Stress Counsellor

The Department’s mission is to enable United Nations system operations through trusted security leadership and solutions. To achieve the mission, the Department focuses on doing the following:
• Coordinate and advise on safety and security for the UN in the field
• Support the UN’s peace, humanitarian, development, and human rights operations
• Analyse threats and risks
• Advise on physical security and protective services
• Manage security at major conferences
• Provide security at UNHQ and offices away from Headquarters
• Collaborate with NGOs
• Provide a security decision-making framework

The Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) is responsible for providing leadership, operational support, and oversight of the United Nations Security Management System (UNSMS) globally. As a global leader in security risk management principles, UNDSS enables the safe and effective delivery of United Nations programmes and activities in the most complex and challenging environments.
This assignment is located in the Critical Incident Stress Management Section (CISMS) within the Security Information and Operations Centre (SIOC) in Kabul, Afghanistan, which is affiliated with the CISMS, UNDSS Headquarters (New York), the global coordination body for the management of stress and critical incident stress for the UN system.
The assignment is funded under a European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) humanitarian project titled "Scaling up Security Support to Humanitarian Operations in Afghanistan". The project reinforces UNDSS presence across all eight Security Areas (Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, Kunduz, Gardez, Bamiyan) and strengthens coordination with over 200 humanitarian organizations under the Saving Lives Together (SLT) framework. Under the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), funded project, the position introduces a psychosocial duty-of-care component to sustain staff resilience, mitigate and prevent long-term consequences of trauma, and support operational effectiveness in a crisis-prone environment.
Under the overall leadership and management of the Principal Security Adviser (PSA), the International UN Volunteer, Stress Counsellor, will report directly to the Lead International Stress Counsellor of CISMS UNDSS Afghanistan. The primary role is to provide confidential psychosocial support to UN personnel and SLT partner staff (including INGOs), assisting in maintaining a sustainable stress management system and enhancing Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) preparedness across the humanitarian community in Afghanistan, as mandated by the policy on Stress and Critical Incident Stress (MSCIS, 2015; Chapter 1V; Security Policy Manual).

This is a non-family duty station designated by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) as an "E" hardship duty station.

Under the overall guidance of the Principal Security Adviser (D1) and direct supervision of the Lead Stress Counsellor of CISMS UNDSS Afghanistan, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for the following duties, with a specific focus on supporting the Saving Lives Together (SLT) framework and European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) funded outcomes for UN personnel and SLT partners:

• Deliver confidential individual and /or group counselling, services for critical incident stress, and workplace-related stress, and any other stressful concerns.
• Assist the lead stress counsellor in UNDSS in designing and developing Stress Prevention and Management Plans aligned with the project’s duty-of-care objectives.
• Conduct psychosocial needs assessments for humanitarian personnel and monitor determinants of stress among UN and SLT partner personnel, including data collection, analysis, resource mapping, and coordinating collective psychosocial capacity across agencies and partners.
• Deliver Training Programs under SLT Coordination; Plan and facilitate training programs on stress and critical incident stress management coping mechanisms and resiliency building, based on psychosocial needs assessments.
• Design and circulate context specific psychoeducational material.
• Assist in establishing critical incident stress management support structures for the humanitarian community including Critical Incident Stress Intervention Cells (CISICs) in CISMS UNDSS Afghanistan.
• Assist in building a Multi-Agency Support Network: Collaborate and consult with UN managers, SLT partner security focal points, agency counsellors, and medical doctors,
• Conduct Outreach and Liaison within the SLT Framework: Liaise with the existing Staff Association and SLT partner focal points to advocate for and organize welfare activities. Advise UN and SLT management on stress-mitigating strategies.
• Manage Critical Cases Across the humanitarian community: Identify, address, and follow up on high-stress and critical incident stress cases among UN and SLT partner personnel and dependents.
• Regularly visit UN Offices and SLT partner locations across Afghanistan’s eight Security Areas (Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, Jalalabad, Kunduz, Gardez, Bamiyan) to implement preventative stress management training, respond to critical incidents, and offer technical consultations.
• Liaise with local experts within Afghanistan and regionally, to establish referral pathways for specialized mental health care services.
• Provide regular reports to the lead Stress Counsellor of CISMS UNDSS Afghanistan on all activities, with aggregated data on interventions delivered to UN and SLT partners (maintaining confidentiality and UN data protection principles).