Critical Incident Stress Management Section (CISMS) personnel, including locally engaged National Stress Counsellors, are primarily responsible for stress management, resilience building and mental health support following critical incidents. They have specific responsibilities in emergency preparedness, emergency response and follow up services. Furthermore, they monitor stressors that affect UN personnel, identify trends and tailor psychosocial support services to address and promote holistic staff psychosocial wellbeing in coordination with the local UN doctor, the Regional Security Advisor, the HQ Medical Service Division, HR Officers, UN Counsellors from other UN agencies, funds and programs and senior and line managers UN system wide.

The National Stress Counsellor will be based in Fiji and provide psychosocial support services for staff and dependents located across the country. The current Security Level in the country is highly volatile and as a result, the psychosocial well-being of staff is impacted severely. The unpredictability of civil unrest, lack of access to medical facilities, and the ever-present threat of crime have made UN personnel highly vulnerable to high cumulative stress and critical incident stress resulting in physical and psychological trauma and illness.

In addition to the aforementioned issues that affect psychosocial wellbeing of UN personnel, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many countries instituting drastic measures including lockdowns to reduce the spread of the virus and associated fatalities. COVID 19 crisis is considered as a protracted health emergency that has complex psychosocial repercussions for UN personnel in the short and the long term that require expert psychological interventions to mitigate adverse mental health consequences.

Psychological reactions to COVID-19 such as panic, anxiety and denial are well known in populations across the world. Other important consequences of the pandemic across the globe include psychological and financial burden of the illness, death, drastic changes in the socio-cultural and behavioural patterns triggered by virus containment measures (i.e. movement restrictions / closed borders, people wearing masks, decrease of direct inter-personal contacts, changes in the cultural mourning and bereavement processes) that add on to the distress of families and exacerbate the crisis reactions. Domestic violence and intimate partner violence are also areas of concern. The UN Security Management Team in collaboration with the UN stress counsellor, medical and security professionals in the headquarters and in country are required to adopt appropriate psychosocial strategies and interventions to assist UN personnel and their eligible family members. The TOR draws upon the experience and the outcomes of the activities of staff/stress counsellors in the pandemic outbreaks of infectious diseases such as Ebola virus disease and influenza.

Due to the above reasons and in line with the UN Duty of Care Framework, it is essential to continue the services of a part-time in-house stress counsellor for psychosocial support services for UN personnel and dependents.The main role of the National Stress Counsellor will be to build a sustainable stress management system in the UN Offices operating in country and to improve critical incident stress management preparedness of the UN security management system (UNSMS). Critical incident mental health support including the provision of psychological first aid may be required to address mental health emergencies including acute stress reactions, support victims of crime, provide support following medical emergencies and accidents, bereavements, family violence and other issues.

The National Stress Consellor will report to the Regional Security Advisor and the Regional Stress Counsellor for Asia Pacific countries, CISMS, UNDSS, New York. As a member of the Crisis Management Team (CMT) of the UN, the National Stress Counsellor coordinates with the UN Fiji Senior Medical Officer on relevant matters pertaining to psychological services for UN personnel and dependents in the Fiji MCO. 

The National Stress Counsellor will work under the administrative supervision of the Regional Security Advisor and the technical supervision of the CISMS Headquarter Regional Stress Counsellor, and in collaboration with the UN Senior Medical Adviser in Suva.

The incumbent will implement a wide range of stress management activities, including the UN strategic framework on critical incident stress prevention and management (MSCIS-2015).

Internal Task
The incumbent will be responsible for the following tasks: –

• Perform psychosocial needs assessments via surveys and focus groups and monitor the determinants of stress in the UN Offices and personnel.
• Provide individual and group counselling sessions related to critical incidents.
• Organize training sessions on stress and stress related issues. 
• Provide referral advice to UN staff. 
• Advise the UN SMT/Country Team Management on culturally applicable and gender sensitive stress mitigating strategies, and activities.
• Provide reports to the Resident Coordinator, Security Advisor and to the UNDSS CISMS Regional Stress Counsellor on all activities maintaining due confidentiality.

External Task

• Liaise with local experts and institutions in the country for referral, as well as with UN line managers, medical doctors, and local physicians in order to build a network of professionals ready to support and intervene in case of need.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Business Management    

• Communication. Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels.

Business Direction & Strategy

• Strategic Thinking. Develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight.
• Effective decision making. Take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources and take into consideration potential wider implications.

Ethics. 

• Ethics advice and guidance. Ability to quickly analyze complex fact patterns and provide comprehensive, sensitive, and confidential ethics advice and guidance

External 

• Relations & Advocacy| Communications. Advocacy strategy and implementation    Ability to create and implement advocacy strategies which lead to impactful change