Terms of Reference Consulting Psychologist (Individual Consultant)

Terms of Reference Consulting Psychologist (Individual Consultant)

South Africa

Who We Are

Girl Effect is an international non-profit that builds media that girls want, trust and need. From chatbots to chat shows, TV dramas to tech, our content helps adolescent girls in Africa and Asia make choices and changes in their lives. We create safe spaces for girls, sharing facts and answering questions about health, nutrition, education, and relationships, empowering girls with the skills to negotiate and redefine what they are told is possible “for a girl”.

Our reach is 50 million and counting, and we use technology to reach girls at scale so every girl can choose to be in control of her body, health, learning and livelihood. Because when a girl unlocks her power to make different choices that change her life, it inspires others to do so too. She starts a ripple effect that impacts her family, community, and country. That’s the Girl Effect.

Jik’izinto is a youth-focused program designed to inspire and equip young South Africans to make positive life choices in sexual and reproductive health (SRH), mental well-being (MWB), and economic empowerment (EE). The program’s objective is to increase access to health services and create long-term positive impacts on young people's lives. It utilises online and offline platforms, including the Big Sis chatbot, to promote SRH practices, normalise mental health conversations, and provide information about employment opportunities. We aim to further expand on the integration of mental health literacy and well-being—an emphasis introduced in 2022—alongside SRH.

Therefore, we are looking for an experienced psychologist to help develop, vet and streamline our content on the subject to ensure that our information is accurate and grounded in medical reality.

What You’ll Do

• Enhance knowledge of young women and girls on mental health and its link with sexual and reproductive health, including HIV, physical health, and overall well-being.
• Help curate practical daily coping mechanisms that girls can use to overcome common stressors, which are easily accessible for young girls in the English/Zulu/Setswana/Afrikaans-speaking belt in South Africa.
• Support Girl Effect in developing appropriate and sensitive content around:
• Validating concerns about accessing mental health support and building resilience.
• Benefits of equipping oneself with mental health information and treatment expectations.
• Reviewing, vetting, and guiding Girl Effect’s content creation process on mental health literacy and wellbeing concerns to ensure appropriateness and sensitivity to user needs.

Expected Commitment

This will be a part-time consultancy contract for an initial period of three months, subject to renewal based on future needs. The consultant is expected to commit a minimum of 9 hours a month (i.e. 3 hours per week), which can vary depending on our budget and your fee requirement.

Location

The consultant will be based in South Africa and must be conducive to working with teams in the UK, Sub-Saharan Africa, and India.

Who You Are

Skills Experience and Expertise:

• Advanced degree in clinical psychology or psychiatry with a clinical license to provide psychological counselling and/or psychotherapy.
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in group and individual therapy with children, adolescents, and/or young people, especially from vulnerable, marginalised, low-income communities.
• Additional certification or training in relevant fields, including child psychology, stress management, cognitive behaviour therapy, etc., is desirable.
• Experience in developing, adapting and designing content for different audiences, especially those not well-versed in medical/technical literature.
• Familiarity with addressing mental health concerns in the digital world (including use of the internet, social media, and cyberbullying).
• Good understanding of gender-specific issues affecting adolescent girls and how mental health interventions can contribute to girls’ empowerment.
• Effective communicator and writer in English and at least two additional South African languages (Zulu, Setswana, Afrikaans) with the ability to simplify complex concepts as per the needs of girls and young women.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and experience working in a multicultural team across multiple countries. Sensitivity to cultural differences is essential.
• Ability to be flexible within a fast-paced, changing environment.
• Commitment to realising the potential of girls and to the vision and values of Girl Effect.

Proposal Submission

Interested consultants are asked to submit the following to support their candidature (Max 5-10 pages):

• Your understanding of the brief and why you feel you are well-placed to advise us on this.
• CV with a cover letter.
• Copies of your publications or reports to support your proposal.
• Reference: Provide at least three references for similar contracts with a description of the service provided, the value of the contract, and the contract periods of performance.
• Breakdown of Costs: Consultant should provide their daily or hourly billing rate or their proposed fixed fee in ZAR for the requested deliverables.
• All applicable taxes should be quoted separately.

In their proposal, the bidder must demonstrate an understanding of the requirements described in the TOR and how they will meet the evaluation criteria.

Evaluation Criteria

The criteria against which proposals will be evaluated are listed below:

• Interpretation and understanding of this TOR - 10%
• Staff with relevant experience as demonstrated by their CV - 25%
• Geographical experience in South Africa - 5%
• Demonstrated technical knowledge in the field of clinical psychology or counselling - 20%
• Evidence of a minimum of three contactable references - 10%
• Value for money/proposed budget breakdown - 30%

How to Apply

Please submit proposals, as described above, to suppliers@girleffect.org by 15 March 2025. Please clearly mark your email with the subject ‘Consulting Psychologist - South Africa’.

Disclaimer

Girl Effect reserves the right to determine the structure of the process, number of short-listed participants, and to withdraw from the proposal process at any time without notice. All submitted documentation shall become and remain the property of Girl Effect.

Safeguarding

You may be required to undertake safeguarding checks. Shortlisted consultants will be assessed on our organizational values at the interview stage. The successful consultant will be expected to adhere to our safeguarding policy. We have zero tolerance for all forms of violence against children, beneficiaries, and staff.

Girl Effect is committed to equal opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression.