Stress counselor

Details

Mission and objectives

UNDSS provides security expertise to all United Nations Security Management System entities, to enable the planning and safe conduct of mandates, missions, activities and programmes of the United Nations system, while ensuring the safety and security of personnel and the security of United Nations premises and assets.

Context

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, while maximizing precious resources. To this end, the work of the Department is aligned under a clear mission, to enable United Nations system programme activities through trusted security leadership and solutions. The primary role of the UNDSS CISMS Stress Counsellor will be to develop and maintain a sustainable stress management system applicable to all UN Agencies operating in Guinea and to improve the critical incident stress management preparedness of the UN security system in case of emergencies.

Task description

Under the administrative supervision of the Security Adviser and the technical guidance of the CISMS Regional Stress Counsellor, the field stress counsellor will administrate a wide range of stress management activities, actively participating in emergency preparedness in Guinea in collaboration with UNDSS and the UN emergency coordination group as per the UNDSS CISMS standard operational procedures on the Management of Stress and Critical Incident Stress (MSCIS). Specific responsibilities would include: • Develop and implement a stress prevention and management plan applicable to all UN Agencies in Guinea. • Provide individual and group stress management and critical incident counselling sessions to the staff and dependents as/when needed, • Plan and facilitate preventative stress management training on a variety of stress related issues for UN personnel in Guinea and circulate useful reading resources related to stress. • Assist in establishing the Critical Incident Stress Intervention Cells (CISICs) including selecting Peer Helpers and Family Focal Points; facilitating peer helper training sessions (jointly with UNDSS CISMS); coordinating and following up on all relevant activities. • Liaise with existing local Staff Association to advocate for the organization of welfare activities for UN personnel. • Identify, address, and follow up on high stress cases and critical incident stress cases among the UN personnel and dependents in Guinea. • Be willing to visit & travel regularly to the UN Offices/Sub Offices in Guinea to implement preventative stress management training activities and offer technical consultations when needed. • Collaborate with UN managers, agency counsellors, medical doctors, local experts, and institutions on psychosocial issues with the objective of establishing a network of professionals ready to support and intervene in case of need. • Under the guidance of the CISMS Regional Stress Counsellor, coordinate all critical incident stress management activities with relevant stake holders, including UN staff counsellors in Guinea and in neighboring countries, Peer Helpers, Family Focal Points, Mental Health Professionals etc. • Advise UN management on stress mitigating strategies and activities. • Perform ongoing psychosocial needs assessments and monitor the determinants of stress in UN personnel, including activities such as data collection, analyses, resource mapping and coordinating collective psychosocial capacity across UN agencies and partners. • Provide monthly reports to the Security Adviser with copies to UN Headquarters UNDSS CISMS on all his/her activities.