Stress Counsellor

The mission of the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) in Yemen is to enable the safe, secure, and effective implementation of United Nations programmes and operations by providing trusted security leadership, risk management, and operational support to UN personnel, dependents, assets, and partners operating in Yemen’s highly complex and volatile environment. UNDSS Yemen supports humanitarian, development, and peace efforts by ensuring that UN agencies can safely access vulnerable populations and sustain critical operations despite ongoing insecurity, movement restrictions, political fragmentation, explosive hazards, and humanitarian access challenges. Strategic Objectives of UNDSS Yemen 1. Ensure the Safety and Security of UN Personnel and Assets -Protect UN staff, dependents, premises, and operational assets through comprehensive security risk management measures. -Maintain effective security protocols, emergency response systems, and crisis management mechanisms. -Reduce exposure to threats arising from armed conflict, terrorism, criminality, civil unrest, mines, and unexploded ordnance. 2. Enable Safe Humanitarian Access and UN Operations -Facilitate secure humanitarian access to affected populations across Yemen. - Support safe movement of UN personnel and humanitarian missions through security clearances, route assessments, and movement coordination. - Ensure continuity of critical UN programmes in high-risk and hard-to-reach areas. 3. Provide Timely Security Analysis and Information - Monitor and analyze evolving security developments throughout Yemen. - Deliver timely security advisories, threat assessments, and situational reports to support operational decision-making. - Strengthen early warning and information-sharing systems among UN agencies and partners. 4. Strengthen Crisis Management and Emergency Preparedness - Develop and maintain contingency and evacuation plans for security emergencies and conflict escalation. - Conduct security training, simulations, and emergency preparedness exercises. - Support incident response coordination and emergency communications systems. 5. Support Compliance with the United Nations Security Management System (UNSMS) -Ensure UN agencies operating in Yemen comply with UNSMS policies, standards, and procedures. - Promote duty of care and risk-informed operational planning across the UN system. - Provide technical security guidance and oversight to UN entities and implementing partners. 6. Enhance Security Awareness and Capacity Building - Deliver security awareness briefings and specialized training for UN personnel. - Build staff capacity in personal security, hostile environment awareness, first aid, and emergency response. - Promote a culture of security preparedness and accountability. 7. Strengthen Coordination and Partnerships - Coordinate closely with UN agencies, humanitarian organizations, local authorities, and international partners on security matters. - Support inter-agency collaboration to improve operational safety and humanitarian access. - Contribute to humanitarian coordination mechanisms supporting aid delivery in Yemen. 8. Support the UN Humanitarian and Peacebuilding Mandate - Enable the safe delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to millions of people in need across Yemen. - Support UN mediation, stabilization, and peacebuilding efforts through effective security coordination. - Contribute to maintaining humanitarian space and operational continuity in one of the world’s most fragile humanitarian contexts.

Stress Counsellors actively monitor stressors affecting UN staff, identify emerging trends, and customize psychosocial support initiatives to enhance overall wellbeing. Their work is closely coordinated with local UN medical doctors, Regional Security Advisors, the HQ Medical Service Division, HR Officers, counsellors from other UN agencies, and UN leadership at all levels to ensure a comprehensive and unified approach to staff mental health and resilience.

1. Staff Wellbeing Support: - Develop and implement a stress prevention and management plan applicable to all UN agencies in the country. - Provide individual and group stress management and critical incident counselling sessions to staff and dependents as needed. - Plan and facilitate preventative stress management training on various stress-related issues for UN personnel in the country and circulate useful reading resources related to stress. - Perform ongoing psychosocial needs assessments and monitor the determinants of stress in UN personnel, including activities such as data collection, analysis, resource mapping, and coordinating collective psychosocial capacity across UN agencies and partners. 2. Crisis Response and Follow-Up - Assist in establishing the Critical Incident Stress Intervention Cells (CISICs) , including selecting Peer Helpers and Family Focal Points; facilitating peer helper training sessions (jointly with the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS ) Critical Incident Stress Management Service (CISMS)); coordinating and following up on all relevant activities. - Identify, address, and follow up on high-stress cases and critical incident stress cases among UN personnel and dependents in the country. 3. Management and Peer Support Coordination: - Advise UN management on stress mitigation strategies and activities. - Collaborate with UN managers, agency counsellors, medical doctors, local experts, and institutions on psychosocial issues to establish a network of professionals ready to support and intervene when needed. - Coordinate the Peer Support Personnel Network, including supervision and activity monitoring. - Liaise with the existing local Staff Association to advocate for the organization of welfare activities for UN personnel. 4. Field Support and Collaboration: - Be willing to visit and travel regularly to UN Offices/Sub Offices in the country to implement preventative stress management training activities and offer technical consultations when needed. - Under the guidance of the CISMS Regional Stress Counsellor, coordinate all critical incident stress management activities with relevant stakeholders, including UN staff counsellors in the country and neighboring countries, Peer Helpers, Family Focal Points, and Mental Health Professionals. 5. Reporting and Confidential Data Management: - Maintain confidential records on the CISMS Integrated Data Management (IDM ) platform and analyze trends. - Provide monthly reports to the Chief Security Adviser with copies to the Regional Stress Counsellor at CISMS on all activities.