Since our founding in Berlin in 2015, SOS Humanity has been active as a civilian search and rescue organisation to ensure that no one has to drown at sea and that everyone is treated with dignity. With our rescue ship – the Humanity 1 – we operate in the central Mediterranean to rescue people in distress at sea, protect them and bring them to a place of safety.

For our operational crew we are looking for a Mental Health Representative

As a Mental Health Representative, you are part of the 4-person medical team, consisting of medical doctor, paramedic OR nurse, midwife and mental health representative. The medical team is part of the care team on board and supervised by the Care Coordinator (CareCo) during the rotation. You will play a pivotal role in providing mental health care to survivors rescued at sea, working closely within your team and in collaboration with other positions.  

Your Care Coordinator will conduct a specific onboarding before the start of the rotation. You will also be in touch with the Technical Advisor as your onshore contact person who will be available to you before and during the rotation if you have any mental health related questions or need support.

Responsibilities and Duties

Mental Health Care:

• Serve as the focal point for mental health care for survivors on board Humanity1
• Conduct psychological assessments and provide crisis intervention, stabilization, and psychological de-escalation as needed
• Assess and manage suicide risk and other acute mental health crises.
• Implement culturally sensitive and adapted psychological interventions.

Coordination and Collaboration:

• Work closely with the other medical team members to provide holistic care to survivors.
• Collaborate with the Cultural Mediator to ensure culturally appropriate mental health care.
• Collaborate with the Protection Representative to address mental health needs of vulnerable people, and organise referrals on land to ensure continuous care

Training and Support:

• Provide Psychological First Aid training to crew members on board.

Documentation and Referral:

• Maintain comprehensive documentation of mental health assessments and interventions.
• Report to the Care Coordinator on mental health issues and contribute to overall medical reporting.

Qualification & Requirements:

• Degree in psychology/psychiatry and a minimum of 2 years of relevant working experience post-education, with experience in crisis intervention, trauma response, and emergency psychology.
• Ability to work under high pressure and in stressful, low-resource environments.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively in multicultural teams.
• Critical understanding of professional boundaries, white saviorism, racism, and power dynamics in humanitarian settings.
• Commitment to SOS Humanity’s protocols and code of conduct

Desired:

• Experience working with asylum seekers, refugees, and people on the move.
• Previous experience in humanitarian emergencies and/or Search and Rescue operations.
• Training and experience in culturally adapted psychological interventions.
• Experience providing training and supervision to others in mental health contexts.
• Additional language skills in Arabic, French, Farsi or Bangla desirable