Mental Health Supervisor

Main Purpose

The Mental Health Supervisor will participate in the planning, supervision and coordination of mental health / pycho-social related services in the programme in accordance with MSF standards in order to provide the most appropriate mental health support for patients.

Accountabilities

• Participate in the planning, organization and coordination of Mental Health (MH) activities, in close collaboration with the Mental Health activity manager and other medical team members, in order to ensure an efficient and effective implementation of the resources needed while maintaining high levels of quality in Mental Health MSF programs and activities.
• Coordinates activities of counselling services with other relevant actors and liaises with the local counterparts (like MoH, WHO, ICRC and NGO) on mental health matters, including referral services.
• Supervise the daily mental health activities and patient support according to MSF protocols and standards in order to provide the most appropriate support for clients with psycho social needs
• Liaise with the other MSF team members of the project.
• Supervise, in close coordination with the HR department, the associated processes (recruitment, training/induction, evaluation, potential detection, development and communication) of the staff under his/her responsibility in order to ensure both the sizing and the amount of knowledge required
• Oversee the administrative processes associated with psychosocial functioning.
• When needed, give psychological support to patients according to MSF protocols to improve mental health conditions of patients and enhance their functionality.
• Compile the data and statistic linked with MH activities and report to the MH activity manager
• Offer clinical counselling supervision to mental health counsellors in collaboration with the Mental Health Activity Manager.
• Ensure the patient’s related information is kept confidential.

MSF Section/Context Specific Accountabilities

• Implementation of MHPSS activities at different levels including within MSF clinics, supported Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs) and through community-based approaches in line with the project strategy, in accordance with MSF and national MHPSS guidelines.
• Contribute to the adaptation and realization of the project’s MHPSS strategy, in collaboration with the Project Manager Referent (PMR), Mental Health Activity Manager (MHAM) and other relevant project team members.
• Participate in different outreach activities, in collaboration with the medical team and Health promoters (HP), as needed.
• Provide support to psychologists and counselors in MSF clinics and supported PHCCs, while taking into consideration the cultural specificity of patients (cultural expression of symptoms, behaviour, speech, beliefs).
• Ensure proper documentation of psychometric assessments and other psychological components of patient files, while ensuring standards of patient confidentiality. Discuss observations and recommendations with the MH team, MHAM and PMR.
• Implement the proper referral system among the different team members in accordance with different clinical settings (e.g. MSF projects and clinics and any planned outreach activities).
• Coordinate regular case discussions and multidiciplinary team meetings in collaboration with the PMR.
• Participate in mapping and updating existing Mental Health services, including other INGO’s, local NGO’s, community groups and governmental health services, etc. and provide feedback to PMR and MHAM.
• Participate in data collection, analysis and reporting of MH activities (including psychiatric care and referral follow up) for monthly and quarterly reports.
• Enable access to and follow up on psychiatric or in-patient hospital care with partner hospitals, in collaboration with the psychiatrist, other medical team members, PMR, MHAM and other departments as needed while adhering to project guidelines and SOPs.
• Foster communication and team work between MH staff members and other departments (medical, social workers, community health workers).
• Participate in the identificiation of specific MH needs and gaps within the target population for strategy review and advocacy purposes. Contribute to the collection and analysis of pertinent information when it is needed, in close collaboration with the PMR and Field Coordinator and the support of the MHAM.
• Adhere to the code of conduct of Mental Health caregivers and MSF staff.

Additional tasks:

• Organize clinical case discussions with psychiatrist and MH team in coordination with medical team.
• Contribute to relevant operational reseach if needed

Requirements

Education

• Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology
• An official certificate of completed clinical training/practicum in a university center consisting of at least 100 hours of training under supervision by a scholar and 300 hours of applied training (an official form is available). For psychologists who graduated in the last 5 years or more and cannot get this certificate a substitute exists.
• Lebanese colloquium certificate for clinical psychologists (unless graduated from Lebanese University)
• MoPH License to practice clinical psychology profession in Lebanon

Experience

• Minimum 2 years of relevant experience in the respective field of work

• Essential previous experience as a supervisor in a Mental Health setting.
• Desirable previous experience in MHPSS Community Based approached programs
• Desirable previous experience with MSF or other NGOs in developing countries

Languages

• Fluency in Arabic and English with a strong written and oral communication skills

Competencies

• Commitement to MSF principles
• People management
• Team work and cooperation
• Commited to work and flexible
• Stress Management
• Results and quality orientation
• Culturally sensitive and inclusive towards people of different nationalities, ethnicities and communities.