Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
I have been working for MdM since June 2023, and it has just been three months now.My educational & professional background includes mental health with a Masters degree in clinical psychology from university of Karachi in Pakistan. And it has been more than 15 years working in humanitarian, development, social and public health sectors while organizing and leading caseloads and programs providing life skills, protection services, psychosocial support and mental health care to most vulnerable persons, persons affected by chronic and communicable diseases, disaster/ conflict affected persons, persons with disability, children survivors of sexual violence, GBV survivors, mentally and/or behaviorally challenged persons.
I have worked for many national and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) such as People in Need (Czech Republic), Handicap International-France, SAHIL (against child sexual abuse), World Vision International, OXFAM Novib, and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Islamabad. I have acquired some certifications and training courses in Project management essentials in humanitarian setting, Introducing MHPSS in emergencies, Protection in humanitarian action, and Action principles of Psychological First Aid (PFA).
Now coming to the skills, I would say that I am quite good in technical and conceptual aspects of MHPSS and protection programming and implementation. Along this I have managed and supervised different teams consist of psychologists, physiotherapists, MHPSS Officers, MHPSS counselor, and community mobilizers, implementing MHPSS component, protection and GBV activities in different settings including emergency and disaster situations. I am also well experienced in coordination and networking with different stakeholders to strengthen the referral pathways and scale up the mainstreaming of MHPSS themes in other sectors.
My daily activities in a «normal day»
A normal day of mine starts with the following activities I carry out almost on daily basis;
As the MHPSS is integrated to PHC program, so we need to coordinate with medical teams at top including community mobilization team. We have set up regular communication channels with medical teams and community mobilization teams. This can include in-person meetings, phone calls, emails, or a dedicated messaging platform for real-time updates, Cross-checking the presence and availability of MHPSS staff at their assigned health facilities to assure the MHC&PSS services are being delivered. We maintain records of MHPSS services, attendance, and patient consultations to keep reporting the progress and outcomes of MHPSS integration into the PHC program.
To ensure the quality of MHPSS services and streamline the flow of information, regularly review the MHPSS activities guidelines, MHPSS implementation strategies, MHPSS interventions check-lists, ethical principles and code of conducts. I keep on working at development, review and modification of program implementation tools and progress reporting tools. Reviewing and updating these resources regularly is an ongoing process that should be guided by the evolving and changing needs of the communities we serve and the lessons we learn from MHPSS interventions. It helps us maintain the quality of services, ensures ethical standards, and contributes in success of overall program.
Similarly the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) staff capacity building is crucial for the successful implementation of program activities, particularly in contexts where individuals and communities are affected by crises and conflicts and forced displacement. i keep on working with staff to enable them deliver essential tasks effectively in a culturally sensitive manner considering the ethical standards of providing support to individuals and communities in crisis or challenging situations. We have developed and customized the basic content of capacity building and other awareness raising tools, such as training modules, IASC guidelines on MHPSS, PFA Action principles, need identification and referral tools.
Technical supervision of MHPSS staff is an important component in ensuring the quality and effectiveness of MHPSS services and programs. On and off I plan supervisory visits to our health facilities in field, organize regular meetings with staff, review documentation such as patients case history files need identification and care planning, supervise case conferences and feedback sessions on weekly bases to align overall interventions with best practices.
We are working on building a functional referral pathway in coordination with other stakeholders to ensure that individuals and communities receive comprehensive and well-rounded care. On mandatory bases I keep on interacting with relevant stakeholders in health sector, partners working on protection and GBV both in government and private sectors to revive, plan and improve referral pathways, mainstreaming & integration MHPSS cross-cutting themes, skill sharing, supporting implementation and minimizing duplications.
The documentation of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) services, reporting of field activities and the maintenance of a confidential database are critical for providing standardized services while safeguarding the privacy rights of patients. I regularly work on maintaining accurate and complete records of MHPSS services provided, documented assessments, designed treatment plans, patients progress notes, and overall status patients wellbeing.
We are well aware that working in the field of MHPSS needs the workers wellbeing be kept at priority because often psychologists and mental health workers face emotional and psychological challenges. So, for the improvement of staff well-being and building their resilience, including other departments staff such as medical team, community mobilization team, pharmacy department and support staff. I work on planning and providing training on personal wellbeing & self-care and stress management which helps in equip staff with the knowledge and skills to understand and address their own overall wellbeing needs.
The most interesting part of my job…
Activities is working on development and modification of MHPSS program tools such as implementation, documentation & reporting tools, capacity building & awareness raising content, helping team members build their capacity and improve the skills required to do their job, contribution in facilitation of training sessions, and technical supervision of team members in organizing consultation sessions with clients/ patients through feedback sessions, case conferences and review of documentation.