Mental Health Psychosocial Officer

Requisition ID:  req51726

Job Title:  Mental Health Psychosocial Officer

Sector:  Health

Employment Category:  Fixed Term

Employment Type:  Full-Time

Open to Expatriates:  Not Applicable

Location:  Kakuma, Kenya

Work Arrangement:

Job Description

The International Rescue Committeeresponds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to surviveand rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, IRCoffers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to fleefrom war or disaster. At work today in more than 30 countries and in 22 cities, IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted byconflict or disaster. IRC leads the way from harm to home.

Background : Across tworefugee camps, Dadaab and Kakuma, and four counties (Garissa, Turkana, WestPokot and Nairobi), the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) Kenya countryprogram implements programs in the sectors of health, Nutrition, governance& rights, and women’s protection & empowerment, Economic Recovery andDevelopment, as well as providing emergency response through a network of fourfield offices and a range of institutional and community-based partnerships.

Job Purpose/Objective

The Mental Health PsychosocialOfficer will be responsible for providing evidence based preventative andcurative services to people suffering with mental health concerns currentlyliving in Kakuma who are referred by other actors through the establishedreferral pathway system. He/she will also be responsible for handling cases,conducting appropriate referrals to a psychiatrist if needed and protectionservices.

He/she will provide psychologicalinterventions based on the client’s needs and presenting complaints. There willbe a focus on vulnerable populations, specifically, but not limited toseparated and unaccompanied children, separated families, survivors ofgender-based violence, and people with serious security and medical concerns.

Key Responsibilities :

Adhere to internationallyrecognized best practices for evidence based psychological interventions andthe management of clients with mental health concerns. This includes ensuringthe confidentiality of clients and respecting their decisions. Establish a safe space to conductprivate and confidential sessions acceptable to those on the site and safelyaccessible by women and children. Assess the client’s needs andpresenting complaints and develop a care plan with the client based on thoseneeds, including referrals to other services. Provide age-appropriate culturallyrelevant individual and/or group psychological counselling for population atrisk including but not limited to survivors of torture, asylum seekers andunaccompanied minors. Support the client(s) copingprocess and mobilize their internal and external resources for processingutmost adversity. Identify concerns related to andsupport adherence to referral protocols and guiding principles. Maintain an effective workingrelationship and regular communication with other mental health personnelworking on the same project. Maintain effective workingrelationships with relevant collaborators including referral organizationscommunity groups and other implementing partners. Complete daily case reports anddata collection according to donor requirements. Collaborate with the rest of theteam to exchange information and ensure that refugees Programs are respondingto the evolving needs of the refugees. Attend regular supportivesupervision conducted by the Health Manager. Refer patients to other healthprofessionals whenever vital. Provide psycho-education sessionsto the family members of clients when needed.

Others :

Other duties as assigned by thesupervisor to enable and develop IRC programs. Participate in weekly team meetings.

Key Result Areas

Collaboration

Participate in inter-agencyworking group meetings (MHPSS TWG and persons with special needs) Respond to inter-Agency referrals.

Supervision

Supervise mental health nurse andclinical psychologist in the management of out-patient and in-patient mentalhealth patients. Coordinate community mental healthand psychosocial referral in collaboration with community health workers andcommunity psychosocial workers. In liaison with the health managerand pharmacist, ensure there is enough supply of anti-psychotic drugs in thehealth facilities. In conjunction with the healthmanager develop proposals and budgets for mental health activities Follow the spending of the mentalhealth budget and ensure activities are on track.

Communication and Reporting

Timely submission of data andreports Interagency communication forinformation sharing

Capacity Building

Conduct OJT sessions to mentalhealth nurse, assistants, community health promoters and other groups offeringservices to beneficiaries. Conduct CME’S on mental health. Support primary health care staffin integration of mental health in PHC through adaption of the MhGAP. Train community para-counsellorson GPM+ implementation Train staff and first responderson Psychological First Aid Spearhead staff self-caresessions, post-employment debriefing and capacity building staff on CriticalIncident Stress management.

Key Working Relationships :

Position Reports to : Health Manager and will receiveadditional technical support from the MH Technical Advisor.

Qualifications
Minimum education requirement: ahigher diploma in mental health or psychology, or a degree in psychology.

Required Experience & Competencies :

Minimum two-year professionalexperience providing psychological interventions to refugee populationsincluding but not limited to survivors of torture. Knowledge of different culturallyrelevant therapeutic techniques. Experience conducting assessments,using screening tools and creating individual care plans for clients seekingmental health services. INGO experience preferred. Knowledge of the Inter-AgencyStanding Committee (IASC) MHPSS in emergencies guidelines; Demonstrated understanding of andability to maintain confidentiality and respect for beneficiaries. Positive and professionalapproach, including ability to work well in a team setting. Strong ability to maintaincomposure, prioritize work, thrives in fast paced environments, and work in adifficult environment. Ability to conduct counsellingsessions via interpreters/cultural mediators, whenever necessary. Personal qualities: Works well inand promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexibleand able to handle pressure well. Proficiency in English.

Professional standards :

All MHPSS staff are required toadhere to THE IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct and the IRC countryemployment policies. Adhere to the Code of Conductevery day – in the site and in the community. Maintain confidentiality. While in transit sites, all IRCstaff must wear appropriate IRC visibility.

Standards of ProfessionalConduct : The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principlesoutlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity,Service, Accountability and Equity. In accordance with these values, the IRCoperates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation andAbuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal IntegrityAnti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons.

Gender Equality : IRC iscommitted to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offerbenefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in ourworkforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols andother encouraging benefits and allowances.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRCconsiders all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex,color, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, ordisability. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are providedreasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interviewprocess, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits andprivileges of employment.

Kenyan nationals are encouragedto apply. International allowances are not available for this position. Salaryand employee benefits are compliant to the Kenyan NGO Sector.

Disclaimer:

Please take note thatInternational Rescue Committee (IRC) does not ask for any fees in connectionwith its recruitment processes.