Staff Counsellor

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The World Food Programme is the worlds largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict disasters and the impact of climate change.
At WFP people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse committed skilled and high performing teams selected on merit operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment living WFPs values (Integrity Collaboration Commitment Humanity and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.
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WFP offers a highly inclusive diverse and multicultural working environment.
WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training accreditation coaching mentorship and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.
A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country regional and global offices around the world and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
The United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP) is the worlds largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. improve the nutrition and quality of life of the most vulnerable people; and to help build assets and promote the self-reliance of poor people and communities particularly through conditional food for work and training programmes.

The challenges of working in difficult conditions to bring much needed food and support to our recipients while inherently rewarding can place a great deal of pressure and stress on WFP staff. As a part of a multidisciplinary team under the Wellness Service the Staff Counselling Unit is committed to the promotion of psychological and physical health in the broadest sense so staff can continue to function at high levels in order to meet the mandate of the organization. We do this by identifying and addressing psychological risk factors in the workplace and through the provision of counselling services to staff members and their dependents.

The UN WFP is looking for a highly qualified Staff Counsellor to join the Wellness Service in Rome.

The Staff Counsellor will report to the Chief of Staff Counselling. A key requirement of the position will be the ability to summarize data and trends to develop programs and policies that are designed to support staff. Travel may be required from the Staff Counsellor often on short notice and at times to remote and difficult locations to provide support/coverage to regional staff counsellors.

The Staff Counsellor will be responsible for performing the following duties:
Provide empirically supported and culturally sensitive counselling services to WFP staff and if requested their dependents; Provide pre and post deployment briefings to staff being deployed to emergency or hardship duty stations;
Based on data trends and requests from other divisions/units develop and provide a range of trainings and programs including but not limited to team building resilience harassment and cross-cultural sensitivity to improve morale health and team dynamics;
As part of a multidisciplinary team work closely with individuals and teams to address psychological risks at the individual unit and organizational level;
Provide counselling services to individuals and/or groups during emergencies; provide services in a timely and sensitive manner to staff and dependents after critical incidents and ensure follow up support for staff and dependents following critical events;
Support and maintain the Wellness Support Volunteers (WSV) through training and supervision; disseminate training materials and related protocols;
Identify and liaise with high quality local and regional mental health resources that can be used for referrals or in times of crisis;
In the best interests of staff members and the organization work in a collegial and professional manner with all units in the Wellness Service to insure continuity of care;
Work as a part of a team to insure divisional priorities are implemented consistent with the yearly divisional work plan and the Wellness Service Strategic Plan;
Be proactive in building partnerships that support staff within the agency and also with other agencies or relevant organizations;
Provide supervision to the WFP Psychology Clinic staff;
Contribute to the development of policies and guidelines as well as written and visual materials to increase awareness regarding important themes and topics related to Staff Wellness;
Complete administrative duties such as maintain statistics on activities and completing reporting requirements as per the requirement in the Wellness Service;
Advanced university degree (Doctorate Masters or equivalent) in Clinical or Counselling Psychology Psychiatry or demonstrably equivalent studies from a recognized institution. The candidate must hold active licensure/registration as a mental health professional with a recognized governing association and be a member of that organization in good standing. Additional training or certification in a broad range of related fields such as alcohol/substance abuse resilience cross-cultural communication conflict resolution mediation trauma etc. Minimum five (5) years of progressively responsible professional post graduate experience relevant to the field is required. Experience either working in a hardship location or providing counselling services to staff working under very difficult and insecure environments is an asset.
Broad knowledge of all facets of the field of counselling and ability to provide an environment in which others can talk confidentially and act without fear or repercussions within a climate of established trust. Excellent communication skills (oral written and presentations) including the ability to defend and explain difficult issues and positions to staff at all levels. Ability to contribute to the strategic vision of the Wellness Service based on trends identified using a population health model. Very good working knowledge of technology tools such as PowerPoint Excel and Word. Ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries and establish and maintain effective working relationships in a multi-cultural multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

Languages:
Proficiency in writing and verbal communication in English with intermediate knowledge of another UN language advantageous.

WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. The United Nations does not charge any application processing training interviewing testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Therefore you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate complete and includes your employment records academic qualifications language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).
Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) FAO Finance Committee WFP External Auditor WFP Audit Committee Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

Staff IC