Staff Counsellor

Description of task

Under the direct supervision of Chief Staff Counselling Unit, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Provide counselling services within the designated duty station, i.e., overall assessment of the psychosocial needs of staff members, development of programming and services, etc.; provide coverage for other regions if required;
• Perform individual assessments in the case of individual staff members experiencing difficulty coping with and/or presenting with mental health-related symptoms; follow up for additional intervention if indicated; maintain case records, reports and statistics;
• Advise the Chief Staff Counselling Unit as necessary on individual cases where an identified problem is likely to have professional and/or personal impact, such alcohol/substance abuse, depression, anxiety, work-related difficulty/conflict or family stress, etc.;
• Advise chiefs/heads of section(s) as necessary, or upon request, with the aim of improving the atmosphere in their section and resolving problems of a work-related or personal nature that adversely affect job performance and productivity;
• Perform critical incident stress management interventions, either individually or in a group format, whenever and wherever required; work closely with Security Section, Administration, and Medical Section, inter alia, in coordinating and providing critical incident stress management;
• Collaborate with medical team to address physical complaints that might be stress-related; assure, in conjunction with the medical team, a continuum of services (referral, short-term supportive intervention) to those staff members suffering from serious diseases or illnesses;
• Provide training sessions on crisis and stress management, conflict resolution and other topics as required;
• Monitor environmental factors that could lead to stress with particular focus on stress related to critical incidents including emergency and crisis situations;
• Develop, organize and implement a resilience-building programme for all staff;
• Liaise with national mental health professionals and other psychosocial resources;
• Perform related other duties as may be required by the Chief of Staff Counseling Unit.

Qualifications/Requirements Required degree level: Master degree or equivalent Education - Additional Comments:

• Master Degree or equivalent in psycho-educational studies, psychology, psychiatry, Clinical Social Work, or other Clinical Mental Health Profession; knowledge of Conflict Resolution, Human Resources, or Administration would be an asset;

Required experience: 36 Months Experience remark:

• Minimum 3 years professional experience (of which 2 at international level) in psychological counseling, training skills, with special emphasis on managing critical incident stress;

Language skills:

• English(Mandatory), Level - Fluent
• French(Mandatory), Level - Fluent

Area of expertise: Mental health, Human resources management and development Area of expertise details:

• Additional training or experience in a broad range of related fields, such as alcohol/substance abuse, stress management, critical incident stress and cross-cultural communication an asset;
• Knowledge of relaxation techniques would be an asset;
• Experience in United Nations System is an advantage;
• Have affinity with or interest in humanitarian relief, post-conflict situations, volunteerism as a mechanisms for durable development, and the UN System;
• Well-developed communication, leadership and team building skills;
• knowledge of Bambara or local language is an advantage;
• knowledge of other UN Language would be an asset;
• Fully conversant with common computer software, i.e. MS Word, Powerpoint and Internet/Intranet;

Driving license: Yes Competencies values:

Adaptability and Flexibility, Commitment and Motivation, Communication, Ethics and Values, Planning and Organizing, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity, Working in Teams