BURMESE REFUGEE ASSISTANCE IN THAILAND (ECHO)
Job description and Terms of reference
Psychologist
Context
Since more than 30 years, ethnic minorities groups of Burma are fighting against the powerful military junta who runs the country. The civilian context keeps the population in poor and precarious conditions of live, where their access to essential relief and services is limited.
Since 1984, AMI provides medical and sanitary aid to Burmese ethnic minorities through direct support in some medical facilities but mainly by training the medical staff in charge of them.
Due to the intensification of the fights and the important loss of the Karen army, the population started to flee massively to Thailand in 1994 and since then, keeps growing the figures on the refugee camps along Thai-Burmese Border. AMI joined the population on its exodus in 1995, and operates since then in a few camps. Nowadays, AMI is present in Nupoe and Umpiem refugee's camps (Tak Province), and provides curative medical care through an active support to the medical system in place and contributes to maintain a good level of practice of the medical staff with constant training.
Programs
AMI is in charge of curative activities in 2 refugee camps: Nupoe and Umpiem; its partner ARC is in charge of the water and sanitation and the preventive part. Du to its curative responsibility, AMI is functioning as a referral service for ARC MCH services and is in charge of emergency referral in both camps.
AMI team is composed of national and expatriate staff and collaborates closely with professional refugees. The medical team is responsible for the medical activities in the camp, the patient house, the pharmacy and the relations with the Thai hospitals. The logistic team is providing a support to manage all the logistic issues both in the camps (hospital, stocks, electric power, and buildings) and in the three bases of Mae Sot, Umphang and Bangkok. A base is usually compose with an office, one or several team houses, a patient house, a pharmacy stock, a logistic stock, a fleet of cars, computers, office equipment, communication system, etc…
An administrative department supervises both administrative and logistic issues. It defines the frame and the rules, both financial and organizational.
Activities of the position:
Statements:
The psychosomatic disorders appear to be on the 3rd position into the morbidity classification. 4 484 cases were reported in from November 2003 to September 2004 among the 36 023 consultations performed in Umpiem. In Nupoe 3 498 cases were reported among 30 325 consultation from November 2003 to September 2004 under psychosomatic disorder label, we classify depression, body pains, headaches, tiredness, etc.
The problem is emerging now at border level, as the camps are settled since long time and refugees have low expectation in a near future to see their situation solved.
The psychosomatic disorders can have some serious impacts in the quality of life for the refugees themselves, but as well indirect consequences at community or family level. Thus, we noticed some babies stop growing when their mothers suffer of such diseases and become too negligent. ARC workers experiment to provide specific attention to the babies (looking, holding and speaking with them), and notice significant changes (for the babies).
Since eight months now, a field psychologist has been worked to improve this situation through mental health activity in the both camps.
The mental health support:
A mental health support has been open in the both camps into the AMI clinic. A mental health helper (camp staff) manages this activity under the field psychologist's responsibility. In parallel, our main partner on the field, ARC, has welcomed a psychologist as well and she has done an assessment. The field psychologists from the two organizations used to work together for the well ongoing of the program.
The mental health activities in AMI clinics run as follows:
§ Private consultation in OPD (Out Patient Department), most of the time referred by the rest of the medical team.
§ Bedside consultation in IPD (In Patient Department) and/or activities with the children in pediatric area.
§ The project of group of talk is in maturation phase base on the survey of the mental health helpers.
The VCT implication:
The Volunteer Counseling Testing is implemented in the both camps. The main aim is to offer to the population a professional way to know the HIV status. AMI has worked closely with ARC but as well with a local NGO KEWG who has done the counseling training for the staff during the preparation phase of the VCT.
The field psychologist will have to help the VCT supervisor of AMI to resolve the problems regarding the program and to improve if need it the counselling skills.
The SGBV focal point:
Moreover, the field psychologist is the AMI focal point regarding the Gender-Based Violence and he/she will adjust the protocol and make the bound with the partners (UNHCR and ARC).
Objectives of the position
v To improve the mental health care in Nupoe and Umpiem health services and refugee camps in collaboration with our partner ARC.
v To be the focal point on the GBV issue for AMI
v To supervise the VCT supervisor
Activities and tasks
· Strengthen AMI medical team on the specific area mental health.
I. He/she will organize training about psychology for the medical team, in collaboration with the field doctors, according to the needs of the team.
II. He/she will involve medical staff into some activities like the pediatric areas or the waiting room.
· Strengthen AMI health services in mental health care.
I. He/she will provide some consultations to some sensitive patients.
II. He/she will try to improve the relation patient-medical personnel on the both clinics.
III. He/she will do some collect of data and will analyze them in order to adjust and strengthen the mental health support in the AMI clinics.
· Supervise the mental health helper in the both camps.
I. He/she will organize this timetable to be present on each camp at least one week per month and more if possible.
II. He/she will guild the mental health helpers of the both camps through advices based on his/her experiences.
III. He/she will assist to the consultations and will organize supervision and discussion around the cases seen by the mental health helpers.
IV. He/she will train the mental health helpers on specific psychological subjects to strengthen their knowledge.
V. He/she will help them to organize their consultations and reinforce the network with the NGOs working in the camps.
· Be involved for AMI in the monitoring of the VCT program with the VCT supervisor.
I. He/she will be the responsible of the VCT supervisor.
II. He/she will help the VCT supervisor to organize the supervision of the VCT counselors.
III. He/she will sometimes provide training to strengthen the VCT counselors' tools.
IV. He/she will attend coordination's meetings with the other partners if needed or requested by the VCT supervisor.
V. Review of the VCT supervisor the data collection and VCT monthly report
· Be involved as a focal point for AMI in the GBV program.
I. The field psychologist will attend the different meetings on this subject.
II. He/she will take care of the GBV victim referred to Mae Sot or Umphang.
III. He/ she will work closely with the GBV coordinator of ARC.
IV. He/she will adjust the protocol if needed.
V. He/she will train the mental health helpers to let them have the adequate follow up of the victim.
VI. He/she will make the medical team aware and sensitive to this problem.
· Report
- Write an intermediary report.
- Write a final report
- Write monthly mental health report with data
- Write a monthly expatriate report
- Write upon the request of the medical coordinator or the Country director a report of the activity for the donors.
Type of contract: Volunteer
Starting date: Beginning February 2005
Duration: 6 to 12 months
Base: Mae Sot, traveling to Umphang, Nupoe and Umpiem camps, occasionally to Bangkok in case of needs
Indemnity: 686 Euros / months. Insurance, accommodation
Operational skill:
Ø Fluent in English
Ø Knowledge in psychology clinical (for the training of the staff)
Ø Knowledge on GBV (Gender-Based Violence) would be appreciated
Ø Analysis, problem solving capacities, negotiation abilities
Ø Excellent management and organisational capacities,
Ø Reporting, writing capacities
Ø Good communication and respect in the work
Ø Respect of code of conduct defined by AMI Paris and to the Aims of AMI
Ø Flexibility
Previous overseas experience would be appreciated