Staff Counsellor

Details

Mission and objectives

IOM DEU organization mission TBD

Context

This UN assignment is part of IOM’s Country Office in Germany, and based in our sub-office in Kaiserslautern, where IOM is engaged in a humanitarian project, carried out with different partners on the ground.

Task description

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UN Volunteer will:
• Provide psychological counselling and support, confidential one-to-one and group sessions, to staff members and dependents.
• Conduct psychosocial risk assessments in the workplace and help, as appropriate, to address highlighted issues.
• Suggest to the CoM and relevant stakeholders, improvements for the effective implementation of the UN Mental Health Strategy in the Country Office.
• Participate in and, when required, coordinate Staff Welfare responses to emergencies and critical incidents; liaise with the Senior Staff Welfare Officer in case of complex emergencies requiring a coordinated response; ensure that Country Office security plans include provisions to provide for the psychosocial needs of staff during emergencies and following critical incidents;.
• Develop and provide training to all staff on relevant topics including stress management, emotional processing, dealing with critical incidents, wellbeing; provide targeted training to managers to increase their knowledge and skills to create a supportive working environment and increase awareness on mental health.
• Produce psycho-educational material for dissemination.
• Work with colleagues to develop preventative initiatives (e.g. preparing for critical incidents).
• Offer managerial consultations to address specific needs on request and/or to explore avenues of enhancing humanitarian staff wellbeing and mental health in accordance with the UN Mental Health Strategy.
• Identify and liaise with local regional mental health resources that can be used for referrals or in times of crisis; refer staff members who are in crisis and require emergency psychological and/psychiatric support to appropriate external providers.
• Ensure that reports and other administrative duties are carried out to a professional standard; develop tools for data collection, analysis, monitoring and reporting mechanisms at the Country Office level, maintain records and produce regular reports; keep the Senior Staff Welfare Officer in HQ updated on numbers and statistics of services provided in the Country Office.
• Participate in Staff Welfare meetings and activities (monthly group supervision, team coordination meetings, team retreats, etc.).
• Undertake duty travel to various duty stations of the mission or very challenging areas when necessary.
• Perform such other duties as may be assigned.
Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:
• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.
Results/expected outputs:
• As an active IOM team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to IOM and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:
o Responsible for the implementation of the staff welfare activities in IOM Germany;
o Built a trust based relationship with staff members of our mission;
• Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment;
A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.