Staff Counsellor

CFamilyFamilyPR3Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular AssignmentNo2023-03-24April 20, 2023Staff Counsellor Organizational Setting and Work Relationships UNHCR runs its operations in 136 countries and 520 locations, carried on by over 16,500 staff members and members of the affiliate workforce. Given the nature of work, the psychological hazards range from workplace stress, exposure to traumatic situations and vicarious exposure to traumatic experiences of people of concern. All these can reflect at the individual, interpersonal and team levels and can affect the staff well-being as well as the efficiency of the operation. The Staff Health and Wellbeing Service (SH&WS) and more specifically its Psychosocial Wellbeing Section (PWS), are entrusted with addressing these challenges. The Psychosocial Wellbeing team comprises the Staff Counsellors based in Geneva, in the Regional Bureaux and in some multi-country offices and country operations. The team works together in designing staff wellbeing plans and interventions under the leadership of the Chief, PWS. The Staff Counsellor is expected to collaborate closely with the staff health professionals, management team in the operation, human resources function as well as the field safety function with fully respect of professional boundaries and confidentiality of individual cases. The Staff Counsellor works closely with the existing Peer Advisors in the operations of coverage and collaborates with the Office of the Ombudsman and the Ethics Office. The Staff Counsellor is a member of the UN Staff/Stress Counsellor Group and the incumbent adheres to its professional and ethical standards and other technical issuances. All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR¿s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity. Duties - Undertake psychological risk assessment for the operations of coverage and design the appropriate response measures in close collaboration with the operations and under the supervision from the Chief, Psychosocial Wellbeing Section. Such measures should include but are not limited to individual or group counselling, trauma interventions, workshops/training, raising awareness and sensitization meetings, team building or other professional forms of support. - Ensure access for staff and family members to individual counselling either internally (with Staff Counsellors in UNHCR) or externally (by providing referrals and information about the available resources and insurance coverage) for work related issues (stress, trauma, interpersonal conflicts, harassment, and job insecurity) and personal issues (family, marital, children or finance related problems). - Provide timely response to critical incidents in the operations under the coverage in accordance with the UNHCR SOP on Support to staff affected by critical incidents. Organizing the psychological first aid (personally, through the Peer Advisors Network in the region or other UN Staff Counsellors available in the region), assessments, referrals and necessary follow-up is undertaken and coordinated with the Psychosocial Wellbeing Section, Snr. Regional Medical Officer and relevant HR functions in the operation. Provide the guidance to the operational managers in relation to the post incident staff support as required. - Undertake regular travels to the operations under coverage as per PWS strategic priorities and demands from the Regions. - Implement the global UNHCR psychosocial wellbeing projects (psychological preparation for hardship assignment, end of assignment debriefing following hardship assignment, framework of support to high risk environments) and take an active part in developing the new initiatives. - Maintain regular contact with the counselling resources in the countries under the coverage including the members of the UN Staff/Stress Counsellors Group (UNSSCG) and other local/regional mental health professionals/ resources outside the UN system, e.g. NGOs, private mental health practitioners. - Take part in the relevant interagency working groups aimed at advancement of psychosocial support to staff in the UN. - Collaborate closely with the Office of the Ombudsman and the Ethics Office in relation to management, training and support to the UNHCR Peer Advisors Network. - Maintain records of individual cases in the confidential electronic case management system in accordance with the UN Confidentiality Guidelines for Staff/Stress Counsellors. Provide monthly statistics to the PWS, HQ. Ensure timely reporting on field missions, general staff wellbeing assessments and related recommendations to the Representative and the Heads of Offices and the Chief PWS. Provide input in global reports by the PWS as required - Provide expert advice and guidance to the Representatives of the operations covered by the function and the Chief of the Psychosocial Wellbeing Section/ Staff Health and Wellbeing Service (SH&WS) at the HQ. - Ensure the adherence to the professional standards of the UNSSCG (continuous education, registration and supervision) as well as the Code of Ethics for UN Staff Counsellors. - Perform other related duties as required. Minimum Qualifications Education & Professional Work Experience Years of Experience / Degree Level For P3/NOC - 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree Field(s) of Education Psychology; Clinical Psychology; Psychiatry; Psychotherapy Social Work; Counselling; or other relevant field. (Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential) Certificates and/or Licenses Registered mental health professional (Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential) Relevant Job Experience Essential Demonstrated clinical experience, including case management and counselling skills for a minimum of 5 years. Working experience on prevention and response to sexual harassment in the workplace. Desirable Understanding of the humanitarian work environment. Functional Skills *MD - Patient case management *MD-Drafting clinical notes *WB - Ability to identify staff in distress and provide appropriate support *WB - Application of trauma interventions in crisis situations *WB - Coaching peer advisors *WB - Counselling *WB - Suicide risk assessment *WB-Treatment of vulnerable/traumatized individuals TR-Training - Virtual and face to face TR-Training Design and Material Preparation WB - Organizational Psychology and/or Psychiatry (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential) Language Requirements For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English. All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power. As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise. This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.The candidate should be able to demonstrate clinical experience, including case management and counselling skills for a minimum of 5 years. Working experience on prevention and response to sexual harassment in the workplace is needed. Previous experience working within the UN system and understanding of the humanitarian work environment is an asset. Demonstrated skills in Counselling, Patient case management skills, Drafting clinical note, Suicide risk assessment, Application of trauma interventions in crises, Ability to identify staff in distress and provide appropriate support, Coaching peer advisors, Treatment of vulnerable/traumatized individuals, Organizational Psychology and/or Psychiatry, Training Design/Material Preparation, Training/Facilitation. Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. Knowledge of Arabic is an asset.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

UNHCR has operations in over 130 countries and in over 450 duty stations, carried on by over 21000 staff members and affiliate workforce. Given the nature of work, the psychological hazards range from workplace stress, exposure to traumatic situations and vicarious exposure to traumatic experiences of people of concern. All these can reflect at the individual, interpersonal and team levels and can affect the staff well-being as well as the efficiency of the operation.

The Staff Health and Wellbeing Service (SH&WS) and more specifically its Psychosocial Wellbeing Section (PWS), are entrusted with addressing these challenges. The Psychosocial Wellbeing team globally comprises the mental health professionals based at the Geneva HQ, in the Regional Bureaux and is some of the most affected operations. The team works together in designing and delivering psychosocial services for the operations and their personnel under the leadership of the Chief, PWS.

The Staff Counsellor function in Beirut is based in BO Beirut and covers the UNHCR operations in Lebanon and Syria. The function is responsible for:

a) Implementation of the global psychosocial wellbeing projects including psychological preparation, end of assignment debriefings, critical incident response, support to the local Peer Advisor Network and the implementation of the framework for staff support in high-risk environments (Syria).

b) Provision of technical expertise related to psychosocial risk assessment and coordination of design and implementation of corresponding mitigating measures for each duty station within the operation.

c) Provision of clinical services to colleagues and their family members (psychological assessment, individual/group counselling, crises interventions, referrals) when needed. 

d) provision of expert advice and guidance concerning the general staff wellbeing matters to the Representatives of the operations covered by the function.

This function is technically supervised by the Snr. Staff Counsellor in the RB Amman. The function also provides technical support to the Staff Counsellor in Syria. Travel to duty stations within Lebanon and Syria are to be expected. In the spirit of solidarity and collaboration, occasional need to support staff of other UN organizations within the two countries or even broader is possible. Participation in Global PWS meetings is expected.

Living and Working Conditions:

Lebanon continues to host the highest number of refugees per capita and per square kilometre in the world. As of 28 February 2023, there are 820,160 refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNHCR in Lebanon, including 808,088 Syrian refugees and 12,072 refugees and asylum seekers of other nationalities. The Government of Lebanon estimates that there are 1.5 million displaced Syrians living in Lebanon. Refugees live across nearly all municipalities in Lebanon in both within urban and rural areas, as well as in informal tented settlements. Since 2021, the Vulnerability Assessment for Syrian Refugees (VASyR) indicates that 9 out of 10 Syrian refugees are living in extreme poverty, even with assistance, up from 55% in 2019.

UNHCR co-leads with UNDP and the Government of Lebanon the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP), a joint, multi-year plan between the Government of Lebanon and 126 international and national partners developed to assist more than 3.2 million crisis-affected people living in Lebanon, including displaced Syrians, Palestinian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese host communities. The LCRP appeal for 2023 is $3.34 billion.

Compounding the refugee situation is the unprecedented economic and financial crises that Lebanon is facing, which have contributed to a substantial deterioration of the socio-economic situation since 2019 and affected everyone, including refugees and Lebanese people.

Deterioration of basic support services is affecting the overall living conditions across the country. The provision of reliable electricity supply is a major challenge across the country. While many residential buildings have generator-based back-up systems, due to diesel shortages and increased fuel prices, electricity cuts of 6 to 20 hours per day persist. The cost of reliable electricity supply has increased significantly and can cost up to USD 1,000 per month. Staff also face shortages of medical supplies, including medication, and limited availability of medical specialists. Due to the collapse of the banking sector, many international staff are not using local banks for their finances and relying more on international bank accounts or financial service companies to make transfers, incurring high service fees.   

Anti-government protests have been ongoing since October 2019. It is assessed that protests will continue at the same pace with roadblocks and increased violence, and this may also result in an increase of theft and carjacking. UN staff in Lebanon are considered potential targets of crime. There is also increasing risk of terror threats. Relations remain tense between Lebanon and Israel, and the countries are technically still at war with one another; however, the risk of an armed conflict remains very low.

UNHCR in Lebanon has around 600 staff across offices in in Beirut and Tyre (classified by ICSC in 2022 as ‘C’ family duty stations), as well in Tripoli, Qobayat, and Zahle (classified as category ‘B’ family duty stations). New hardship revision of duty stations in Lebanon is planned by ICSC for the end of 2022. 

The timely issuing of the entry visas and residence permits remains a challenge for UNHCR in Lebanon, which may delay the staff member's assignment process, including for their dependents. Even though UN personnel can visit Lebanon using a UNLP and will receive a 6-month visa upon arrival, it is imperative that staff arriving from abroad to take up assignment in Lebanon receive the applicable entry visa at the Lebanese Embassy/Presentation closest to the point of their departure. The residency permit process can be only initiated when for the staff and their dependents are able to secure Lebanese entry visa on their national passports.  Preapproval process of the Lebanese entry visa depends on the approval granted by the MFA and take 4-5 weeks to obtain.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Certifications

Mental Health - Other

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Change capability & adaptability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Teamwork & collaboration

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

March 2023 Compendium - Part B

Additional Information

This position requires Functional Clearance

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