Psychologist

Do you have a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology and a few years of experience as a clinical psychologist? And do you want to be part of our ambitious mental health strategy in Jandulah, Wadi Khalid? 
From our clinic in Jandulah, MSF is working to improve access to mental health care for the population of Wadi Khalid and reduce the stigma towards mental health by providing direct mental health care and focusing on capacity building of surrounding public health care centers. 

ABOUT MSF

Médecins Sans Frontières/أطباء بلا حدود (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people in 70 countries who are affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from healthcare. MSF offers assistance to people based on need, irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation and our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of neutrality and impartiality.
 

ABOUT OUR PROJECT IN WADI KHALID

The project started in December 2016 in Jandulah, Wadi Khalid, where MSF is currently managing a clinic and providing health services within non communicable disease (NCD), paediatric consultations, vaccinations with transversely integrated mental health services and health promotion and referrals for patients who require services beyond the scope of MSF activities.

Mental health activities have been part of the project since the beginning in 2016 and will be an even more important component of the project in the future. We provide mental health care by offering psychiatrist and psychologist consultations. In order to raise awareness to mental health we are about to launch school programs and we have a strong focus on capacity building in the local communities.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Providing psychological support to patients according to MSF principles, standards and procedures in order to improve the patients’ mental health. Working hours are currently 8.15 am to 4.15 pm, and area of operation is Wadi Khalid.

DETAILED ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Carrying out assessment of mental health needs of patients, identifying and measuring mental health symptoms, completing case formulations and developing a treatment plan according to patients' individual needs

• Actively participate as part of an interdisciplinary team, collaborating with medical/non-medical staff as needed to support the patients' mental health and psychosocial needs 

• Informing the patient and his/her caregivers about the presenting symptoms/mental health disorder and possible outcomes of both receiving and not receiving mental health intervention

• Referring patients to other health, protection or psychosocial professionals whenever necessary, in order to provide the most appropriate treatment and improve the patient's condition or life circumstances

• Implementing the Sexual Violence (SV) protocol, identifying possible victims of sexual gender based violence (SGBV) and maintaining/ensuring bidirectional referral with the medical team so that victims receive the necessary treatment.

• Providing supportive counseling sessions (individual, family, group) according to patients' needs presenting with mild, moderate, severe mental health symptoms according to MSF protocols through evidence based approaches in order to improve patients' mental health conditions.

• Assisting and training staff members internal/external of MSF whenever necessary in order to enhance the scope of mental health psychosocial support (MHPSS) activities.

• Ensure timely documentation filing, and monitoring of sessions, referrals and patient symptoms according to MSF standards and protocols  

• Participate in weekly/biweekly clinical supervision – discussing patient cases with MH supervisor in order to increase quality of clinical practice, discuss any emergency or protection concerns, countertransference, and inform the supervisor about any current or potential issues that may arise related to patients’ treatment and safety in order to provide the best possible solution

• Ensue that all patient information is kept confidential and informed consent is always received before proceeding with intervention

• Actively promote the availability of MSF MHPSS services with medical and non-medical MSF staff, beneficiaries, communities and surrounding (I)NGOs;  conduct group work, awareness sessions, trainings and other activities under the supervision of the MH supervisor/MH activity manager/project medical referent as needed

• Personal and team development and team support: Actively seek for and give support to other team members concerning cases and gap filling and participate in trainings planned. Actively participate in meetings by bringing up challenges and possible solutions and by participating in discussions in team meetings

• Being open to provide psychological support and counseling to a different range of age groups and nationalities in different health facilities of MSF.

REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION: Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology required.

Candidates having or being in the process of registration with the Ministry of Health, Lebanon as a licensed psychologist will have a head start.

EXPERIENCE: Minimum 1 year experience as a psychologist.

Demonstrated interest and passion in working with vulnarable persons in low resource settings necessary.

Desirable:

• previous experience with MSF or other NGO’s in resource limited settings
• previous experience working with children, youth and families
• previous experience in evidenced based approaches for treatment of depression, anxiety, trauma and/or violence

LANGUAGES: Fluency in English and Arabic is essential

IT SKILLS: Desirable computer literacy (word, excel and internet)

SOFT SKILLS

Result and Quality Orientation: candidat works independently and takes responsibility for reaching objectives while complying with procedures.

Teamwork and Cooperation: is a team player who shares information and coordinates with team members in order to reach common goals.

Behavioural Flexibility: is flexible in applying and adapting procedures, looks for adaptable solutions in order to achieve objectives.

Stress Management: is able to manage own stress and expresses awareness of own stress level.

Commitment to MSF's Principles: demonstrates loyalty, awareness and respect for MSF's values