Mental Health Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) Officer (5 Positions)

Medical Teams Calling   

Daring to love like Jesus, we boldly break barriers to health and restore wholeness in a hurting world.

Medical Teams International holds strict child and vulnerable adult safeguarding principles and a zero-tolerance policy for misconduct related to sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse in the workplace and other places where the organization’s activities are rendered. Parallel to technical competence, recruitment & selection, hiring decisions will give due emphasis to assessing candidates’ eligibility thorough background checks, police clearance, and professional reference check processes.

JOB SUMMARY

Mental Health Psychosocial Support Services Officer contributes to the calling of Medical Teams  by providing quality mental health care services for vulnerable refugee, internally displaced people and host populations. The Mental Health Psychosocial Support Service  Officer will be responsible for collaborating with other medical staff on the integration of mental health and psychiatric treatment with basic health care services in order to ensure the treatment of patients suffering from severe and common mental health and psychiatric disorders and coordinating counselling services through direct service provision, referrals, awareness, and capacity building.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Medical / Technical 

• Provide psychological first aid (PFA), emotional support, and structured psychosocial interventions to individuals and families.
• Identify, assess, and manage common mental health conditions using WHO mhGAP guidelines, and ensure timely referrals for severe cases.
• Train and support frontline medical staff to enhance their capacity in recognizing and managing mental health conditions and integrating MHPSS into primary care.
• Conduct community-based mental health awareness and destigmatization activities in collaboration with health workers and local leaders.
• Facilitate support groups and psychoeducation sessions on trauma, stress, and coping strategies for patients, caregivers, and staff.
• Guide patients in understanding their emotional or mental health issues, incorporating cultural context to improve acceptance of care.
• Administer and monitor psychotropic medications appropriately, while ensuring rational and essential use.
• Collaborate with the Team Lead, Pharmacist, and Doctor to support the management of psychiatric medication supplies at the facility level.
• Uphold Medical Teams  Code of Conduct by ensuring confidentiality, professional ethics, and compliance with safeguarding and protection policies.
• Provide culturally sensitive, respectful, and compassionate care to all patients, fostering dignity and trust in service delivery.
• Support the integration of accountability practices into program activities by following established procedures during planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting. Help ensure that accountability is reflected in day-to-day tasks, team interactions, and when working with partners or communities.
• Support safeguarding of program participants and employees through promoting an environment of awareness and upholding the code of conduct provisions of Medical Teams Protection from Sexual Exploitation & Abuse, Child & Vulnerable Adult protection, and harassment-free workplace policies. Incumbents will remain alert and responsive to any child and adult safeguarding risks, acquire relevant knowledge and skills which will enable you to promote strong safeguarding practices, understand the child and adult safeguarding policy and procedures, and conduct yourself in a manner consistent with the Safeguarding.

Other Duties 

• Maintain a clean and safe working environment, disposing of waste and sharps appropriately.
• Other duties as assigned
• Utilize volunteers, community health workers, translators and incentive workers when appropriate.

EDUCATION, LICENSES, & CERTIFICATIONS

Required:- 

• BSc in Psychiatry Nurse

EXPERIENCE 

• Minimum of 2 years’ experience in MHPSS service delivery, preferably in a humanitarian or primary health care setting.
• rained on WHO MHGAP, Psychological First Aid, or trauma-informed care approaches.
• Experience working with INGOs

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

Knowledge:   

• Knowledge of humanitarian standards, donors, systems and principles, e.g., Sphere, CHS, Red Cross Code of Conduct etc.
• A basic understanding of health systems.
• Fluent spoken and written Amharic and English.
• Skills:
• Moderately skilled with office software: Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Moderately skilled with communication software: Outlook, Skype, Internet, CRM (or other database programs).  Humanitarian motivation.
• Emotionally and spiritually mature.
• Team player – practical, desire to support the field teams.  Understanding and sensitivity to cross cultural issues.  Flexible and adaptable to ever changing environments.  Ability to remain calm under pressure .
• Strong interpersonal and team skills .
• Analytical and problem-solving Computer literate, able to work efficiently in Microsoft office on standard or mobile platforms.
• Abilities:
• Ability to work flexible schedule and weekends as needed.
• Ability to prioritize tasks.
• Able to build new relationships and gain people’s trust quickly.
• Ability to Integrity in representing Medical Teams Willing to travel to insecure environments.
• Ability to embrace and promote Medical Teams International mission and vision.
• Ability to uphold and exemplify the organization’s core values.

PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Frequent use of personal computers, database and digital platforms, and other office productivity machinery, such as copy machines and computer printers.
• Frequently uses hands, fingers, and arms to reach, handle, touch or feel equipment, medical instruments, materials, computer.
• Frequent communication and exchange of information among colleagues and persons of concern requires the ability to speak, hear, convey and express oneself.
• Frequent close vision and the ability to adjust focus.
• Occasionally ascends/descends stairs, steps, or ladder
• Occasionally moving inside an office to access file cabinets, office machinery, meet with colleagues, etc.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to _50kg.
• Seldom to occasionally positions oneself to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• If in travel status, occasional to frequent traversing over rough or steep terrain in either a motor vehicle or on foot.