safe responses to distress.
• Child safeguarding, confidentiality and its limits, consent/assent, and professional boundaries.
• Recognition and escalation of safety concerns, including suicidal statements, self-harm, abuse, violence, and exploitation.
• Referral and coordination with appropriate school-based, health, mental health, and child protection services.
• Disability-sensitive communication, inclusion, and reasonable communication adaptations.
• Staff well-being, self-care, and school-level action planning.

(Note: The curriculum, detailed two-day agenda, facilitator notes, participant handouts, exercises, and pre- and post-training assessment tools must be submitted to NCO for review and approval before implementation.)

C. Assessment, Documentation, and Reporting

• Conducting pre-training assessments to establish participants' baseline knowledge and confidence.
• Assessing practical skills through role-play, case scenarios, and observation checklists.
• Conducting post-training assessments and comparing results with baseline findings where feasible.
• Maintaining accurate attendance records and collecting participant feedback.
• Preparing a final training report documenting the training delivered, participant attendance, assessment findings, achievements, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations.
• Providing practical recommendations for school-level application, strengthened referral pathways, follow-up coaching, refresher training, and additional capacity-building needs

1. Required Qualifications and Experience

For Individual Consultants / Experts:

• Advanced degree or relevant professional qualification in psychology, counseling psychology, clinical psychology, mental health, social work, special needs education, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience designing and delivering training on mental health awareness, psychosocial support, counseling skills, child and adolescent well-being, psychological first-line support, or related subjects.
• Practical experience working with schools, teachers, children and adolescents, learners with disabilities, or child protection and safeguarding systems is highly desirable.
• Ability to design and facilitate participatory, skills-based training using role-play, demonstrations, case studies, and practical assessments.
• Strong understanding of confidentiality, safeguarding, ethical boundaries, referral practices, and the distinction between basic supportive interventions and clinical services.
• Excellent facilitation, communication, report-writing, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work in English and the relevant local languages, specifically Amharic and/or Afaan Oromo, as required for the proposed participant group, is mandatory.

o Addis Ababa: Amharic proficiency is required

o Dire Dawa: Afaan Oromo or Somali proficiency gives an advantage

o Mekelle: Tigrigna proficiency is necessary

o Dessie: Amharic proficiency is important

o Jimma: Amharic and Afaan Oromo proficiency is important

o Sebeta: Afaan Oromo proficiency is compulsory

For Consulting Firms:

• Valid and renewed business registration and relevant professional authorization or licensing, where applicable under Ethiopian law.
• Demonstrated experience delivering assignments related to mental health, counseling, psychosocial support, education, disability inclusion, or capacity building.
• Availability of qualified trainers with appropriate educational backgrounds and practical experience.
• At least two relevant references or examples of similar assignments, preferably with NGOs, educational institutions, or child-focused programmes.
• Capacity to manage the assignment, develop accessible training materials, protect confidential information, and deliver all outputs within the agreed timeline.
• The language requirement works here for the consultant firms too.

1. Proposal Submission Requirements

Interested applicants must submit a complete application package containing both technical and financial proposals requesting a format from NCO office.

• Cost-Sharing Arrangement: NCO will cover expenses related to trainees, accommodation, and refreshments where applicable. The service provider's financial proposal must only cover training facilitation fees. These arrangements must be specified and agreed upon before training commences.

1. Equal Opportunity and Inclusion

Natanim Charitable Organization is committed to equality, dignity, non-discrimination, and disability inclusion. Qualified applicants are encouraged to demonstrate their commitment to ethical practice and inclusive service delivery throughout their proposals and proposed training approaches.

Qualified individual consultants and consulting firms are invited to request the ToR and application format, then submit their completed packages to the email addresses below.

• Phone Contacts: Fikirte (0945482424)/ Mulu (0993095230) / Tsedeniya (0993252797)
• Email Addresses:

o Fikirte@natanimethiopia.org / fikir74@gmail.com

o Mulu@natnaimethiopia.org / muluyibark@gmail.com

o Tsedenya@natanimethiopia.org / gtsedeniya@gmail.com

Late or incomplete proposals may be excluded in accordance with NCO procurement procedures. NCO reserves the right to request clarifications, reject any or all proposals, or cancel the procurement process in accordance with its applicable policies.

Natanim Charitable Organization (NCO)

Promoting mental health, psychosocial well-being, and disability-inclusive services.