Doctors Without Borders, an international humanitarian medical association created in 1971, provides medical assistance to populations whose lives are threatened: mainly in cases of armed conflict, but also epidemics, pandemics, natural disasters or exclusion from care.
Mission France is looking for a Psychologist for its project in Calais
CONTEXT :
MSF's France Mission provides assistance to migrants in situations of great social, medical and/or psychological vulnerability in France and conducts advocacy work to facilitate their access to common law.
Since December 2017, Mission France has been providing assistance to migrants. It ensures medical, psychological, legal and social support for people excluded from healthcare and advocates for access to care for vulnerable foreign nationals, particularly women living in camps in the Dunkirk area.
Mission France currently has three projects:
• In the Île-de-France region. The project has been running since December 2017. Initially focused on providing medical, psychological, social, and legal support to unaccompanied minors undergoing appeals (day care and accommodation), it has evolved significantly by specializing in young women seeking recognition of their minority status. This is complemented by a mobile clinic run by a team of volunteers.
• In Calais and along the North Coast. Opening in summer 2023. Day center for unaccompanied minors offering respite and activities; mobile clinics for the general public (adults, families, minors), including mental health services. Seasonal activities complement these, with coastal outreach programs from spring to autumn for displaced persons rescued from shipwrecks, and in winter, emergency shelter for the most vulnerable.
• In Dunkirk. The project aims to address the growing needs of women, girls, and families in exile living in extremely precarious conditions on the Dunkirk coastline. In close partnership with the Refugee Women's Centre, it focuses on providing women's healthcare (gynecology, pregnancy monitoring, sexual and reproductive health), mental health care, emergency shelter for single women, strengthening the detection and response to sexual violence, and a documentation and advocacy component addressing violence and the lack of essential services in the area. The communication and advocacy component is central to this mission, which operates in a country with the resources to provide dignified reception but which deliberately neglects migrant populations.
But principal :
To provide psychological support to patients, in accordance with MSF principles, standards and procedures and HAS recommendations, in order to improve their mental health.
Responsibilities:
• To assess mental health needs, establish a diagnosis and treatment plan, inform the family of the possible consequences of the illness and the drug treatment to be followed and refer patients to other professionals when necessary, in order to provide the treatment most likely to improve their health.
• Implement the protocol for the care of victims of sexual violence (VSV), identify VSV victims and refer them to the medical team in order to provide them with the necessary treatment.
• To provide psychological support and psychotherapy sessions (individual, family, group), in accordance with MSF protocols and in a way that improves the mental health of patients.
• To assist and train staff members and, if necessary, other stakeholders in order to expand the scope of mental health activities. To work closely with translators to determine the vocabulary and approach to adopt during sessions.
• Collect statistics and monitor data related to mental health activities
• Inform your supervisor and the medical team of any questions or problems that may arise in connection with the treatment, in order to offer the best solution from a medical point of view.
• Guarantee the confidentiality of all patient-related information.
Responsibilities specific to the France mission:
Under the supervision of the project's mental health supervisor, the mission's mental health manager, and in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team, participate in MSF activities on the northern coast:
• Implement group activities at day centers and within mobile clinics (mental health awareness, psychoeducation, psychosocial activities)
• Network with relevant partners and refer patients to other professionals if necessary.
• Issue mental health certificates at the request of the patient and according to the clinical assessment, in accordance with the recommendations of the Intersection Legal Department (ILD)
• Support and train staff members and, if necessary, other stakeholders, particularly on supporting women and families.
• Working closely with intercultural mediators to determine the vocabulary and attitude to adopt during the sessions.
• Collect statistics related to its activity, analyze the data and participate in the writing of monthly reports (SitRep).
• Participate in team meetings.
• Identify potential pleading issues and inform your supervisor.
• Inform the project coordinator of any incident posing a security risk.
Desired profile:
Experience :
• Education: Master's degree (Master 2) in clinical psychology and psychopathology or medical degree with specialization in psychiatry is essential. Desirable training in transcultural psychopathology, psychotraumatology, family/systemic therapy, and child psychopathology is also desirable.
• Professional experience of at least two years as a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist in France is essential.
• Experience with MSF or another NGO in crisis or unstable contexts is desirable. Experience working with exiled people, women, and children is also desirable.
• Skills: Teamwork and cooperation, flexibility, listening skills, confidentiality, adherence to MSF principles, proficiency in computer tools (Word, Excel, etc.)
Languages: Fluency in French is required. Knowledge of one of the following languages is desirable: Arabic, Kurdish-Sorani, Pashto, Dari, Farsi, Tigrinya, Amharic, English.
Employment conditions:
Status: 12-month fixed-term contract with possibility of renewal. Full-time, 39 hours/week. Position based in Calais with possible travel to other projects within the French mission. No remote work.
Compensation and benefits:
• €3,136.12 gross monthly salary over 13 months.
• 22 days of paid time off per year. Supplementary health insurance fully covered by Doctors Without Borders.
• Meal vouchers with a face value of €11.00 (60% covered by MSF).
• Coverage of 50% of public transport subscription (weekly, monthly or annual) or bicycle kilometers.
Position available: from May 25, 2026
How to apply
Please send your application (CV + cover letter + diplomas) by email by May 11, 2026, inclusive , with the following reference in the subject line: PSYCHOLOGIST_CALAIS_LAST_FIRST_NAME
to msff-france-recrutement@paris.msf.org
Only candidates whose applications have been selected will be contacted.