MERCY NZUKI
Psychologist
Nairobi
Summary
- I am a social behavior change communication specialist with a background of counselling psychology, boasting over 5 years' experience in project implementation and management. My expertise revolves around:
- Executing Digital Health programs tailored for Adolescents and Young People.
- Offering technical assistance and capacity building to stakeholders in project implementation using the social behavior change communication approach. I am a skilled psychologist with proven track record working in both private and public sectors. My career highlights include managing diverse projects focusing on health and wellbeing of adolescents and young people. I specialize in providing technical guidance in designing and implementing digital health initiatives. These initiatives adopt a preventive and promotive approach to enhance visibility and increase service uptake in critical areas such as mental health, sexual reproductive health (including menstrual health and hygiene), gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS. I am passionate about human centered design and incorporate this methodology into developing context-specific programs for adolescents and young people. My experience includes direct and indirect management of projects funded by prominent organizations such as UNICEF, USAID and CDC.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
4
4
Languages
Work History
Program Officer - Digital Health, Social Behavior Change Communication
LVCT Health
10.2023 - Current
- Providing strategic leadership in digital health, social behavior change communication for adolescents and young people
- Providing leadership in campaign planning and execution
- Develop and implement a systematic approach to monitor the progress and impact of SBCC interventions
- Notable Achievement: Developed an SBCC strategy for digital health
- Participated in the planning and execution of a national campaign that focus on behavior change communication.
Program Officer - one2one Digital Health
LVCT Health
01.2023 - 09.2023
- Providing strategic leadership in digital health programming for adolescents and young people
- Providing leadership in development of digital health products
- Resource mobilization
- Notable Achievement: Provided leadership in localization of Oky Kenya App which is a menstrual hygiene App
- Presented on digital health ecosystem during AYPs best practice conference which led to securing partnership with USAID4TheChild.
Program Officer - one2one Hotline
LVCT Health
10.2021 - 12.2022
- Programming of one2one hotline that focuses on offering digital health solutions for Adolescents and Young people
- Development of workplans, implementing, monitoring and reporting on continuous quality insurance activities
- Team Management
- Notable Achievements: Providing leadership in content development on sexual reproductive health, mental health, gender-based violence and HIV
- Provided leadership in system migration
- Designed counselling supervision sessions to support the counsellors.
Counselling Psychologist
LVCT Health
08.2018 - 09.2021
- Offering work place counselling and psychotherapy to clients
- Training corporates and institutions on different topics on Mental Health
- Offering tele counselling to clients
- Notable achievements: Develop a standard of operations for mental health in the organization
- Trained Oshwal Senior school staff on Mental Health
- Offered counselling and psychotherapy to clients working with KCB Bank
- Trained adolescents living with HIV on Mental Health
- Conducted presentation on Youth Consultative Forum organized by National Aids Control Council.
Counselling Psychologist
Tanari Trust
09.2013 - 09.2018
- Offered psycho-education to children, adolescents and young people on sexual reproductive health rights
- Counseled clients who had psychological issues
- Notable Achievements: Trained trainers on how to provide psycho-education on sexual reproductive health rights
- Effected and commissioned new unit changes in the utility components.
Counselling Psychologist
Kenyatta National Referral Hospital
10.2017 - 01.2018
- Conducted psychotherapy to patients
- Provided psycho-education to patients and caregivers on various mental health illness
- Debriefed caregivers whose patients had passed away
- Conducted psychological assessment tests to patients and come up with the right diagnosis as far as their mental health was concerned
- Notable achievements: Conducted psychotherapy to a patient who was going through depression until he was able to come out of it
- Helped an adolescent boy to stop taking drugs through the therapy sessions we had
- The mother reported there was evident change in behavior
- Came up with the right diagnosis of mental health for the patients assigned to me.
Adolescent and Young People Program Intern
National Aids Control Council
06.2017 - 10.2017
- Report writing and minute taking for various high-level engagements
- Provided support in dissemination of information of HIV prevention, sex and sexuality to various stakeholders especially teenagers and young adults
- Provided support in review of some of the policy documents for HIV prevention
- Notable achievements: Provided psycho-education on sexuality and HIV as well as disseminated frequently asked questions (FAQ) to 300 adolescents at St
- Georges Girls High school
- Participated in 2bonge show which was aired on citizen television, as one of the panelists who helped in creating awareness on sexual reproductive health rights to adolescents and young adults
- Psycho-educated a deaf lady by use of sign language, on sexual reproductive health and rights.
Education
Masters in Counselling Psychology -
Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies - undefined
Higher Diploma in Counselling Psychology - undefined
Diploma in Community Development& Social Work - undefined
Skills
Proposal Writing
Shortonlinecourses
- Applying Human Centered Design to improve nutrition programming (2024)
- Measuring social behavior change program or campaign exposure (2024)
- Social and Gender norms as part of social behavior change (2024)
- CIPIT'S Data Protection Course (2024)
- Measuring Provider Behavior Change (2024)
- Introduction to Behavioral Economics (2024)
- Social Behavior Change for Sexual and Reproductive Health Service Delivery (2024)
- Understanding Violence against women and girls (2023)
- Fundamentals of Digital Marketing (2020)
Professionalexperience
Championed development of content based on intervention mapping approach., Provided leadership in adoption of mental health tools to be utilized in online screening for mental health disorders., Started counselling supervision as one of the care for the carers package., Provided abstract training and mentorship to youth advisory champions for health in Mombasa and one2one hotline staff members (2023)., Provided technical advice to technical teams supported by USAID Stawisha, CDC Vukisha on how to leverage on one2one digital ecosystem to improve uptake of health service among the beneficiaries (2022)., Provided capacity building of staff members on Knowledge management including importance of documentation. Also, utilization of SharePoint as digital repository tool (2021)., The use of digital health to offer gender-based violence and mental health information and support to vulnerable young people in Kenya (GBV Prevention and Response Scientific Conference, 2022)., I engaged in unprotected sex with my partner and I am afraid of getting pregnant or contracting HIV; A helpline support system for adolescents and young people in Kenya (HIV & Adolescents Conference,2020)., I am feeling depressed because I just found out I am HIV positive; A hotline support system for adolescents and young people living with HIV in Kenya (INTEREST Conference, 2020)., I feel depressed and tired of life; Online support systems for adolescent and young people going through depression in Kenya; A case of one2one integrated digital platform (Mental Health Conference, 2019).
References
- Dr. Celestine Mugambi, Head of Technical Support Division, National Syndemic Disease Control Council, 0722246544, cmugambi@nsdcc.go.ke
- Margaret Wairumbi, Training Coordinator, LVCT Health, 0701686946, Wairumbimeg@gmail.com
- Susan Mwawuda, Executive Director, Cospiani Limited, 0713108742, suzzymwes@gmail.com
Timeline
Program Officer - Digital Health, Social Behavior Change Communication - LVCT Health
10.2023 - Current
Program Officer - one2one Digital Health - LVCT Health
01.2023 - 09.2023
Program Officer - one2one Hotline - LVCT Health
10.2021 - 12.2022
Counselling Psychologist - LVCT Health
08.2018 - 09.2021
Counselling Psychologist - Kenyatta National Referral Hospital
10.2017 - 01.2018
Adolescent and Young People Program Intern - National Aids Control Council
06.2017 - 10.2017
Counselling Psychologist - Tanari Trust
09.2013 - 09.2018
Daystar University - Masters in Counselling Psychology,
Mount Kenya University - Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies,
KAPC - Higher Diploma in Counselling Psychology,
Mount Kenya University - Diploma in Community Development& Social Work,
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