The consultant will contribute to the work of IOM Tunisia’s Migration Health Division (MHD). The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Migration Health Officer and in close coordination with MHD physicians, nurses and other relevant MHD personnel. Coordination with Protection, MHPSS, programme and other units may take place when required for appropriate beneficiary support and referral, while the consultant’s primary function remains the provision of psychological services within MHD Medical Direct Assistance.
Task 1: Psychological assessment and identification of needs
Conduct psychological and psychosocial assessments of beneficiaries referred through MHD Medical Direct Assistance, within the scope of professional competence.
Identify mental health, psychosocial and functional needs and contribute relevant findings to the multidisciplinary assessment of beneficiaries.
Identify cases requiring urgent or specialized mental health intervention and promptly communicate the need for appropriate referral through established MHD pathways.
Support identification of vulnerability and safeguarding concerns and facilitate appropriate referral/coordination in accordance with IOM procedures.
Task 2: Direct psychological support and brief interventions
Provide individual psychological consultations and appropriate brief, evidence-informed psychosocial interventions within the consultant’s professional scope.
Provide psychological support to beneficiaries experiencing distress, adjustment difficulties, anxiety, low mood or other psychosocial concerns where appropriate to the MHD DA framework.
Provide basic psychoeducation and practical coping strategies tailored to the beneficiary’s needs and circumstances.
Maintain a culturally sensitive, trauma-informed, non-discriminatory and person-centred approach.
Task 3: Follow-up, referral and continuity of care
Undertake follow-up consultations for beneficiaries receiving MHD DA when clinically indicated and agreed with the supervising Migration Health Officer.
Coordinate referrals to appropriate public, private, community or specialized mental health services when needs exceed the scope of MHD psychological support.
Support continuity of care by communicating relevant clinical information through authorized and confidential channels and documenting referrals and follow-up appropriately.
Follow up on referral outcomes where appropriate and within the agreed MHD workflow.
Task 4: Multidisciplinary MHD case management and clinical coordination
Participate in relevant multidisciplinary case discussions with MHD physicians and other authorized health staff.
Provide professional psychological input to support medical/DA case planning, follow-up and referral decisions.
Advise the MHD medical team, within professional competence, on psychosocial considerations relevant to beneficiary care.
Escalate clinically significant concerns to the supervising Migration Health Officer in a timely manner.
Task 5: Confidential documentation and reporting
Maintain accurate, timely and confidential records of psychological consultations, assessments, interventions, referrals and follow-up in accordance with applicable IOM procedures and professional standards.
Ensure that only necessary information is shared with authorized personnel and that medical/psychological information is handled through approved confidential channels.
Provide concise activity and caseload information required for MHD monitoring and reporting, without compromising beneficiary confidentiality.
Immediately report any serious incident, safeguarding concern or other matter requiring management attention through the appropriate MHD channels.
Task 6: Limited technical contribution to MHD programming
Provide technical input on psychological and psychosocial issues when requested by the Migration Health Officer.
Contribute, when directly relevant to the consultant’s professional expertise, to development or improvement of MHD referral pathways, clinical workflows, tools or guidance.
Support selected MHD health activities only where the contribution is directly related to psychological expertise and does not detract from the primary Medical Direct Assistance function.
At least Two (2) years of relevant professional experience in psychological assessment, counselling, mental health or psychosocial support.
Demonstrated experience providing direct psychological services to vulnerable populations is highly desirable
Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration and is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society.
IOM works with its partners in the international community to assist in meeting the growing operational challenges of migration, advance understanding of migration issues, encourage social and economic development through migration and uphold the well-being and human rights of migrants.
More people are on the move today than at any other time in recorded history: 1 billion people – comprising a seventh of humanity. A variety of elements – not least the information and communications revolutions – contribute to the movement of people on such a large scale. The forces driving migration as a priority issue are: climate change, natural and manmade catastrophes, conflict, the demographic trends of an ageing industrialized population, an exponentially expanding jobless youth population in the developing world and widening North–South social and economic disparities.
