About Aha

This manual is designed to guide teachers as para-counselors in addressing low self-esteem among primary school girls in Wolaita Zone, SNNPR, Ethiopia an issue linked to poor academic performance and limited social development in 2018. A study by Link Community Development Ethiopia (LCDE) identified low self-esteem as a major psychological barrier affecting girls’ education outcomes. The manual promotes the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a proven approach for helping individuals recognize and reframe negative thought patterns that lead to emotional distress and maladaptive behaviors.

The manual introduces key counseling concepts, skills, and step-by-step CBT strategies tailored for both individual and group counseling sessions. It emphasizes the importance of altering irrational core beliefs formed in early childhood, which can trigger negative automatic thoughts and self-defeating behaviors. Para-counselors are trained to challenge these beliefs and support girls in building positive self-perceptions.

Additionally, the manual incorporates parental involvement, equipping parents with skills to communicate effectively and empower their daughters. Overall, the goal is to boost the girls’ self-esteem, enabling better academic performance and social integration.

This Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) facilitator’s guide is developed to support primary school girls with low self-esteem, who often feel inferior, undervalue their achievements, and struggle academically and socially in 2018. The intervention is part of Aha Psychological Services' initiative, implemented in LCDE intervention schools, aiming to build self-worth through structured group counseling sessions.

The guide is based on behavioral principles, with goals to:

• Disrupt negative patterns of self-devaluation,
• Promote self-enhancing thoughts and behaviors, and
• Raise awareness about the emotional and academic impact of negative self-talk.

Facilitated by trained teachers acting as para-counselors, the program involves 5–6 weekly group sessions for 6–10 girls, using interactive tools like worksheets, activities, and home assignments. The approach emphasizes creating a safe, comfortable space, encourages parental involvement, and includes a follow-up session for sustainability and evaluation. While designed to be cost-effective, the guide aligns closely with cognitive behavioral techniques and complements individual counseling and parental training efforts.

The Parenting without Violence (PwV) programme designed in 2020 together with Save the Children equips parents, caregivers, and children with essential knowledge, attitudes, and skills to create safe, nurturing, and non-violent family environments. Built on a socio-ecological framework, PwV recognizes that a healthy, empowered, and self-confident generation begins at home with supportive parenting practices. Through 14 structured sessions delivered over approximately 12 weeks, PwV fosters respectful relationships and promotes child rights, emotional warmth, communication, and positive discipline.
This contextualized manual, adapted using formative assessments in various regions of Ethiopia, guides trained community facilitators and mentors in working with mothers, fathers, and caregivers of children under 18. The sessions explore child development, gender norms, non-violent discipline, and emotional support. The manual also emphasizes the shared responsibility among parents, facilitators, community mentors, and local government to strengthen child protection systems and shift harmful norms.
PwV is designed for flexibility and inclusivity, encouraging communities to define their session schedules and select facilitators who reflect their cultural values and diversity. By raising awareness and promoting positive parenting practices, PwV aims to end physical and psychological punishment, ensuring all children grow up in environments that support their rights, dignity, and full potential.

This Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Facilitator’s Handbook, is designed to support displaced, returnee, and migrant children (ages 10–17) in building emotional resilience and social skills amid adversity. Informed by formative assessments across Oromia, Somali, and SNNPR regions in 2020, and translated into local languages, the handbook uses age-appropriate, culturally adapted group sessions to help children understand themselves, relate to others, and manage stress.

The sessions cover nine core areas:

Getting to Know One Another: Builds trust, encourages physical activity, sets shared expectations, and fosters mutual respect.

Our Community / Our Support System: Helps children explore their social networks, understand local challenges, and recognize support systems and rights.

My Life: Promotes self-awareness, personal values, emotional expression, and understanding of body boundaries and protection.

Managing Self: Teaches stress management, emotional regulation, delayed gratification, and psychological coping strategies.

Social Awareness: Explores gender norms, stereotypes, and the value of friendships and social roles.

Relationship Management: Encourages empathy, healthy relationships, trust-building, and awareness of abuse and protective mechanisms.

Effective Communication: Develops skills in assertive communication, emotional expression, active listening, and non-verbal cues.

Problem Solving and Decision Making: Equips children with structured strategies for identifying and resolving personal and social problems.

My Future: Inspires goal setting and helps children visualize their dreams, building motivation for long-term development.

The handbook is a practical tool for trained community facilitators, social workers, counselors, and child protection professionals, supporting their work in guiding vulnerable children toward psychological well-being, confidence, and safe social integration.

The Youth Resilience Programme is a psychosocial support initiative developed for refugee, returnee, and migrant youth aged 14–20 in 2020. It is designed to build resilience, promote life skills, and support positive coping mechanisms in young people who face adversity. The programme also actively involves parents and caregivers, recognizing their key role in supporting youth well-being and development.

The programme consists of a Resource Kit with three key manuals:

Theory and Programmatic Guide: Outlines key resilience concepts and provides implementation strategies, including participatory workshop design and sustainability planning.

Facilitator’s Handbook: Life Skills Workshops for Youth: Offers structured guidance on 8 thematic life skills areas, plus 4 introductory and 2 closing workshops. These cover topics such as self-awareness, social skills, goal setting, conflict resolution, and emotional management.

Facilitator’s Handbook: Parents and Caregivers Meetings: Contains 7 structured sessions to inform and engage adults in supporting youth well-being and protection.

Workshops aim to help youth:

• Resume normal routines.
• Strengthen personal and social skills.
• Improve self-confidence and communication.
• Make safe, informed decisions.
• Build trust, seek help, and resolve conflicts non-violently.

This manual introduces key concepts of vocational guidance and counseling in TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) settings, emphasizing its significance in helping trainees make informed career decisions and manage personal challenges. It outlines how counseling supervision differs from educational supervision by focusing on client welfare, professional development, and counselor support. Counseling supervision serves three primary functions: educational (skill-building and case guidance), supportive (emotional support and stress management), and managerial (ensuring quality and accountability).

This counseling supervision manual is designed to strengthen the support and effectiveness of Vocational Guidance and Counseling (VGC) officers in TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) colleges designed in 2021. 

Unit One introduces the concepts of counseling, vocational guidance, and counseling supervision, emphasizing the need for structured, reflective support to help VGC officers address client issues and maintain professional growth. It distinguishes counseling supervision from general educational supervision through its educational, supportive, and managerial roles. 

Unit Two highlights the importance of self-awareness for supervisors, including an understanding of personal biases, self-image, self-esteem, and the ideal self, to ensure empathetic and unbiased supervision.

Unit Three presents various forms of supervision individual, group, peer, and team relevant to the TVET context, along with different modes of supervision that guide focus during sessions. 

Unit Four introduces practical techniques and skills for effective supervision, such as managing group dynamics and applying counseling supervision methods in real settings.  

Unit Five focuses on ethics in counseling supervision, outlining the professional codes of conduct and offering strategies to resolve ethical dilemmas when supervising VGC officers. Altogether, the manual aims to create competent, ethical, and supportive supervisory practices to enhance the overall quality of counseling services in TVET institutions.

The MESMER project, launched in October 2022, is a five-year initiative aimed at supporting 72,200 MSMEs and 410,800 jobs across conflict-affected regions in Ethiopia. Implemented by First Consult in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation under the Young Africa Works strategy, the project includes a Psycho social Support (PSS) intervention developed and delivered in collaboration with Aha Psychological Services.

This SOP provides detailed operational guidance for PSS providers and supervisors to ensure the effective delivery of group counseling services to MSME members. It outlines responsibilities, session protocols, and group counseling norms to create a structured, safe, and supportive environment for participants.

Objectives

• Understand and address trauma reactions caused by conflict and adversity.
• Apply Psychological First Aid (PFA) and coping techniques to support recovery.
• Facilitate trauma-informed group counseling sessions to promote healing.
• Guide MSME members in goal setting and future planning.
• Implement supervision and monitoring practices for quality service delivery.

This training manual is developed to address the high youth unemployment challenge by helping young people build a growth mindset for job searching, entrepreneurship, and job-readiness in partnership with First consult in 2022.

In Ethiopia, many youth face internal and external barriers such as poor job-search skills, fixed mindsets, and low confidence which prevent them from securing or creating employment. Studies show that while many youth are motivated, only a small percentage actively search for jobs or believe in their capabilities, highlighting the need for targeted mindset training.

The manual includes three modules with practical, self-guided activities like worksheets, case studies, and exercises. These activities are designed to help youth recognize and shift negative beliefs and behaviors, develop resilience, and improve their readiness for the labor market. The first module focuses on developing a job search mindset, helping youth set goals, value job-seeking efforts, and practice positive behaviors essential for success.

This manual is intended for unemployed youth aged 15–29, especially new graduates, but can benefit anyone striving for employment or entrepreneurship. It is structured for both individual and group use and can be facilitated with or without expert support.

This Group Counselling Guide is designed to support individuals affected by adversity such as war and displacement in Ethiopia, Tigray regional state through a structured, four-module process in 2023. The guide helps participants address psychological challenges like trauma, anxiety, and grief, while also building emotional resilience and life-planning skills.

Module One focuses on creating a safe and supportive environment and helping participants understand their emotional reactions. It includes self-assessments for PTSD and depression and introduces the group process and norms.
Module Two targets emotional regulation, with sessions addressing body tension, anxiety, and inactivity or avoidance behaviors. It uses relaxation exercises, thought coping, and behavioral activation to reduce symptoms.
Module Three centers on coping with adversity, particularly life changes and grief due to loss. Participants explore life resources and use trauma-processing tools like the flash technique to foster healing.
Module Four helps participants shape their future through goal-setting, self-care planning, and resource mapping. It strengthens problem-solving skills, affirms personal strengths, and supports long-term recovery and growth.

Overall, the guide empowers individuals to process trauma, rebuild their lives, and move toward a hopeful future.

This parenting program consists of five structured modules designed in 2023 to support parents and caregivers of adolescents, especially in crisis-affected contexts in Tigray regional zones. It aims to enhance positive parenting, adolescent wellbeing, and protection, using participatory methods and culturally adapted content.

Module 1: Being a Parent focuses on building a safe group environment, setting personal parenting goals, and teaching stress management and self-care. Participants reflect on their parenting role and learn relaxation techniques to manage daily challenges.

Module 2: Adolescent Development helps parents understand puberty-related changes, and how crisis situations impact adolescents' well being. It emphasizes supportive parenting through listening, praise, and spending quality time, while addressing harmful gender norms.

Module 3: Positive Parenting builds skills in peaceful problem-solving and promoting helpful adolescent roles. Parents learn to create agreements and consequences with their children and explore how gender and age-related expectations may affect adolescents' development.

Module 4: Adolescent Health and Protection covers sexual and reproductive health (SRH), violence prevention, and early marriage. It helps parents feel confident discussing SRH, identifying protection risks, and advocating for safe, healthy alternatives to harmful practices.

Module 5: Focuses on reflecting on personal growth, celebrating progress, and building a positive outlook. It concludes with a celebratory session where families may gather to acknowledge achievements and strengthen community ties.

Throughout the program, session evaluations ensure adaptability and relevance, and para-counselors (trained teachers) lead discussions using interactive activities, worksheets, and culturally sensitive facilitation techniques.

This life skills programme for adolescents is designed to build knowledge, confidence, and resilience in crisis-affected settings in Tigray regional state in 2023. It is structured into six interactive modules that support adolescents in navigating their changing lives, building positive relationships, protecting themselves, and planning for the future.

Module 1: Ourselves and Our Community: Community helps adolescents build trust, set personal goals, and identify their support networks and local services, creating a safe and inclusive environment to share and learn.

Module 2: Feelings and Wellbeing: focuses on emotional literacy and stress management. Adolescents learn to recognize and express their feelings positively and explore healthy ways to cope with emotional stress.

Module 3: Relationships it teaches adolescents about friendships, communication with adults, and safe, healthy relationships. They learn to navigate peer pressure, manage conflicts, and understand consent and personal boundaries.

Module 4: Sexual and Reproductive Health: it covers essential topics like puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, contraception, and STIs. Information is shared in age-appropriate, culturally sensitive ways to promote health and reduce stigma.

Module 5: Safety and Protection: it addresses different forms of violence and exploitation. Adolescents learn how to recognise risks, seek help, and create personal safety plans.

Module 6: Our Future: it encourages adolescents to reflect on their aspirations, understand the harmful impacts of child, early and forced marriage, and develop a positive outlook on their future.

Each session is followed by a group evaluation to ensure relevance and improve facilitation. The programme concludes with a community celebration with parents and adolescents, reinforcing shared learning and achievement.

This guide is developed to provide guidance, systemic responses, and integration of MHPSS in teacher education programme and institutions in 2023. Armed conflicts, natural disasters, and pandemics like COVID-19 have severely impacted the psychosocial well being of school communities, especially teachers and education leaders. These professionals are key to supporting learners but often face burnout, stress, and fear, lack of support or decision-making power and severe mental health issues, including suicide risk. Despite these realities, teacher psycho-social needs are largely overlooked in education systems. 

The guide was created in response to the urgent need to: 

• Improve teacher well-being in crisis-affected contexts
• Strengthen resilience and MHPSS capacities of teachers and teacher educators
• Mainstream MHPSS into national education systems
• Document and share effective practices across African countries

Objectives of the Training Guide

• To equip teachers, teacher educators, and education leaders to:
• Understand psychosocial issues affecting teachers in emergencies.
• Apply evidence-based MHPSS principles and practices.
• Promote mental health and well-being within schools.
• Use prevention and coping mechanisms for stress and trauma.
• Mobilize community resources and ensure gender responsiveness.
• Integrate MHPSS into the education system and policies.
• Monitor, assess, and strengthen referral systems for specialized support.

Target Groups, Primary users: Teacher educators, school leaders, educational managers, and teacher union leaders, Secondary users: Expert teachers trained as peer supporters, school-based counselors, or gender focal person, This regional guide is a timely, evidence-based resource to help African education systems build resilient teaching work forces by addressing their mental health and psychosocial needs. It fosters sustainable integration of MHPSS into teacher support structures, promotes inclusive education environments, and ensures that no teacher is left behind in the face of adversity.

This manual is designed to guide teachers as para-counselors in addressing low self-esteem among primary school girls in Wolaita Zone, SNNPR, Ethiopia an issue linked to poor academic performance and limited social development in 2018. A study by Link Community Development Ethiopia (LCDE) identified low self-esteem as a major psychological barrier affecting girls’ education outcomes. The manual promotes the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a proven approach for helping individuals recognize and reframe negative thought patterns that lead to emotional distress and maladaptive behaviors.

The manual introduces key counseling concepts, skills, and step-by-step CBT strategies tailored for both individual and group counseling sessions. It emphasizes the importance of altering irrational core beliefs formed in early childhood, which can trigger negative automatic thoughts and self-defeating behaviors. Para-counselors are trained to challenge these beliefs and support girls in building positive self-perceptions.

Additionally, the manual incorporates parental involvement, equipping parents with skills to communicate effectively and empower their daughters. Overall, the goal is to boost the girls’ self-esteem, enabling better academic performance and social integration.

This manual is designed to guide teachers as para-counselors in addressing low self-esteem among primary school girls in Wolaita Zone, SNNPR, Ethiopia an issue linked to poor academic performance and limited social development in 2018. A study by Link Community Development Ethiopia (LCDE) identified low self-esteem as a major psychological barrier affecting girls’ education outcomes. The manual promotes the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a proven approach for helping individuals recognize and reframe negative thought patterns that lead to emotional distress and maladaptive behaviors.

The manual introduces key counseling concepts, skills, and step-by-step CBT strategies tailored for both individual and group counseling sessions. It emphasizes the importance of altering irrational core beliefs formed in early childhood, which can trigger negative automatic thoughts and self-defeating behaviors. Para-counselors are trained to challenge these beliefs and support girls in building positive self-perceptions.

Additionally, the manual incorporates parental involvement, equipping parents with skills to communicate effectively and empower their daughters. Overall, the goal is to boost the girls’ self-esteem, enabling better academic performance and social integration.

This Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Program Guide was developed in 2025 in response to the growing need for clear, culturally appropriate, and practical approaches to integrating MHPSS into family preservation programming. Assessments revealed that WHFCE staff, partners, and community actors often lacked structured tools for delivering consistent, trauma-informed psychosocial support, especially for vulnerable families at risk of breakdown.

The guide aims to strengthen community-based MHPSS interventions by equipping staff and partners with the knowledge and tools to promote resilience, well-being, and emotional support. It promotes:

• Community-owned, collaborative MHPSS responses
• Early identification of psychosocial needs
• Integration of MHPSS into WHFCE’s health, education, and economic programs
• Strengthened family coping strategies and caregiver-child connections

The guide is for a broad audience, including WHFCE staff, partners, frontline workers, social workers, educators, health personnel, and anyone engaged in family preservation and psychosocial support.

This guide ensures that MHPSS is consistently and ethically integrated into WHFCE’s mission to preserve families and protect children through holistic, trauma-responsive care.

The Employability Skills Manual consists of six comprehensive modules designed to equip TVET trainees and graduates with essential skills for the workplace. These modules aim to enhance participants’ readiness for employment by focusing on key competencies required in professional settings.

The manual was developed through a collaborative effort between Aha Psychological Services and partner organizations including Save the Children, Mercy Corps, SNV, and TechnoServe. 

1.1. Module One: Self-Awareness and Self-Management 

Module One focuses on equipping TVET trainees with foundational skills in self-awareness and self-leadership as a critical step toward employability. Through interactive activities, participants explore their personal histories, values, emotional states, and life balance across four key dimensions: body, achievement, social contact, and spirituality. The module emphasizes 

• Understanding one’s emotions, values, and behavioral patterns 
• To build resilience, 
• Make informed decisions, and 
• Stay motivated in the face of challenges. 

Activities like the Lifeline, Four Dimensions of Life, Trading Values, Emotional Body Mapping, and Relaxation Techniques help participants identify strengths, areas for improvement, and coping strategies.

Overall, the module enables trainees to connect with themselves, enhance emotional regulation, and develop a positive self-image essential qualities for thriving in both life and the world of work.

1.2. Module Two : Interpersonal Skills and Teamwork 

This module is designed to help TVET trainees and graduates build essential interpersonal and teamwork skills for workplace readiness. It emphasizes learning through structured, participatory activities that simulate real-world collaboration. Key objectives include 

• Understanding group dynamics, 
• Identifying helpful and 
• Harmful teamwork behaviors, 
• Encouraging active participation, and 
• Performing assigned roles effectively.

The module includes five activities: Game : Family Vacation, which promotes understanding group roles; Forming a Group, focusing on team development and ground rules; Think-Pair-Share, for identifying and resolving team issues; Norming and Performing, encouraging teamwork reflection and appreciation; Module Evaluation, which uses rubrics to assess progress. 

Facilitators are guided with notes, handouts, scenarios, and assessment tools. The module promotes both self-awareness and collaborative success by encouraging communication, planning, problem-solving, and reflection within teams.

1.3. Module Three : Integrity and Professionalism

This module equips TVET trainees and graduates with the foundational values of integrity and professionalism, which are critical for success and advancement in the workplace. It focuses on behaviors, attitudes, and ethics that shape a positive professional image and build trust. Key topics include developing professionalism, maintaining honesty, demonstrating ethical conduct, and presenting oneself appropriately.

The module aims to help participants:

• Understand core attributes of integrity and professionalism,
• Recognize the impact of personal appearance and workplace behavior,
• Reflect on ethical dilemmas and maintain honesty under pressure,
• Create a personal code of ethics aligned with their career goals.

Interactive activities, handouts, scenarios, and assessment tools are provided to reinforce learning and allow for practical application. Facilitators are supported with guidance notes to help deliver content effectively and foster meaningful discussions.

1.4. Module Four : Communication Skills for Employability and Work Readiness 

This module focuses on developing effective communication skills essential for workplace success. It emphasizes the role of both verbal and non-verbal communication in building productive relationships, solving problems, and handling workplace situations. Whether trainees work in manufacturing, hospitality, construction, or other sectors, strong communication skills are key to teamwork, instruction following, and professional growth.

Key areas covered include body language, on-the-job communication, giving and receiving instructions, adapting communication styles, conflict resolution, and constructive feedback. 

Activities are interactive and practical, designed to help trainees assess their communication abilities and apply skills in real life scenarios. Facilitator notes, handouts, role-play scenarios, and rubrics support both teaching and assessment.

Objectives include:

• Understanding the communication process in workplace settings.
• Evaluating and improving personal communication effectiveness.
• Adjusting communication styles based on context.
• Recognizing and managing workplace conflict constructively.

1.5. Module Five: Problem Solving and Decision Making 

This module is designed to help TVET trainees and graduates develop the critical skills of problem solving and decision making vital for success in any workplace. Through practical and interactive activities, participants explore how to address challenges both individually and in teams. They learn structured approaches to make informed decisions, resolve conflicts, and apply business-relevant strategies to complex problems.

The module includes activities that encourage collaboration, analyze individual decision-making processes, and introduce tools commonly used in the workplace. Facilitators are provided with guidance, handouts, and assessment rubrics to support learning and skill evaluation.

Key objectives:

• Understand communication’s role in effective problem solving.
• Apply step-by-step decision-making and problem-solving methods.
• Manage workplace conflict using appropriate resolution strategies.

The module promotes real-world readiness by integrating these essential employability skills into everyday training.

1.6. Module Six : Initiative and Dependability 

This module focuses on developing key workplace behaviors initiative and dependability which are highly valued by employers. It helps TVET trainees and graduates understand the importance of showing up on time, being reliable, taking responsibility, and demonstrating motivation without needing constant supervision.

The module includes practical activities to build strong work habits, improve time management, enhance attention to detail, and ensure workplace safety through compliance with rules and procedures. Facilitators are supported with structured guidance, handouts, and rubrics for assessment.

A set of activities from which to choose, requiring minimal material and preparations, to address communication style in the work place. It shows the resources to be used, the time required for the each activity and step by step instruction in demonstrating the activity in participatory way.

Key objectives:

• Foster dependable and responsible work behaviors.
• Develop time management and prioritization skills.
• Practice attention to detail and workplace safety.
• Encourage initiative-taking in new environments.

The module equips trainees with habits that support long-term career success and adaptability in diverse work settings.