Mental Health And Psychosocial Support Manager -Somali, Ethiopia

MISSION AND MAIN ACTIVITIES

The Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Activity Manager (MHPSS) is responsible for the implementation and smooth running of the mental health strategy for refugees, IDPs, patients, their families, the community and the teams. He/she ensures the functioning of the mental health pole on the project.

1. Implementation of ALIMA programs

• 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 ALIMA strategy and the Mental Health (MH) activities and its budget.  Monitoring and evaluating MH support activities.
• Ensures the implementation and monitoring of psychological support for beneficiaries in the various sites of displaced populations, patients or people in isolation and families
• Organizes psychological first aid sessions for victims and patients;
• Organizes time for sharing practices on specific situations
• Ensures the effectiveness of mental health and psychosocial support activities in accordance with the defined action plan and according to the minimum package of mental health activities vs. the complete package, with a focus on psychological first aid, prevention and management of psychotrauma;
• Ensures the development of partnerships for the management, orientation and referral of severe or chronic cases of mental disorders and/or psychosocial problems.
• 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 ALIMA in order to provide the most appropriate treatment for patients.
• Ensuring that psychiatric patients coming to ALIMA facilities receive proper treatment including psychotropic medication and psychosocial support either within an ALIMA program (if available) or through referral to an appropriate resource.

2. Monitoring, analysis and reporting

• Participates in external meetings and reports relevant information to the emergency coordinator
• Conducts a weekly summary of mental health activities and reports to the project coordinator, the medical coordinator and the project’s referring physicians
• Follows the issues and recommendations of the cluster
• Produces a mission report and recommendations

3. Representation, coordination with other teams

• Ensures networking with the various partners,
• Mapping and regularly updating the existing Mental Health 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 in-forming MC and PC before taking any action.
• Participates in meetings related to his/her field of intervention on the instructions of the head office mental health referent;

4. Management of the mental health team

• Organizes the duties and schedules of the mental health worker team
• Ensures the proper transmission of information, provides clinical supervision of teams
• Collects data for the department’s monitoring and activity report
• 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.

5. Capacity building and team facilitation

• Sets up a mental health team in collaboration with the project coordinator (the recruitment, training and reinforcement)
• Ensures that the skills of the mental Health staff are updated according to the evolution of the technical platform and the protocols made available to the mission
• Defines and update job profiles and performance objective plans for team members and participate in the same documents for medical and nursing referents
• Carries out the assessments of its team in an approach of professional course
• Identify the skills that team members need to acquire to master their positions and organize training to reinforce them
• Ensure trainings in accordance with ALIMA’s minimum package of mental health activities, and if necessary according to the complete package (psychological first aid, psychosocial activities, psychological support in the practice of medical care, mental health staff, prevention and management of psychotrauma, the relationship between caregivers and patients, and other needs identified upstream).

6. Team health

• Organizes debriefing sessions. He/she supports the teams in case of critical incident
• Ensures the implementation and follow-up of the psychological support of the teams on the different projects

Evaluates and validates mental health referral structures with the MHPSS Coordinator or the Referent medical

7. Implementation of prevention measures against abuse of power, gender-based and sexual violence:

• Participate in training and awareness sessions
• Apply standards for abuse prevention
• Ensure that team members attend trainings and awareness sessions and follow abuse prevention rules
• Contribute to creating and maintaining a nurturing and protective environment

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Training : 

• Professional Master’s degree in clinical and/or health psychology or equivalent

Experiences : 

• Previous experience in humanitarian work at least 3 years in the field of mental health and psychosocial support

Skills:

• An ability to problematize and summarize the main psychological issues and be able to set priorities
• Good teamwork and delegation skills
• A good deal of autonomy and the ability to create one’s own position in line with the association’s objectives and resources
• Good writing skills
• A good knowledge of psycho-trauma
• Good resistance to stress and good understanding of risky environments
• English Speaking, reading and writing, mandatory. Knowledge of a local language (Somali and Oromo) is an asset
• Essential computer literacy (word, excel, internet)
• Strong interpersonal skills, team work