Stress Counsellor

DSS YEM organization mission TBD

In Yemen, UNDSS (United Nations Department of Safety and Security) supports the wellbeing of UN personnel through locally engaged National Stress Counsellors. Their primary responsibility will be to develop and maintain a sustainable stress management system applicable to all UN Agencies operating in the country with a ‘One UN’ approach, and to improve the critical incident stress management preparedness of the UN security system in case of emergencies. Their responsibilities include stress management, resilience building, and mental health support, particularly following critical incidents.
They play a key role in emergency preparedness, response, and follow-up services. National Stress Counsellors actively monitor stressors affecting UN staff, identify emerging trends, and customize psychosocial support initiatives to enhance overall wellbeing.
Their work is closely coordinated with local UN medical doctors, Regional Security Advisors, the HQ Medical Service Division, HR Officers, counsellors from other UN agencies, and UN leadership at all levels to ensure a comprehensive and unified approach to staff mental health and resilience.

1. Staff Wellbeing Support:
• Develop and implement a stress prevention and management plan applicable to all UN Agencies in the country.
• 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 the country and circulate useful reading resources related to stress.
• 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.

2. Crisis Response and Follow Up
• 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.
• Identify, address, and follow up on high stress cases and critical incident stress cases among the UN personnel and dependents in the country.

3. Management and Peer Support Coordination:
• Advise UN management on stress mitigating strategies and activities
• 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.
• coordinate the Peer Support Personnel Network, including supervision and activity monitoring.
• Liaise with the existing local Staff Association to advocate for the organization of welfare activities for UN personnel.

4. Field Support and Collaboration:
• Be willing to visit & travel regularly to the UN Offices/Sub Offices in the country in order to implement preventative stress management training activities and offer technical consultations when needed.
• 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 the country and in neighboring countries, Peer Helpers, Family Focal Points, Mental Health Professionals etc.

5. Reporting and Confidential Data Management:
• Maintain confidential records on the CISMS IDM platform and analyze the trends.
• Provide monthly reports to the Chief Security Adviser with copies to the Regional Stress Counsellor at CISMS on all his/her activities

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.