Staff Counselor

Job Description Introduction

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations and the leading UN agency in the field of migration. Working closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners, IOM promotes humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It saves lives and protects people on the move, drives solutions to displacement, and facilitates pathways for regular migration, while providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

IOM is committed to fostering a respectful, inclusive and supportive workplace where all employees can thrive professionally and feel valued. By creating such an environment, IOM aims to better harness the full potential of migration and strengthen its support to people on the move.

IOM invites candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply and provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process when required. Learn more about IOM’s workplace culture at IOM workplace culture | International Organization for Migration

IOM provides essential services to Afghan nationals residing in Camp As Sayliyah through the provision of psychological counselling and specialised mental health services, protection, non-food item distribution, education, and community engagement. The Staff Counsellor will be responsible and accountable for implementing staff welfare activities within the mission. The position is expected to operate on a schedule of two working days per week.

Staff Welfare

Direct mental health service delivery Provide in-person and online psychological counselling and support, confidential one-to-one and group sessions, to staff members and dependents. Provide psychological and counselling support to staff members in post critical incidents and other emergencies. Identify and liaise with local and 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.

Capacity building and prevention 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/ Heads of Units to increase their knowledge and skills to create a supportive working environment and increase awareness on mental health issues. Work with the Managers/ Heads of Units to develop preventative initiatives (e.g. preparing for critical incidents).

Participate in Staff Welfare team meetings and activities (monthly group supervision, team coordination meetings, team retreats, etc.)

Organizational wellbeing Facilitate addressing issues highlighted through the psychosocial risk assessments in the workplace. Offer consultations to the Managers/Heads of Units to address specific needs on request and/or to explore avenues for enhancing humanitarian staff wellbeing and mental health in accordance with the UN Mental Health Strategy.

Monitoring, reporting and compliance Ensure the adherence to the professional standards of the United Nations Stress and Staff Counsellors Group (UNSSCG) as well as the Code of Ethics for UN Staff Counsellors. Ensure that reports and other administrative duties are carried out to a professional standard.

• Offer at least 10 individual and/or group counselling session slots per month, with actual attendance dependent on staff demand.
• Respond to 100% of critical incidents and emergency psychosocial support requests within agreed organizational response timelines and provide post-intervention recommendations where applicable.
• Deliver a minimum of 1 staff wellbeing training session per month on topics such as stress management, resilience, emotional processing, or critical incident response.
• Deliver a minimum of 1 manager-focused capacity-building session per quarter on mental health, staff wellbeing, and supportive leadership practices.
• Conduct consultations with managers and Heads of Units as requested and provide written recommendations for 100% of consultations conducted.
• Submit a final end-of-contract report summarizing activities, outputs, trends, challenges, recommendations, and service delivery statistics.