Liberia Senior Emergency Mental Health Program Manager

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

IRC Liberia seeks an experienced clinical social worker or psychologist for the position of Senior Emergency Mental Health Program Manager. S/he will be responsible for coordinating IRC’s emergency mental health response to the influx of Ivorian refugees in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia, currently numbering over 52,000. IRC is continuing mental health activities operated by Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) at Duogee and Prime Timber Production (PTP) Camps outside of Zwedru city. MSF has halted medical operations in Grand Gedeh as of December 1st and IRC has been selected by Liberia’s Ministry of Health and UNHCR to take over all health activities at Ptp and Duogee which includes primary care services, an outpatient treatment program for malnourished children, immunization program and emergency referral services. IRC is anticipating expanding all health programming, as the camp populations rise from a current total of 10,000 to an estimated 24,000. Mental health activities include one-on-one counseling, group support activities, community mental health promotion campaigns, and in rare cases identification of patients with psychosis, major depression or other severe disease for referral and treatment Responsibilities Clinical Care • Ensure access to quality mental health programming at Ptp and Duogee camps • Supervise community and clinical activities of four mental health workers • Hire and train additional mental health counselors and activities as necessary • Standardize all mental health forms including intake, follow-up, referral, and discharge forms • Conduct weekly patient case reviews with mental health staff to discuss options for difficult cases and to assure high consistent standard of care • Perform regular chart review and provide feedback to individual staff on assessment of care • Ensure strong referral systems from IRC run primary health care clinic to mental health program Capacity Building • Mentor Liberian mental health professional to take over coordination activities in six months time • Provide continuing education to mental health staff on diagnosis of mental health disease, problem-based approach to counseling, community outreach techniques, culturally appropriate interaction and appropriate referral Community Outreach • Train and organize community health workers to do community outreach and engagement activities on mental health and other heath issues • Lead monthly community campaigns on health topics • Organize weekly community health promotion activities • Organize quarterly community theatre events in collaboration with other sector heads Data • Create electronic mental health tracking tool that captures IRC performance in delivering mental health activities • Prepare weekly detailed reports of mental health activities and performance • Create electronic version of standard operating procedures for all IRC mental health activities • Write mental health sections of quarterly donor reports • Prepare end of assignment report of no less than 10 pages with accompanying power point describing current IRC mental health activities, staff composition, performance to date, successes and gaps. Qualifications • Degree in clinical social worker, MSW or licensed clinical psychologist, or Licensed Professional Counselor. • Experience in one-on-one counseling and group therapy • Experience in mental health practice in diverse settings, particularly in development contexts • Two years of international experience • Excellent managerial, teaching and clinical skills • Ability to work in basic living conditions, and under programmatic and administrative pressures • Excellent written and spoken English and high proficiency in French

How to apply:

Please apply online: www.ircjobs.org or http://tbe.taleo.net/NA2/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=IRC&cws=1&rid=7608 .