Psychotherapist

The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) was founded in 1998 by a group of Syrian-American physicians as a professional society to provide networking and educational opportunities to medical professionals of Syrian descent across the United States. The charitable arm of SAMS, SAMS Foundation, was launched in 2007. With the eruption of the conflict in Syria, SAMS Foundation has become one of the most active medical relief organizations, working on the frontlines of crisis in Syria, neighboring countries, and beyond, to provide health and MHPSS services, as well as medical education and training opportunities for internally displaced persons, refugees, and host communities. In Lebanon, SAMS implements projects directly and indirectly through partners primary and secondary health care across the country in addition to mental health activities.

Role Summary/Purpose:

Located within SAMS Beqaa Office and working closely with SAMS Senior Psychotherapist and SAMS Program Manager in the Beqaa, the Psychotherapist will provide direct consultation and services to refugees and host community suffering from psychological conditions related to living through armed conflict, natural or man-made disaster, in addition to the provision of technical expertise to the MHPSS staff on the set-up, implementation and/or evaluation of appropriate psychosocial interventions. Activities can also include training, and supervision.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provision of individual, family and group counselling and therapy sessions.
• Mental health assessment, diagnosis and care provision for adults, adolescents and children as per a treatment plan developed for each beneficiary.
• Conduct remote sessions if needed due to COVID-19 pandemic or other barriers for in person sessions.
• Conduct weekly field visits in the Beqaa and Arsal to provide one on one sessions to persons who are not able to reach Beqaa Office in Kabelias.
• Participate in the development and implementation of PSS activities with a focus on community-based psycho-social programs.
• Coordinating with the PSS team social workers regarding the provision of additional supportive services to the beneficiaries (health services, vocational training opportunity, educational activities).
• Offering possibilities and liaison for referrals to different specialized settings if/when needed.
• Aid in the development and monitoring of beneficiaries’ improvement measures and indicators in coordination with senior psychotherapist.
• Preparing monthly and quarterly reports in collaboration with the case management Team.
• Offering trainings to staff on how to identify signs of psychological vulnerabilities, how to work with youth, children and adults with psychosocial difficulties, and when to refer to the PSS Team.
• Offering assistance to staff members when needed including guidance and self-care.
• Preparing workshops and awareness sessions needed for different stakeholders.
• Networking with Lebanese mental health community to stay updated on workshops offered, possible referral options, and latest findings.
• Any other duties as assigned by the direct supervisor.

COMPETENCIES

• Degree in Psychology.
• Minimum 3 years of clinical experience.
• Experience in mental health issues associated with displacement, loss, post-traumatic stress disorder and sexual and gender-based violence.
• Experience in developing and adapting psycho-educational tools. 
• Experience with individual, family and group counselling.
• Previous experience in a low resource setting or humanitarian context is preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to build strong and effective working relationships, and bringing people together to complete tasks in a timely manner.
• Good oral and written presentation skills and training/workshop facilitation skills.
• Working calmly under pressure and meeting strict deadlines.
• An ability to work on own initiative, as part of teams of people of diverse backgrounds, and to have a flexible attitude towards work.
• Excellent communication skills in spoken and written English and Arabic

Personal Characteristics:

• Enthusiastic and empathetic
• Approachable, trustworthy, and discrete
• Committed to equity and social inclusion
• Conscientious, with an excellent sense of judgment
• Excellent organizational and planning skills
• Strong problem analysis and assessment skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Attention to detail and high level of accuracy
• Demonstrated capacity to innovate and think creatively
• Ability to work independently and within a team
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Compassionate, caring, and non-judgmental
• Sensitive and respectful of ethnic and cultural differences
• Willingness to improve own knowledge and skills by participating actively in training sessions and capacity building activities
• Good MS Office and data entry skills