Closing date: Friday, 13 February 2015
Staff Counsellor, P-4, Nairobi RO, Kenya
Vacancy No: E-VN-2015-000299
Duty Station: Nairobi
Country: Kenya
Region: ESARO
Job Level: P-4
Position: 00092158
Application Close: 13-Feb-15
Contract Type: Long-term Staff (FT)
Purpose of the Position
Due to the nature and location of their work, UNICEF staff are frequently exposed to high levels of day to day, cumulative stress, including those stressors related to their workload as well as the demands related to living and working in multicultural, often unstable and insecure environments. Reporting to the Regional Director, with a technical supervisory link to the P-4 Staff Counsellor in New York Headquarters (NYHQ), the incumbent of this post, will develop and implement a stress management programme for the Eastern and Southern Africa Region (ESAR).
The objectives of the programme are to contribute to the well-being of staff and their families; to raise awareness about stress and stress management; to facilitate the provision of assistance to staff/family experiencing work-related and/or personal problems; to facilitate the provision of immediate support following a traumatic incident; to contribute towards a policy framework aimed at improving the work-life balance for UNICEF staff in the ESA region.
Key Expected Results
Facilitating effective stress management interventions for all staff, aimed at chronic, work-related stress and critical incident stress.
1) The Staff Counsellor will be responsible for
- Providing staff with individual and/or group counselling (i.e. assessment, short-term intervention, referral), following self-referral or referral by the supervisor or another professional.
- Facilitating the treatment of psychiatric disorders primarily through referrals, including to the medical services division, and through guidance to supervisors and senior management, where appropriate.
- Identifying competent local resources for referrals whenever necessary.
- Establishing a network of peer helpers, including the training and technical supervision of the peer helpers.
2) The Staff Counsellor will provide emergency psychosocial support to staff and dependents who have been involved in critical incidents by
- Contacting the affected staff member(s) and dependents by e-mail or phone, offering information about typical stress reactions, stress disorders, support and referral information
- Facilitating appropriate traumatic stress interventions, following traumatic events.
- Recommending and arranging for individual and/or group follow-up support to staff and their dependents.
- Coordinate with UNDSS and agency counsellors and peer helpers, to ensure the provision of adequate psychosocial support during emergencies.
Training and awareness raising on stress management issues
- Through field missions to COs, the Staff Counsellor will facilitate regular stress management training activities to increase staff awareness regarding the manifestations of stress, and to promote the development of enhanced individual stress management. The Staff Counsellor will cooperate with HR and COs in their activities aimed at integrating stress management into their learning strategies. The Staff Counsellor will develop/revise training modules, as well as assemble other materials for training on stress management issues.
- The Staff Counsellor will develop and disseminate information and materials about stress and stress management.
- The Staff Counsellor will contribute to effective policies on staff well-being.
- Establish, develop and maintain a resource inventory of stress management information.
- The Staff Counsellor will serve as the focal point for the exchange of information between COs on stress management approaches and referral and consultant resources.
- Administrative duties, including participating in regional meetings and other activities, completing reporting requirements.
Qualifications of Successful Candidate
- An advanced university degree (Master’s) in counselling, clinical psychology or a directly-related technical field(s) is required.
- Additional training or certification in occupational health, staff support and traumatic / critical incident stress as well as a broad range of related fields, such as alcohol/substance abuse, family counselling, training, stress management is considered an asset.
- A minimum of eight (8) years of relevant experience, at the national and international levels, in staff support, mental health, cross cultural communications, counselling, and/or a directly-related technical area(s) is required.
- Previous experience within the UN system or international development/humanitarian aid sector is highly desirable.
- Fluency in English (written and verbal) is required.
- Knowledge of an additional UN Language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) is considered an asset.
Competencies of Successful Candidate
- Has highest-level communication skills, including engaging and informative formal public speaking
- Consistently achieves high-level results, managing and delivering projects on-time and on-budget
- Creates and encourages a climate of team-working and collaboration in a multi-cultural environment
- Analyzes and integrates potentially conflicting numerical, verbal and other data from a number of sources
- Demonstrates, applies and shares expert technical knowledge across the organization
- Sets clearly defined objectives and plans activities for self, own team or department
- Translates strategic direction into plans and objectives
- Has good leadership and supervisory skills; co-ordinates group activities, ensuring that roles within the team are clear
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