Consultant- Aggression Management

Country:       Afghanistan

Department: International Operations

                       

Essential Job Duties/Scope of Work:

International Medical Corps is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs.

Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, International Medical Corps is a private, voluntary, nonpolitical, nonsectarian organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through
health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in underserved communities worldwide. By offering training and health care to local populations and medical assistance to people at highest risk, and with the flexibility to respond rapidly to emergency situations, International Medical Corps rehabilitates devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.

PROGRAM BACKGROUND

The IMC Mental Health Project in Kabul started in January 2011. The place was neglected and understaffed. Patients were looked after by their relatives with no staff presence most of the time. Most patients were chained by their relatives in order to stop potential risk of assaults on people around the hospital. Despite the chain free initiative initiated under World Health Organization in 2008, chaining of patients was still a very common practice in 2011. International Medical Corps (IMC) improved the knowledge of staff working at the Kabul Mental Health Hospital (KMHH) through a variety of training aimed at improving staff’s Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice. Now the use of chains is no-longer a common practice while patients still present with some the same needs as they did prior to the start of the IMC project.

In December 2013, International Medical Corps conducted a 10 days training in “Prevention, Reduction, and Management of Violence and Aggression (PRMVA)” or “Aggression Management” in short. During this short period of time, two “full four days” of PRMVA was conducted for Psychologists, Nurses and Social workers and two “one day” sessions were conducted for trainer and trainee psychiatrists. Due to time limitation, it was decided that it is better for psychologists, nurses and social workers to receive the full training since they are more in direct contact than the psychiatrists. Also, during this time period, current De-Escalation and Seclusion guidelines were reviewed and modified according to the PRMVA principles. A pictorial manual was also developed for future reference for trainees. It is worth mentioning that this training was the first of its kind ever conducted in Afghanistan and that it was very well received by staff at the mental health hospital. However, more follow-up is needed to build additional staff capacities, provide refresher trainings and to train future trainers.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Specifically, Consultant will complete the following tasks:

The consultant will serve as the expert trainer/consultant for a period of two months as part of the IMC-MHH Project in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Specifically, the consultant will complete the following tasks:
• Refresher training: the consultant will conduct refresher training for MHH staffs who previously received the PRMVA training in Dec 2013.
• Full training for psychiatrists: due to the short period of the previous training in Dec 2013, psychiatrists received a 1 day training which covered only de-escalation and disengagement techniques. The consultant will conduct full PRMVA training for psychiatrists at MHH.
• Training of trainers: The consultant will conduct PRMVA ToT for select staff at MHH. It is important for the mental health hospital to train a few select staff with supervisory skills. These trained supervisors will play several roles in the MHH. 1) They will be the first PRMVA trainers in Afghanistan and will be able to provide this training to the staff that will join MHH in the future. Furthermore, they will be able to provide this training to staff of other organizations around the county if requested. 2) They will conduct refresher trainings for MHH staff who already received the training through IMC 3) they will provide general supervision and oversight at the MHH (e.g. for physical restraint practices, processes for preventing abuse and harm to patients or staff).
• Ethical practice: the consultant will focus on ethical practice throughout the length of his/her work. This focus should be based on International Human Rights Conventions and Guidelines, the WHO Quality Rights Toolkit, Afghanistan Mental Health Act and Non-harmful methods of control for aggressive patients.
• Development and provision of training materials: Training materials (according to content listed above) should include a detailed curriculum (with target days/hours/goals/participants) written guidance handouts for training participants and training presentations (e.g. any power points, videos, etc.). The training should be skills based and emphasize practical learning, role play, group exercises and on the job coaching and on the job supervision
• Training evaluations: The training should include pre-post KAP tests, on the job supervision checklists and training evaluations for participant feedback. All results need to be reported in the final training report.
• PRMVA Policy: the consultant will develop an approved PRMVA policy to be used in MHH, which is very important for the sustainability of the PRMVA in MHH, and for reducing violent and aggressive incidents. Staffs need to be trained on the new policy that will be developed.
• Update current guidelines and procedures: update current seclusion and de-escalation guidelines and procedures according to the principles of PRMVA. Provide orientation to staff on changes and modifications made to the current procedures.
• Further guidelines and procedures: Develop more guidelines and procedures such as positive behavior support plans, reducing the risks of restrictive physical interventions, the application of restrictive physical interventions, post-incident procedures relevant and tailored to all trained staff.
• Reporting and recording tools: develop tools for reporting and recording of PRMVA related incidents and practices with aggressive patients. Currently no such tools exist. Train staff on the newly developed tools and procedures.

Qualifications:

1. Licensed Psychologist or Psychiatrist
2. Experience with curriculum development in mental health
3. Excellent training and supervision skills
4. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

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