Mental Health Activity Manager-Médecins Sans Frontières Retour vers les opportunités

Médecins Sans Frontières is an international, medical humanitarian organization working in more than 71 countries around the world. Our medical teams act fast to save people’s lives in conflict zones, natural disasters, and epidemics. We go where we are needed most.

Providing MSF with an understanding of local, socio-cultural determinants. Supporting beneficiaries with basic information regarding access to medical treatment, transportation and other actors (legal, social, etc) following MSF’s protocols, standards and procedures, in order to create links with the communities and contribute to the visibility an acceptance of MSF.

• Identification

Job Title: MENTAL HEALTH ACTIVITY MANAGER

Reports to: Project Medical Referent

Mission/Project: Sierra Leone

Duration: 12 months 

• Main Purpose

Defining, coordinating and monitoring all mental health related activities in the project area including management of staff, ensuring the quality of care and analyzing statistics and reports, according to MSF protocols in order to provide the most appropriate support for patients.

2a. Generic Job Accountabilities

• In close collaboration with other medical team members, identifying the needs of MH support in the target population and participating in the definition, planning, organization and update of the appropriate MSF strategy and the Mental Health (MH) activities and its budget.  Monitoring and evaluating MH support activities.
• Reviewing and developing the technical materials, tools, guidelines and documents, and coordinating and ensuring the implementation of all Mental Health standard protocols and procedures set by MSF in order to provide the most appropriate treatment for patients. 
• Planning and supervising, in close coordination with the HR department, the associated processes (recruitment, training/induction, briefing/debriefing, evaluation, potential detection, development and internal communication) of the staff under his/her responsibility in order to ensure both the sizing and the amount of knowledge required.
• Coordinating and ensuring that Mental Health activities (in and outside health facilities), with the clients are performed with regular follow-up in order to provide the most appropriate treatment for clients with psychosocial problems. Ensuring Mental Health team is calm and neutral during sessions regardless of personal feelings and/or beliefs and that the translators are trained about terminology and appropriate behavior during sessions.
• Mapping and regularly updating the existing pertinent services, including other INGO’s, local NGO’s, community groups and governmental health services, etc. and maintaining good and regular communication and collaboration with other components of the project according to objectives and context. Identifying possible advocacy issues and informing MC and PC before taking any action. (Note: Advocacy is not under Mental Health Activities Manager accountabilities)
• Ensuring in close collaboration with medical department, that MH department participates in counselling as well as Prevention Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT) and Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) activities when needed
• Participating in monthly reports according to guidelines (SitRep, statistical report, etc.) and reporting problematic situations and cases with the Medical Coordinator to help with decision making and problem resolution. 
• Ensuring that psychiatric patients coming to MSF facilities receive proper treatment including psychotropic medication and psychosocial support either within an MSF program or thru referral to an appropriate resource.

2b. Job Accountabilities – Field Focus

• • Develop and implement education/counselling sessions for all patient suspected to have active TB disease receive; those include drug-sensitive TB, DR-TB for at DOTs centers and hospitalized DR-TB patients.

• In collaboration with other medical team members, ensuring that specific counselling session is conducted or adapted according to the type of patient (eg. some sessions can be done in groups if necessary).

• Make an adherence plan to support patients to complete the treatment course and decrease the defaulter rate in the programme.

• In collaboration with the Nursing Activity Manager (NAM), set-up the system to trace all patients on TB treatment, both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant, not showing up for their clinic visits.

• Collect or develop the visual aid to help to deliver the key messages on TB. Advised to assess first the cultural beliefs and representations of the target population about TB.

• Screen TB patient for mental health disorders and refer the one need psychiatric care to the specialist or trained clinician if needed. 
• Integrate HIV counselling when needed, as TB is the most common, serious opportunistic infection and the main cause of mortality in people living with HIV.

• Requirements

Education: Degree/master’s in psychology or social work or MD degree with specialization in psychiatry.

Experience: 

• Essential working experience of at least two years in direct clinical work with patients, as psychologist or other similar profession.
• Desirable working experience with other NGOs. 
• Desirable working experience in developing countries. 
• Desirable working experience in clinical supervision and training

Languages: 

English: B2

French: C1

Other linguistic skills will a plus…

Knowledge: Essential Computer literacy (word, excel and internet)

COMPETENCIES

• Results and Quality Orientation 
• Teamwork and Cooperation 
• Behavioural Flexibility 
• Commitment to MSF Principles
• Stress Management

Deadline:  1 month