Psychologist

Key duties and responsibilities:

As a member of the home hospice care team, SANAD’s psychologist coordinates with medical and nursing director and reports to SANAD’s Director

The hospice psychologist will be responsible for:

• The provision of psychological support services to patients and families
• The provision of psychological support to the hospice care team members
• The documentation and reporting on all tasks and projects related to the psychologist
• The development of the psychological support services through education, training and research projects
• Raising awareness on psychological support in the community through advocacy and outreach initiatives

Psychological support service provision responsibilities:

• Patient & Family level:
  • Provide in-depth psychological support to patients and families throughout SANAD’s care duration through regular home visits based on need.
  • Support family members in issues related to coping with their loss and feelings of grief.
  • Lead and report on the grief support group on a monthly basis.
  • Assess the grief support group’s impact and identify the best course of action for its way forward

   

• Home Hospice Care Team level:
  • Guide and support the Home hospice care team in identifying patients/family members who need in-depth psychological support
  • Provide the home hospice care team with continuous updates on family dynamics and coping mechanisms through weekly meetings
  • Assist the home hospice care team in identifying family members in need of grief support
  • Provide counseling and support to SANAD’s home hospice care team members and others at SANAD when and if the need arises

   

Training, education and research responsibilities:

• Identify evidence-based tools that can assist the psychologist and home hospice care team in assessing patients’ and families’ psychological needs and behaviors
• Identify references on psychological support provision in home hospice care to develop and evaluate psychological support provision at SANAD
• Identify evidence-based references on the evaluation of grief support groups and other counseling methods
• Participate in trainings and orientations for newly appointed nurses and volunteers
• Develop and conduct trainings and workshops on communication skills and other topics related to psychological support in home hospice care for professional stakeholders in the field such as psychologists, doctors, nurses and social workers
• Develop and contribute to articles related to psychological support in home hospice care

Organizational and Professional tasks/responsibilities:

• Ensure proper documentation of the assessment, planning, coordination and delivery of the psychological support provided to the patient/family
• Document family visits in a detailed and structured manner to be included in each patient’s file recording objectives of each intervention, plans for future action and progress and achieved results
• Document and reflect on all grief support group sessions
• Contribute to donor progress reports and proposals
• Develop and structure the mental health unit through accumulating lessons learned related to psychological support in home hospice care
• Identify professional training needs

Advocacy and outreach tasks/responsibilities:

• Conduct and participate in community awareness sessions on the psychological aspects in end of life care
• Share SANAD’s findings and experience with key stakeholders in the field through articles, presentations, research and projects