Psychiatrist

RESPONSIBILITIES

As a psychiatrist working with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), your primary responsibility is to propose, implement and enhance treatment plans for patients suffering from mental health disorders, employing strategies and tools tailored to their specific context and culture. A significant aspect of your role involves coordinating various activities and providing guidance and supervision to locally recruited colleagues engaged in mental health and psychosocial support initiatives.

Your daily routine will typically include conducting individual clinical consultations and organizing therapeutic or psycho-educational group activities.

While your primary focus is clinical in nature, it is crucial to emphasize your pivotal role in recruiting, training and overseeing locally employed mental health professionals. Your ability to adapt tools and interventions to align with local cultural nuances and evolving circumstances remains paramount.

REQUIREMENTS

• Certified psychiatrist with an active license
• Minimum two years clinical experience (post-residency) in a multi-disciplinary setting treating patients with psychotherapeutic or counselling methods
• At least six months of clinical experience within the last two years
• Professional experience in mental health issues associated with at least TWO of the following areas:
• HIV/AIDS
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Sexual violence
• Trauma
• Tuberculosis
• Experience in managing staff in a multicultural team (supervision and training)
• Advanced-level fluency in English. French fluency is highly valued. Other languages such as Spanish, Arabic, and Portuguese are also valued. Refer to this evaluation grid
• Relevant travel or work experience in contexts similar to where MSF works (armed conflicts, disasters, public health emergencies or situations of healthcare exclusion)
• Commitment to work in MSF international programs for a minimum of six to 12 months

ASSETS

• Experience working with migrants, internally displaced people or refugees
• Experience with short-term therapy
• Experience across the full scope of mental health care provision for adults, adolescents and children
• Experience with individual, family and group counselling
• Experience in community-based psycho-social or trauma-focused programs
• Experience in adapting recognized and accepted therapeutic techniques in consideration of local cultural contexts
• Experience with adherence counselling or patient education for chronic diseases

MSF CORE COMPETENCIES

• Behavioural flexibility: Level 2, Adapts behaviour to the needs of the situation
• Teamwork and cooperation: Level 2, Shares information and coordinates with team and others
• Result and quality orientation: Level 2, Works towards objectives, preserving established standards
• Commitment to MSF principles: Level 1, Demonstrates knowledge of and accepts MSF’s principles
• People management: Level 2, Gives feedback and sets limits
• Cross-cultural awareness: Level 3, Demonstrates an integrating attitude
• Stress management: Level 2, Manages own stress
• Understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI): Level 1, Familiarity with EDI concepts and their application in a humanitarian context.

To find out more about MSF core competencies, please look here.

You can find a comprehensive view of MSF career paths here.