Background

The overall mandate of the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) is to provide leadership, operational support and oversight of the security management system to enable the safest and most efficient conduct of the programs and activities of the United Nations System.

The Critical Incident Stress Management Unit (CISMU)-Somalia works to provide psychosocial support to UN personnel working inside Somalia and for Somalia offices in Nairobi. One of the objectives of CISMU is to establish Critical Incident Stress Intervention Cells (CISICs) throughout Somalia. The cells are formed by training selected UN personnel to provide nonprofessional, collegial assistance to UN personnel and their direct dependents. Peer Helpers are “colleagues helping colleagues.” The Peer Helper Programme has been developed to provide the trainees (Peer Helpers) with comprehensive knowledge and practical skills on stress and psychological trauma related issues. The PH network, which is developed as a result of the training, has proven to be beneficial to staff, especially during emergencies and when counselors are not immediately available to provide support to staff. The PHs will be providing support under the supervision of the CISMU Stress Counselor.

CISMU is recruiting an individual consultant on a retainer basis to assist the CISMU Stress Counselor in delivering the PH training. It is a 8 days training and will require the consultant to travel to Somalia. In addition the consultant maybe required to avail him/herself to assist in other trainings conducted by the CISMU Stress Counselor in Kenya or elsewhere.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall management of Deputy Chief Security Advisor (DCSA) and Under direct supervision of the UN-Stress Counselor, Somalia, the PH Training co-facilitator will perform duties and responsibilities in accordance with the objectives and activities in the work plan and other duties as requested by UN Psycho-social Support Office. 

Specifically, the duties and responsibilities of the incumbent are:

  • Familiarize him/herself with the PH training modules prior to the training
  • Prepare and Co-facilitate the modules assigned to him/her by the CISMU Stress Counselor
  • Review the training manual content and suggest or advice the Stress Counselor on the new developments in the areas of mental health
  • Provide a written report at the end of each training with suggestions and recommendations
  • Set and correct post training assessment for all participants
  • Provide a written feedback on all participants suitability/readiness to volunteer as a Peer Helper.
Final product/deliverable:
  • Deliver the 8 days Peer Helper training. With ½ a day pre-training consultation and working on the training materials and ½ a day post training for a debrief and further comments/suggestions on the workshop materials. 2 travel days if required will be provided.
  • Produce a written report of the training(s) conducted.
  • Provide suggestions in improving the training format/methodology and/or the content willing to work on the soft copy of the training manuals with the recommendations.
  • Complete the Peer Helper skills Screening Feedback form for each participant and provide recommendations for readiness of the PH to volunteer.
  • Correct the final written assessment and provide the corrected copies to the stress counselor.
Monitoring and Progress controls:
  • Monitoring will be carried out by the UNDSS CISMU Stress Counselor
Review/approval time:
  • Approval and payments will be made within 14 days of the successful completion of agreed tasks

Competencies

Core Competencies:
  • Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards
  • Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
Functional Competencies:
Knowledge Management and Learning:
  • Promotes knowledge management in UNDP and a learning environment in the office through leadership and personal example
  • Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more Practice Areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
  • Development and Operational Effectiveness:
  • Ability to organize and manage results-oriented strategic and thematic evaluations. Substantive knowledge and understanding of evaluation and development evaluation in particular.
  • Excellent knowledge of current development issues particularly those pertinent to UNDP’s Practice Areas. Ability to conceptualize issues and analyze data.
  • Good technical skills in measurement and evaluation, including grasp of methodological and operational dimensions and the ability to link corporate and country level issues.
  • Ability to successfully lead multidisciplinary experts and to coordinate the work of others.
  • Ability to lead business processes re-engineering, implementation of new systems (business side), and affect staff behavioral/ attitudinal change
  • Good knowledge of Results Management Guide and Toolkit

Required Skills and Experience

Education:
  • At least a Master’s degree in counseling/clinical psychology with certification and training in psychological trauma.

Experience:

  • At least 7 years working experience in conflict and/or post-conflict contexts in the field of mental health and psychological trauma, coupled with training/coaching adults on mental health issues including psychological trauma
  • Certification /trainings in psychological trauma is a requirement
  • Must be a practicing trauma counselor with knowledge of the new trends in trauma therapy
  • Advanced computer skills in common office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) is a requirement
Language Requirements:
  • Fluency in written and spoken English is a requirement
Other information:
  • The consultant will be required to travel to Somalia including Mogadishu security permitting for training purposes.
  • All travel related and DSA costs will be borne by UNDSS. 
  • The expert will be required to have a personal lap top computer
Terms of Service:

This is a non-staff contract under the Individual Contractor (IC) modality of hiring of the UNDP. Individuals engaged under an IC serve in their individual capacity and not as representative of a government institutions, corporate body or other authority external to UNDP. The incumbent shall not be considered as staff of UNDP, the UN common system or the government and are therefore not entitled to any diplomatic privileges or any other special status or conditions.