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Mental health specialist

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Mental health specialist

Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) mental health specialists work to provide psychological or psychiatric care to communities impacted by conflict, disasters, or disease. 

Resilient, compassionate, and focused, their work is essential to helping people rebuild their lives. This can be through counselling, psycho-social support, or, in some projects, medication.  

Our counsellors are often members of the local community, specially trained by MSF. They receive clinical supervision and support from highly qualified mental health specialists such as psychologists and psychiatrists.  

Read the blog posts below to find out more about life as an MSF mental health specialist, or click here to find out more about applying to join the team. 

Gisela Silva Gonzalez - MSF mental health specialist
Gisela Silva Gonzalez
Mental health specialist
Tongolo: A space to talk about everything
In the Central African Republic, MSF counsellors are helping survivors of sexual violence find the inner strength they might not know they have. Psychologist Gisela writes…
07 Apr 2021 / 5 minute read
Gisela Silva Gonzalez - MSF mental health specialist
Gisela Silva Gonzalez
Mental health specialist
Tongolo means hope
At our Tongolo project in the Central African Republic, survivors of sexual violence can find both physical care and psychological support. Mental health specialist Gisela Silva Gonzalez takes us inside this important and powerful place.
23 Feb 2021 / 5 minute read
Sunset over Nablus in the West Bank
Marilen Osinalde - MSF psychologist
Marilen Osinalde
Mental health specialist
The two conflicts: Lessons of loss in Palestine
Psychologist Marilen Osinalde shares a deeply personal story from one resilient patient, and the growth that can be found in grief
15 Dec 2020 / 8 minute read
Marilen Osinalde - MSF psychologist
Marilen Osinalde
Mental health specialist
Palestine: The never-ending lockdown
Psychologist Marilen writes from Nablus, where the fear and restrictions brought by COVID-19 are nothing new for many
18 Nov 2020 / 6 minute read
Raimund Alber
Mental health specialist
Sexual violence in Cameroon: Violet's story
Simple actions can have an important impact for survivors of sexual assault. Psychologist Raimund shares the story of how the team cared for one family in Cameroon...
10 Nov 2020 / 9 minute read
Sara Tannouri - MSF psychologist
Sara Tannouri
Mental health specialist
"I needed to make myself useful to overcome the panic”
MSF psychologist Sara Tannouri looks back at the blast which devastated her home city of Beirut in early August and its impact on people’s mental wellbeing, including her own
10 Nov 2020 / 4 minute read
Marilen Osinalde - MSF psychologist
Marilen Osinalde
Mental health specialist
Mental health in Palestine: “It shows strength to ask for help”
Psychologist Marilen Osinalde explains how mental trauma can build-up, and the hope that can be found in seeking support
28 Sep 2020 / 6 minute read
Kateřina Šrahůlková - MSF child psychologist
Kateřina Šrahůlková
Mental health specialist
Overwhelmed: The mental health crisis among child refugees in Greece
What is life really like for "unaccompanied minors" held at the infamous Moria camp in Greece? Psychologist Kateřina shares this incredibly powerful account of treating trauma and searching for hope.
13 Aug 2020 / 11 minute read
Raman, MSF Belaurs
Raman Vishneuski
Mental health specialist
"Small steps towards healing": Tackling TB and alcohol addiction in Belarus
When alcohol is your primary coping strategy, giving it up can feel impossible. But when you recieve a diagnosis of another life-threatening disease, the need to do so becomes more urgent, and more challenging. Raman blogs from Belarus...
15 May 2020 / 1 minute read
Margaret Ngunang
Margaret Ngunang
Mental health specialist
"I will leave this project with wonderful memories": Reflections of a first-time fieldworker
For seven months, US mental health specialist Margaret has been providing support to people living in Bentiu, a Protection of Civilians site in South Sudan. The camp offers protection to those fleeing violent conflict in the region and is home to more than 100,000 people, as well as an MSF hospital. Margaret reflects on her first field assignment with MSF. 
14 Jan 2020 / 4 minute read
Margaret Ngunang
Margaret Ngunang
Mental health specialist
Movie Night: Mental Health in South Sudan
A long stay in hospital is stressful for anyone, but especially for children. Mental health specialist Margaret shares a creative approach from a UN camp in South Sudan...
10 Nov 2019 / 3 minute read
Christian Falkenstein MSF
Christian Falkenstein
Mental health specialist
I still have a suitcase in Minsk...
... it will stay there too, which has a meaning of its own. This is how the journey lasts. And if I long to, then I’ll go back… (With apologies to Marlene Dietrich)
23 Oct 2019 / 4 minute read
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