Overview
Provide psychosocial support to United Nations personnel and their eligible dependents in Afghanistan. The role contributes to staff well-being and resilience, enabling the safe and effective delivery of UN mandates.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide confidential counseling (individual and group) for critical incident stress, work-related concerns, and personal issues.
- Analyze and monitor determinants of stress.
- Formulate and deliver trainings based on needs assessment.
- Administer stress management activities and increase emergency preparedness.
- Provide strategic advisory support to management.
- Plan and facilitate preventative stress management training.
- Guide in establishing Critical Incident Stress Intervention Cells.
- Support welfare activities for UN staff.
- Identify, address, and follow up on critical incident stress cases.
- Perform ongoing assessments and monitor determinants of stress.
- Provide regular feedback and monthly reports.
- Monitor environmental factors leading to stress.
- Act as OIC in the absence of the Head of Unit.
- Expand mechanisms/resources and facilitate knowledge sharing.
- Capacity building of staff on relevant issues.
- Design and implement a counselling outreach programme.
- Identify, synthesize, and document best practices and lessons learned.
Required Experience
- Minimum of 2 years (with a master’s degree) or 4 years (with a bachelor’s degree) of professional experience in psychological counselling, training, and managing or supporting emergencies.
- Professional experience in psychosocial support and counselling, including assessment and support of individuals affected by alcohol or substance misuse; application of harm-reduction approaches; use of referral mechanisms; relapse-prevention support; and management of workplace-related substance-use concerns is desirable.
- Professional experience in providing psychosocial support and stress-management interventions for individuals and groups, including work with vulnerable populations, with appropriate case coordination and referrals, and in accordance with ethical practice, cultural sensitivity, and safeguarding standards is desirable.
- Professional experience in psychosocial support within crisis and high-risk contexts, including contribution to critical-incident response and suicide-prevention efforts, with appropriate risk awareness, referral, and coordination, and in line with ethical, cultural, and safeguarding principles is desirable.
- Experience in capacity-building or training delivery, including the design and facilitation of training, workshops, or awareness sessions on psychosocial support, stress management, or staff well-being, adapted for diverse and multicultural audiences is desirable.
- Professional experience providing psychosocial support or counselling in a multicultural institutional setting, such as the United Nations system, an international organization, or a nationally based organization with international or diverse staff, is desirable.
Qualifications
- Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Psychology (Clinical or Counselling Psychology), Psychiatry, Clinical Social Work is required.
- Or, a first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas stated above in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience.
- Certification or country-specific licensure such as registration in the health or social services ministry authorizing the incumbent to deliver mental health services is desirable as applicable in Afghanistan.
