Mental Health Referent (W/M)

Mission

• S/he works under the responsibility of Medical Director and in close collaboration with the other mental health referent for all support activities to OCP field projects, program managers and operational cell s taff.

• S/he coordinates the network of MSF’s international mental health staff (psychiatrists and psychologists), in collaboration with the “pool” administrator.

• S/he participates in the MSF intersectional Mental Health (MH) working group.

Main responsibilities

• Provide support to the field regarding mental health and psychosocial support care,

• keep up to date with relevant research and publications,

• write and contribute to documents, guidelines, policy papers and MSF catalogues as needed,

• oversee appropriate medical supply to MH projects and propose, encourage and follow relevant research studies,

• contributes as an active member of the Medical Department Chronic Diseases group goals and activities,

• where relevant contributes to associated medical department and operational transversal portfolios including patient centred care, patient safety, pain management, palliative care, social work approaches and others.

Support to the fields for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) activities:

• Provides technical support to fields:

• • To respond to requests for MHPSS information and support from field staff and coordinators;

  • share technical and operational concerns about MHPSS programs with Operational cells and participate in decision making;

  • Participate in and supervise data collection and help in the interpretation of indicators;

  • provide technical support for individual clinical cases of greater complexity, either through direct contact with the field team or through the telemedicine platform.

• Conducts field visits, advises and assists MSF field staff:

• • To assess needs for training and equipment; redefine objectives, techniques and tools related to different observed problems and pathologies;

  • assess and technically support opportunities for operational research;

  • support missions to define, when necessary, the set-up of MH field teams;

  • maintain documents and information available about programs and disseminate them as needed;

• Participates in meetings related to mental health (briefings, debriefings, cell meetings, etc.):

• • To participate in cell meetings as required, share knowledge and expertise with cell managers;

  • participate in the recruitment of MSF volunteers working in the field of MHPSS, notably through technical validation of candidates’ profiles and pre-departure technical briefing;

  • participates in technical capacity building through training, clinical supervision and refresher workshops, and by defining a learning and development strategy for the missions and the whole operational centre;

  • present activities and relevant documents to other stakeholders as relevant;

  • define technical objectives for MH positions;

  • provide recommendations on field projects;

• Ensures capitalization and transmission of field experiences :

• • To ensure the diffusion of information/ knowledge acquired within the medical department;

  • review field reports, discuss and provide comments;

  • be in charge of transfer of past experiences/learning to new programs and new MSF staff.

Oversees and monitors MHPSS activities, and updates knowledge about Mental Health :

• To follow the development of new research and techniques in MH;

• document MSF’s specific areas of experience and organize adaptation of theoretical and practical papers;

• conduct regular exchanges with experts in the field of MH (working groups, seminaries, conferences…).

Contributes to/leads the writing of documents, guidelines, policy papers, MSF catalogues, etc. :

• To review existing articles and update theoretical and practical information;

• write new articles and guidelines, as required;

• ensures consistency between the different documents and practices on the ground.

Oversees the technical tools used in the field, and provision of psychotropic drugs:

• To ensure that technical tools used in the fields are adapted to MSF contexts;

• update MH-related drugs available for the field;

• respond to field requests (volunteers, procurement department) about psychiatric drugs and medical materials;

• contributes with technical expertise to the validation of non-standard supply articles at the request of the medical direction.

Proposes and follows research :

• To draft proposals for research studies;

• contribute to conception and implementation of research;

• participate in diffusion of research findings.