Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan is looking for a seasoned and Dynamic Mental Health Coordinator for Chitral Region

The incumbent will not only support the programmatic and service delivery efforts but also the research activities to understand and evaluate the mental health work being done in Chitral.

 Key Responsibilities:

• Monitoring of activities of Mental Health Program & Research team in Chitral including
1. Requirements for clinics- infrastructure, and technical tools.
2. Support clinical psychologists & FHNs in field plans and implementation. 
3. Design and implement strategies with clinical psychologists and nurses to ensure that loss to follow up is reduced for all interventions and treatment programs offered.
4. Play key role to ensure referrals of urgent and severe cases. Develop referral pathways and ensure its proper implementation.
• Ensure participation in mentorship and clinical support program for Psychologists and FHNs as well as other Mental Health Professionals based and practicing in Chitral. These include professionals working for Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan and the Departments of Health in  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Districts of Upper and Lower Chitral).
• Assess the training needs of the team members and arrange trainings for continuing education opportunities for team members leveraging networks with AKU and other providers.
• To help establish a referral pathway for patients from Chitral requiring consultations with AKHS,P Psychiatrists and Psychologists. This will include:
1. Building referral pathways and linkages with mental health services but also other mental health services available in Islamabad, Peshawar, and other parts of the country which are more accessible to Chitral patients.
2. Building referral pathways for patients being referred from the Taskeen Helpline
3. Coordination with psychiatrists to manage effective step down of patients and offering of psychosocial support to patients on medication through mobilization the team of psychologists in Chitral.

• Working in close coordination with Ismaili Council Chitral, DoH and other stakeholders in Chitral.
• Working in close coordination with other programs in AKHS,P to ensure smooth coordination in regards to implementation
• Travel to program intervention sites based on need

• Ensure that nurses &/ psychologists carry out meetings in each cluster/region at the required frequency (usually monthly at minimum) amongst themselves and with Health Promoters and oversee the structure and outcomes of these meetings.
• Oversight for ensuring that patient information and records are completed by clinical psychologists, nurses and other team members effectively using the mobile application and the AKHS,P Health Management Information System.
• Work closely with stakeholders (AKHS,P Research Team and AKU) as an integral part of the interventional research team. Ensure data collection, cleaning and analysis for better interpretation in form of findings of the research.

Education, Experience & Competencies:

• Minimum Msc (preferred in Psychology, Clinical Psychology, BScN, MScN, or social sciences)
• Minimum 3 to 5 years of related experience
• Should have an aptitude for working in a multidisciplinary team.
• Team working skills.
• Problem-solving skills
• Good time management
• Good communication and team building skills.

AKHS is committed to reducing our impact on climate and the environment and has set ourselves the goal of striving for net-zero carbon operations by 2030. All staff are expected to take part in making this a reality. The Mental Health Coordinator accompanied with his/her Line Manager is expected to identify and understand which aspects of his/her work have most impact on the environment, and define tasks, work, and personal goals within his/her work plan to reduce these impacts and bring AKHS closer to net zero.