Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

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 part-time Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist 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 Psychiatrist is responsible to collaborate with the Case Management team and the Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychologist in the integration of psychiatric treatment 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 a detailed mental health evaluation for children and adolescents referred to INARA’s mental health program with emotional or behavioral challenges associated with traumatic events in Lebanon and the region, in order to establish a clear impression and diagnosis underlying the symptoms observed
• Refer to the Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychologist for psychotherapy, parenting guidance and behavioral planning, as necessary
• Psycho-educate children/adolescents and caregivers about mental health and challenges patients might be facing with specific attention to the cultural context
• Provide recommendations for psychotropic prescriptions when needed, discussing with caregivers all available treatment options, and collaborating with them on the plan of action
• Follow up children/adolescents requiring psychotropic medications closely, adjusting dosage, monitoring for safety and possible side effects
• Attend meetings with team members to discuss treatment plan and progress
• Provide training and supervision to team members on assessment tools and diagnosis of mental health disorders
• Evaluate in-country available psychiatric services including possibilities for psychiatric hospitalization and the quality of these services, in order to manage the referral for psychiatric hospitalization, with clinical evaluation and reassessment of post-hospitalization patients
• Emergencies: availability to support by phone and provide prescription according to INARA’s standards adapted to the context
• Conduct home visits to specific patients as necessary, in coordination with the Case Management team
• Ensure holistic management of each assigned case from case initiation to case closure
• 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
• 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

• Education: Medical Doctor degree, specialized training in psychiatry
• At least 2 years working as a psychiatrist
• 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.

Desirable

• Experience working with vulnerable children who have medical needs and corresponding knowledge of the principles and practices required when working with these children
• Experience working frontline with vulnerable people in Lebanon or elsewhere in the Middle East
• Experience in training and supervision
• 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
• Strong interpersonal, written and oral communication skills with an ability to communicate to a wide range of actors
• Ability to multitask and strong organizational skills.

The remuneration range for this position is $1,000 to 1,200 per month, based on experience and competencies.