General Physician Trained on mhGAP for Mobile Crisis Team

 A. GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The General Physician will collaborate with a multi-disciplinary mobile team to intervene during emergency mental health crisis through a 24/7 mobile unit.

B. ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES

• Respect: To consider all individuals worthy of high regards and respect.
• Integrity: To adhere to the highest moral and ethical principles in fulfilling Embrace’s mission.
• Compassion: To understand another person’s condition from their perspective and strive to respond to their needs.
• Inclusiveness: To actively include stakeholders in decision making and the implementation of Embrace’s strategic goals.
• Accountability: To acknowledge and assume responsibility for all actions and decisions undertaken within the organization.
• Ownership: To assume one’s responsibility towards their role and the organization, to problem solve and actively seek feedback in a proactive manner.
• Collaboration: To actively seek feedback from members of the team, and work collaboratively with team members inside the organization as well as engage external partners in fulfilling Embrace’s mission and vision.

C. MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Collaborate with a multi-disciplinary mobile team to intervene during emergency mental health crisis through a 24/7 mobile unit
• Assess for current stressors, current mental health status, mental health history, brief medical history, vital signs, and other aspects as necessary with the service user and/or family/ friends/ caregivers
• Provide appropriate care/support through verbal de-escalation and emotional support, psychoeducation, collaborative problem solving or setting of action plan, while avoiding unnecessary law enforcement involvement, ED use and hospitalization
• Prescribe and/or oversee the administration of appropriate medications (when needed as per assessment) during mental health emergency dispatches
• Crisis planning and follow up, which may include setting safety plan, involving service user’s support system, providing prescription with physician, agreement on follow up with service user’s mental health professional, referral to case worker for service orientation, check-up calls by the lifeline, or hospitalization
• Act as liaison between persons in mental health emergencies, nurses, hospitals, and other third parties as necessary
• Writing and updating patient records

D. QUALIFICATIONS

1. Critical Skills

• License to practice as a General Physician from the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health/Order of Physicians
• Received Training on MhGAP
• Excellent Command of English and Arabic

2. Professional Skills

• Ability to conduct clinical assessments as per the mhGAP
• Ability to provide preliminary diagnosis and base prescriptions on the recommended MOPH national guide and list of psychotropic and neurological medications.
• Ability to recognize mental health priority conditions as per the mhGAP
• Ability to provide empathic, evidence-based, brief, psychological first aid to a culturally diverse population.
• Ability to intervene and de-escalate mental health emergencies.

3. Skilled In or Willing to Build their Capacity and Knowledge In

• Mental Health in complexes emergencies (IASC guidelines, Psychological First Aid, mhGAP…).
• Biopsychological model in mental health.
• Community-based approach and human rights-based approach in mental health.
• Predictable stresses of humanitarian aid work and the policies and practices needed to mitigate them.

4. Behavioral Skills

• Demonstrates ability to work in a multidisciplinary team.
• Demonstrates excellent communication, problem solving, interpersonal and conflict resolution skills.
• Demonstrates ability to adhere to ethical considerations and principles with regard to work with vulnerable populations.
• Demonstrates a high level of professionalism while providing services to beneficiaries or working with internal support staff.​​​​​​​