External MHPSS consultant for technical support to mission

Project in Moldova and Odesa

On March 3rd, INTERSOS started the first activities in support of the population in transit in Moldova. INTERSOS was initially present at the borders in the south-east of the country with operational headquarters in the capital, Chisinau. We established a mobile clinic to offer primary healthcare for refugees in transit at the border point of Palanca. There, as in the nearby border point of Tudora, INTERSOS carried out protection activities including identification of vulnerable people, referrals, direct psychosocial support and information provision on available services.

In the following months, INTERSOS established its presence in the Palanca Bus Hub and in the districts of Căușeni and Ștefan Vodă. A protection and medical team began providing primary healthcare, protection monitoring, PSS as well as internal and external referrals for Ukrainian and Third Country

Nationals fleeing the conflict. Due to the geographical spread of the displaced population, INTERSOS Moldova soon expanded its activities into the central region of the country, covering the city of Chișinău and other districts. A special focus has been put on reaching the most vulnerable communities therefore, assessments have been conducted in the northern, central and southern regions of the country. The mobile protection units engaged with local actors and representatives of communities and individuals at risk in order to understand their needs and provide durable solutions. In addition, in August 2022 INTERSOS started providing protection activities in Odesa including psychosocial support and social assistance and primary health care services will start shortly.

Job purpose: The mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) external consultant will be providing psychological and psychiatric advice on complex cases followed by INTERSOS medical personnel operational in Moldova, supporting it when needed.Consultant will focus on enhancing individual skills on medical, non-mental health specialist, medical staff, allowing a more precise and effective approach to complex patients, and the most accurate and timely referrals to Secondary Care. The successful candidate should therefore have experience in training, on the job supervision and mentoring, coordination and in building referral links to other formal service providers and informal community supports.

The mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) external consultant will closely work and coordinate with the Medical Coordinator Moldova and MHPSS officer who is tasked to oversee all MHPSS related activities including training and supervising general health care providers in mental health using some modules of mhGAP Intervention Guidelines (with the focus on identification of mental health vulnerabilities and how to safely interact with the patient and perform a proper referral to specialized mental health services and follow up)

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide training in the identification, referral and non-pharmacological management (all medical personnel and medical translators) of priority mental health condition to general health staff in line with modules of the WHO mhGAP Intervention Guidelines in coordination with Mission Medical Coordinator
• Engage trained staff in on the job mentoring and supervision
• Provide remote technical advice on individual psychological and psychiatric complex cases identified by INTERSOS Moldova Medical Personnel and psychologists
• One field visit in Moldova to assess the need and connect with the medical team and psychological team to create good relationships for remote support further in the project.

Expected deliverables and timeline

Deliverable

Timeline of implementation and deadlines

Payment

Training plan with proposed methodology and all materials ready

Mid-September

25% of contract value

Field trip, to meet the staff (medical and psychologists) and train them on some modules of MHGAP focusing on identification of cases)

End September

25% of contract value

Available for, at minimum, weekly consultations of the medical team and the psychologists, with more frequent interactions depending on the severity of the case.

Beginning of October till end December

25% of contract value

Final report on remote support

15th December

25% of the contract value

JOB REQUIREMENTS *

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Psychologist with mhGAP TOT training or MD with specialization in Psychiatry
• Transcultural Psychiatry/psychology knowledge is a strong asset
• 10+ years’ experience working on MHPSS programs, preferably in humanitarian settings
• Training and clinical supervision practice and experience required
• Clinical experience at community/individual level, either in a research or clinical capacity
• Knowledgeable in and experience following IASC Guidelines on MHPSS in Emergencies and international best practices on the integration of MHPSS into primary health care settings
• Training experience required; capacity and proven track record in national staff and partner training and capacity-building
• Strong organizational and supervisory skills
• Honest, hardworking and self-motivated
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work within different cultural environments
• Strong written and communication skills
• An excellent command of verbal and written English and Italian

Code of Conduct As applicable to this consultancy contract, an individual must promote and encourage a culture of compliance and ethics throughout the organization and maintain a clear understanding of INTERSOS and ethics standards and adheres to those standards.

Languages:

• Fluency in spoken and written English; support with translation will provided within the missions and during field visits with translators.

If interested, please submit:

• Financial plan (INTERSOS will cover the international flights, accommodation and local transportation costs and will support with translation during the stay in Moldova)
• Proposed workplan and methodology (max 2 pages)
• CV plus references
• If available, example of previously given trainings