National Stress Counsellor (open To All Applicants)

Organizational Context

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) operates in Mozambique, supporting national efforts in poverty eradication, inequality reduction, resilience building, and sustainable development. The Country Office focuses on human development, inclusive economic recovery, climate resilience, and governance. This role is within the Crisis Resilience department, contributing to the CO's efforts to support Mozambique's development priorities and emerging challenges.

Job Purpose

The National Stress Counsellor will administer comprehensive stress management activities and actively participate in emergency preparedness within Mozambique. Reporting to the Chief Security Adviser and technically to the CISMS Regional Stress Counsellor, this role is crucial for implementing the UN's Critical Incident Stress Management (CISMS) operational procedures. The purpose is to provide essential psychosocial support to UN personnel and their dependents, ensuring their well-being and operational effectiveness in a challenging environment. This involves developing and executing stress prevention plans, delivering counselling services, conducting training, and coordinating critical incident stress management activities.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include developing and implementing a country-wide stress prevention and management plan for all UN Agencies. The role involves providing individual and group stress management and critical incident counselling to UN personnel and dependents, and managing high-stress cases. Training and awareness activities are essential, including planning, facilitating, and delivering preventative stress management sessions and circulating relevant materials. Coordination of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) activities, including supporting Intervention Cells and training Peer Helpers, is also a core duty. Furthermore, the counsellor will engage with stakeholders, build a psychosocial support network, and advise UN management on stress mitigation and well-being initiatives. Monitoring psychosocial needs, coordinating capacity across agencies, and submitting regular activity reports are also required.

Work Experience

Applicants with a Master's degree require no professional experience. Those with a Bachelor's degree need a minimum of two years of relevant professional experience in stress counselling, clinical psychology, or psychiatry at the national level. Experience within the UN system is an asset. Additional experience in crisis coordination, emergency response, substance abuse, stress management, critical incident stress, and cross-cultural communication is desirable.

Skills

Core Competencies: Achieve Results, Think Innovatively, Learn Continuously, Adapt with Agility, Act with Determination, Engage and Partner, Enable Diversity and Inclusion. Functional/Technical Competencies: Communication (clear, concise, tailored messaging), Customer Satisfaction/Client Management, Negotiation and Influence, Occupational Safety, Health and Wellbeing (OSHw), Partnership Management, Knowledge Generation, Gender-sensitive and inclusive psychosocial support.

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