Local Staff Counselor

UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and strives to establish children's rights as enduring ethical principles and international standards of behaviour towards children. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has been present in Brazil since 1950, supporting the most important changes in childhood and adolescence in the country. UNICEF participated in major immunization and breastfeeding campaigns; the mobilization that resulted in the approval of Article 227 of the Federal Constitution and the drafting of the Child and Adolescent Statute; the movement for universal access to education; programmes to combat child labour; among other great advances in guaranteeing the rights of Brazilian girls and boys. In recent decades, Brazil has promoted a strong process of inclusion of children and adolescents in public policies. However, a significant portion of the population remains excluded. Therefore, in its cooperation programme with the Brazilian Government for the period 2024-2028, UNICEF focuses its efforts on the most vulnerable and excluded girls and boys, with a special focus on children and adolescents who are victims of extreme forms of violence. These children and adolescents in situations of greater vulnerability are spread throughout Brazil, but they are more concentrated in the Amazon, in the Northeast and in large urban centers. Through the UNICEF Seal, UNICEF promotes commitments to guarantee the rights of children and adolescents in the Northeast and in the Amazon regions in Brazil. In large cities, UNICEF works with a focus on reducing intra-municipal inequalities, through the #AgendaCidadeUNICEF.

The United Nations System Workplace Mental Health and Well-being Strategy is a comprehensive approach to addressing the needs of United Nations personnel and enhancing organizational capacities to protect and promote good mental health and well-being. It was launched by the Secretary-General and endorsed by the Executive Directors of all organizations within the United Nations system, and it applies across the entire system.

UNICEF is an organization that promotes the mental health care of its staff by fostering a healthy and positive work environment based on its organizational values: care, respect, integrity, trust, accountability, and sustainability.

Each year, UNICEF conducts surveys and assessments on a wide range of aspects that form part of the organizational culture and affect all staff, both individually and collectively, among which mental health is a priority. During the last surveys conducted in the UNICEF Brazil office (Pulse Check and Global Staff Survey) and the last visit of the Staff Counselor revealed the need to offer full-time mental health support to colleagues. These recommendations led the office to engage a United Nations Volunteer Expert to provide psycho-emotional support services to all office personnel, which consists of approximately 200 people divided into 10 offices across Brazil.

Under the technical supervision of the Staff Counsellor of the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (LACRO), and local supervision of the Brazil HR Officer, the United Nations National Volunteer will carry out the following tasks:
• Strengthen the mental health response and psycho-emotional support services for UNICEF Brazil personnel through an annual plan agreed upon with staff, team leaders, management, and the LACRO Staff Counsellor, utilizing all resources available within the Organization at the global level.
• Work jointly with HR, the Staff Association, and Management to create strategies and actions for managing and promoting staff mental health and wellbeing.
• Conduct assessments to understand the specific needs and challenges of staff requiring mental health services.
• Provide guidance to staff requiring individual therapy according to their mental health needs, using evidence-based approaches to address specific issues such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, among others.
• Create personalized management plans tailored to the unique needs of each individual.
• Educate staff on mental health, disorder prevention, and strategies to maintain psycho-emotional well-being.
• Develop prevention programs to address risk factors and promote resilience.
• Provide counseling and guidance to individuals facing stressful situations, crises, or traumatic events.
• Help develop coping skills and strategies for stress management.
• Handle crisis situations and assess the need for urgent interventions.
• Collaborate with emergency services in cases of imminent risk to an individual’s safety.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of recreational and psycho-pedagogical programs and strategies, and establish a support system to promote good mental health in the office.
• Continuously monitor the quality and relevance of the support provided to staff.
• Perform any other activity required or assigned by the Staff Counsellor.