Technical areas of expertise:

•  Psychosocial Counselling: As the only NGO to provide qualified direct psychosocial care in Sierra Leone, quality is assured in every area.  Staffs have received ongoing training and supervision from international Psychologists and experts for over 10 years, going well beyond the basic trainings in counselling skills. Counsellors are well versed in psychological theory, up to date on recent developments in psychosocial application, and have moved beyond learning to integrate local culture into evidence based psychological intervention. Person-centred therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Trauma Therapy, and Psychodynamic theory are used in the therapeutic approach, depending on the needs of the client.   Clinical supervision is an integral part of this area of expertise.
•  Trainings: Training skills have been cultivated as a priority in the CAPS clinical team.  Leadership, presentation, and teaching have been employed to engage leaders of the Kono and Kailahun community in trainings for the last 10 years.  The CAPS staff excel in bringing stakeholders from every level together to increase understanding and improve collaboration.  Training content has focused on psychosocial issues, human rights, counselling skills, communication skills, and mediation.
• Assessment: CAPS firmly believes that assessment of clinical services is necessary to inform clinical treatment and ensure quality practice.  Comprehensive and holistic clinical assessment is conducted with each client, measuring the Psychological, Social, and Biological domains of functioning.  CAPS has a wealth of training and experience in administering and interpreting such diagnostic tools.  Community assessment is also vital to the success of CAPS intervention.  CAPS create, administer, and analyze the data from a variety of community assessments, ranging from Health Worker Stress surveys in hospitals to household surveys across operating areas. Data is analyzed through SPSS and EPI Info systems.
• Advocacy: CAPS advocacy strategy is to empower organizations to advocate for themselves.  Participatory Advocacy ensures that the community owns the advocacy, that the leaders of communities and organizations view CAPS as supportive and stimulating rather than intruding or oppositional, and promotes sustainability for long after the project has come to a close.