STAFF COUNSELLOR

These positions are located in the United Nations Field Peacekeeping Operations, Special Political Missions, Service Centres and Offices as applicable. The incumbent provides counselling services within the Mission area; she/he provides supervision, guidance and leadership to other members of the counselling team. The incumbent reports to a Senior Staff Counsellor P-5 or other official designed following the implementation of the new Mission Support Structure. She/he works under the technical guidelines of the Critical incident stress management Unit in UNHQ.

Within the delegated authority, the incumbent performs the following duties:
• Provides adequate counseling services within the Mission area (e.g. overall assessment of the psychosocial needs of the staff members, development of the services, etc.);
• Provides supervision, guidance and leadership to other members of the counseling team;
• Performs individual assessments in the case of individual staff members experiencing difficulty coping and/or presenting mental health-related symptoms or syndromes;
• Advises the chief human resources officer and other staff of the human resources section, as necessary, on individual and /or group cases where an identified problem is likely to have professional, vocational and/or counseling effect (e.g. work-related problem due to a psychological problem, conflict resolution, need oriented medication, etc.);
• Advises section chiefs, as necessary, or upon request, with the aim at improving the working atmosphere in their Sections and resolving problems of a work-related or personal nature that adversely affect job performance and productivity;
• Performs psychological first aid (e.g. individual and/or group) whenever and wherever there is a need for it;
• Assures in conjunction with the Medical Services, a continuum of services (referral, short-term supportive intervention) to those staff members suffering from serious or chronic diseases or illnesses or drug and alcohol use;
• Establishes a link and liaises with the members of the Staff Welfare Committee and members in order to develop programmes designed to improve the quality of life of staff members within the mission area;
• Provides training sessions on stress and crisis management, conflict resolution and cultural sensitivity as needed;
• Monitors environmental factors that could lead to stress, with particular focus on stress related to critical incidents including emergency and crisis situations, with respect to civilian staff members of the mission;
• Develops, organizes and implements a resilience building program for all staff. Liaises with National Mental health professionals and other Psych-medical resources;
• Performs other duties as required.

Professionalism: Shows pride in work and in achievements; Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations; Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; Tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Building Trust: Provides an environment in which others can talk and act without fear of repercussion; manages in a deliberate and predictable way; operates with transparency; has no hidden agenda; places confidences in colleagues, staff members and clients; gives proper credit to others; follows through on agreed upon actions; treats sensitive or confidential information appropriately.

An advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in clinical Psychology, Psychiatry or clinical social work. A valid certification to practice at national level in clinical psychology or psychiatry or
clinical social work is required. Additional training or certification in a broad range of mental health related fields, such as alcohol/substance abuse, stress management, traumatic stress, cross-cultural
communication or conflict resolution is required.

A minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience in staff clinical counselling, mental health, cross cultural communications, counselling, psychiatry, clinical psychology, clinical social work and related areas is required. Experience in the management and leadership of a team of Mental Health programs at both National and international level is required. Experience in community mental health and Organizational Intervention is desirable. Experience in Employees Assistance Programme is desirable. Qualifying years of experience are calculated after the receipt of an accredited advanced level degree recognized by the United Nations.

E n g lish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Fluency in English or French is required; knowledge of the other is desirable.

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

The United Nations Secretariat maintains rosters of qualified and available candidates to fill anticipated job openings in peacekeeping operations, special political missions, and other field operations.

The purpose of this job opening is to generate a list of qualified candidates for inclusion in the Staff Counsellor, P4 roster. The entire assessment process takes an average of six months; all applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application (whether successful or unsuccessful) within 14 days of the conclusion of the process. Successful candidates will be placed on the roster and subsequently will be invited to apply for field mission vacancies open only to roster members. Roster membership does not guarantee selection.

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation or sexual abuse, or crimes other than minor traffic offences, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.