Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychologist

BACKGROUND

INARA provides life-altering medical care and reconstructive surgery for children (0-18 years) who have injuries or illnesses due to war or unsafe living conditions as refugees, and are unable to access or afford treatment. INARA’s work consists of filling the gap in access to free of charge medical and surgical treatment when not provided by other institutions or non-profits. INARA also supports ongoing cases with medication, medical equipment (such as prosthetic, eyeglasses, glass eyes, hearing aids), laboratory and diagnostic testing, transportation, accommodation prior/post-surgery, and other therapeutic regimens (speech therapy, physiotherapy, psychotherapy).

INARA is initiating a mental health program and is thus looking for a full-time Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychologist to join its program team in Lebanon. This program will also include children impacted by the Beirut blast.  This position is extended to Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian or any native Arabic nationals who have an existing legal residence in Lebanon. INARA does not cover any relocation costs for this position.

DESCRIPTION

INARA’s Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychologist is responsible to collaborate with the Case Management team and the Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist in the integration of mental health with basic healthcare services in order to ensure the treatment of children and adolescents suffering from severe and common psychiatric and mental health disorders.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conduct initial assessments through psycho-diagnostic interviews with caregivers, children and adolescents, and using rating scales and standardized tools when needed, to provide diagnosis, case formulation, and treatment plan
• Conduct brief models of counseling and psychotherapy including but not limited to cognitive behavioral therapy, play-therapy, child-interaction therapy, and other evidence-based approaches for children and adolescents
• Follow up on psychological progress of the patients and implement concrete treatment plans in collaboration with children/adolescents and their caregivers
• Coordinate with school counselors and other service-providers, when required
• Coordinate with interdisciplinary team, including the psychiatrist and the case management team, to provide holistic and multidisciplinary care
• Conduct mental health awareness sessions or group support sessions as needed
• Provide psychotherapy for emotional and behavioral difficulties for children and adolescents referred after assessment by the Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
• Follow a CBT model for therapy including Trauma-focused CBT when needed
• Provide caregivers with parenting guidance and coaching, and guidance on behavioral management when needed
• Provide group therapy for children and adolescents that can benefit from sessions addressing certain skills, such as coping and relaxation techniques
• Attend meetings with team members to discuss treatment plan and progress of therapy
• Advocate for the best interest of children with other members of the interdisciplinary team and within the healthcare provision to ensure children’s and families’ informed decision-making, consent, concordance with plans of care, and quality of life
• Ensure the implementation of common ethical and legal standards in mental health provision
• Identify child protection and SGBV concerns
• Address family systems issues, including the impact of healthcare concerns, illness, and disease on family relationships; life cycles; and caregiving roles and support models
• Keep record of clinical encounters through various forms in accordance with using INARA’s digital platforms and tools to ensure proper documentation
• Perform data collection and documentation for Monitoring & Evaluation and reporting purposes

WORKING ENVIRONMENT

Based in Beirut, the working environment will be a combination of both field and office-based work. Field work may be in various settings such as hospitals, primary healthcare centers, community health clinics, and non-profit social services organizations. There may be times when the position holder is required to work on the weekends or evenings and undertake other duties which are broadly in line with the above responsibilities.

REQUIREMENTS

Essential Requirements

• Education: MA or PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, School/Educational Psychology, or Pediatric Neuropsychology
• License to practice the clinical psychology or educational psychology profession from the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health
• 3 to 5 years of clinical experience with children/adolescents, post Master’s degree
• Native Arabic is a must; good working ability in English is required for internal communications and reporting purposes
• Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian or any native Arabic nationals who have an existing legal residence in Lebanon
• Cultural sensitivity and adaptability to different environments and audiences; caring and compassionate while being able to set clear boundaries with children, caregivers, and partners
• Familiarity with administrative systems including Microsoft Office
• Ability to work within INARA’s guiding principles.

Essential Skills and Knowledge: Assessment and Psychotherapy Skills:

• Ability to provide semi-structured clinical assessments and clear case formulations
• Ability to recognize mental health priority conditions as per the mhGAP
• Ability to use standardized assessment tools, especially for school-related issues such as learning disabilities
• Ability to provide empathic, evidence-based, brief psychotherapy to a culturally diverse population of children/adolescents aged between 5 and 18. Experience with children aged zero to five is a plus.
• Ability to provide psycho-education to parents and children/adolescents on a variety of topics including parenting skills, stress-management, anti-bullying, and relaxation tools
• Ability to develop a consistent treatment plan with clear objectives
• Monitoring and evaluating the psychological progress of the patient
• Experience providing clinical supervision or leading trainings is a plus

Skilled in or Willing to Build Capacity and Knowledge in:

• Developing family-centered, goal and strength focused, recovery-oriented care plan
• Mental health in complex emergencies (IASC guidelines, Psychological First Aid, mhGAP…)
• Biopsychosocial model in mental health
• Community-based approach in mental health
• Human rights-based approach in mental health
• Evidence-based approach in mental health
• Knowledge about the predictable stresses of humanitarian aid work and of children in conflict areas, and the policies and practices needed to mitigate them

Desirable

• Experience working with vulnerable children who have medical needs and corresponding knowledge of the principles and practices required when working with these children
• An understanding of medical issues which arise out of conflict situations
• A demonstrable understanding of the current socio-political and refugee contexts in Lebanon and Syria.
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team with ability to multitask and strong organizational skills
• Excellent communication, problem solving, interpersonal and conflict resolution skills

The remuneration range for this position is $1,600 to $2,000 per month, based on experience and competencies.