Child Clinical Psychologist

The Clinical Psychologist for Children and Adolescents provides psychological assessment and time-limited psychotherapy to children and adolescent beneficiaries presenting for mental health services at the Embrace Community Mental Health Center (ECMHC).

This role operates within ECMHC's stepped-care model, focusing on mild-to-moderate presentations amenable to brief, goal-oriented intervention. The psychologist plays a dual function: conducting structured triage to ensure appropriate care pathway allocation, and delivering evidence-based brief therapy to those whose presentations fall within this tier. Beneficiaries who require longer-term, higher-intensity, or specialist care are triaged and referred accordingly.

This model enables EMHC to maximize clinical reach, reduce waitlist burden, and ensure that each beneficiary receives the level of care appropriate to their clinical need — without overburdening a single clinician with a caseload spanning presentations of vastly different complexity and duration.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Triage and Intake

• Conduct or participate in structured triage of incoming referrals, determining clinical severity and appropriate tier of care.
• Apply triage criteria to identify presentations suitable for brief intervention within this role vs. those requiring escalation to senior clinicians, psychiatry, or specialist services.
• Complete a brief triage assessment (clinical interview + rating scales as needed) to inform care pathway decisions.
• Communicate triage outcomes clearly to the referring clinician and multidisciplinary team.
• Support the development and ongoing refinement of EMHC's triage and stepped-care protocols.

Clinical Assessment

• Conduct psycho-diagnostic interviews with children, adolescents (aged 5–21), and their guardians.
• Use standardized rating scales and assessment tools to support diagnosis and case formulation, particularly for school-related presentations and learning difficulties.
• Develop a structured, goal-oriented treatment plan in collaboration with the child/adolescent and caregiver.
• Reassess clinical need at regular intervals; escalate or refer if presentation exceeds brief intervention scope.

Psychotherapy – Brief Intervention Model

• Deliver time-limited, evidence-based psychotherapy for mild-to-moderate presentations, with a focus on measurable outcomes within defined session limits.
• Therapeutic modalities include: CBT, play therapy, child-parent interaction therapy (CPIT), IPT-A, and other brief evidence-based approaches.
• Implement structured treatment plans with clear goals, session limits, and defined endpoint criteria.
• Review and monitor psychological progress systematically; document outcome measures at intake, mid-point, and closure.
• Facilitate appropriate closure and discharge planning, including self-management tools and community-based follow-up.

Referral and Coordination

• Refer beneficiaries requiring longer-term, specialist, or higher-intensity care to appropriate services within or outside EMHC.
• Coordinate with school counselors, social workers, and external service providers as part of integrated care planning.
• Collaborate with the multidisciplinary team (psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses) in case discussions and clinical reviews.
• Provide structured handover documentation when transferring cases.

Psychoeducation and Group Support

• Provide psychoeducation to caregivers and children/adolescents on topics including parenting skills, stress management, emotional regulation, and anti-bullying strategies.
• Facilitate group support or psychoeducation sessions as needed.
• Deliver mental health awareness sessions as part of EMHC's community outreach.

Documentation and Quality

• Maintain accurate, timely clinical records in Embrace's electronic health record (EHR) system.
• Adhere to Embrace's clinical protocols, confidentiality standards, and data protection policies.
• Participate in clinical supervision, peer review, and ongoing professional development activities.
• Contribute to quality improvement and stepped-care protocol refinement at ECMHC.

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential Qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, School/Educational Psychology, or Pediatric Neuropsychology.
• License to practice clinical psychology from the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, member of the Lebanese Order of Psychologists
• 3–5 years of post-graduate clinical experience with children and/or adolescents.
• Demonstrated competency in at least two brief therapy modalities (e.g., CBT, play therapy, CPIT, IPT-A).
• Fluency in Arabic and English. French is a plus.

Assets

• Specialization in trauma-informed therapies (TF-CBT, EMDR).
• Experience with structured triage or intake assessment within a multidisciplinary clinic setting.
• Experience with children aged 0–5.
• Ability to provide clinical supervision or lead capacity-building trainings.

Professional Skills and Knowledge

• Ability to conduct semi-structured clinical and psycho-diagnostic assessments with children, adolescents, and caregivers.
• Competency in applying triage criteria to determine appropriate level and type of care.
• Ability to recognize mental health priority conditions as per mhGAP and identify presentations requiring escalation.
• Familiarity with standardized assessment tools, particularly for school-related and learning difficulties.
• Ability to deliver structured, time-limited, evidence-based psychotherapy to a culturally diverse population aged 5–21.
• Ability to set clear treatment goals, define session limits, and monitor and evaluate clinical progress using outcome measures.
• Ability to provide psychoeducation to parents and children/adolescents across a range of topics.
• Ability to develop family-centred, goal-oriented, recovery-focused care plans.
• Ability to maintain accurate clinical documentation and case records.

Areas for Continued Capacity Building

• Stepped-care and brief intervention models in child and adolescent mental health.
• Triage and case prioritization frameworks in low-resource and humanitarian settings.
• Mental health in complex emergencies (IASC guidelines, Psychological First Aid, mhGAP).
• Biopsychosocial and community-based models in mental health.
• Human rights-based approach in mental health care.
• Evidence-based approaches: IPT, CBT, TF-CBT, EMDR.
• Understanding the predictable stresses of humanitarian aid work and mitigation strategies.

Behavioural Competencies

• Strong organizational and time management skills, including ability to manage a high-volume, time-limited caseload.
• Collaborative approach within a multidisciplinary team.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and conflict resolution skills.
• High level of professionalism in all clinical and team interactions.
• Adherence to ethical principles when working with vulnerable populations.
• Cultural sensitivity and adaptability.
• Ability to tolerate complexity and ambiguity in a high-need clinical environment.

REPORTING LINES

Administrative Reporting: Clinical Advisor and Clinic Programs Manager

Clinical Coordination: Director of the Clinical Training Program

Triage Escalation: Clinical Advisor (or designated senior clinician on duty)