Human Rights Watch is seeking a consultant to help the organization on issues related to staff stress and resilience. The consultant is needed on average 1-5 hours per week to provide professional trauma-informed mental health services and support for Human Rights Watch staff (including fellows, interns and consultants), as well as contribute to organizational discussions and events on staff wellbeing. The consultant may need to be on call 24/7 in some situations requiring urgent assistance.
Candidates must be based outside of North America, ideally (but not limited to) cities where HRW has a larger office (Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Nairobi, Paris and Tokyo).
Counseling Services
- Support Human Rights Watch staff by:
- Providing short-term counseling either in person or remotely by phone, email, or video;
- Providing referrals to professional mental health professionals;
- Providing pre- and post-project debriefings;
- Offering trauma-informed mental health support following security or other incidents; and
- Ensuring confidentiality and maintaining clinical records.
Organizational Support
- Help foster a culture of resilience and stress prevention among HRW staff by:
- Developing tools to help staff manage stress on the individual and team level;
- Providing trainings for staff on stress and resilience;
- Providing guidance and training for managers on how to support staff with stress reduction;
- Visiting HRW offices occasionally, as needed;
- Identifying referrals to other resources (e.g. Toastmasters, Alcoholics Anonymous, resources for human rights victims, and guest speakers);
- Preparing and presenting periodic reports, including types of issues addressed and usage by different parts of the organization;
- Serving on an internal task force on stress and resilience; and
- Working in conjunction with other HRW stress counselors.
- At least 10 years of experience working with primary and secondary trauma. Strong preference will be given to candidates with experience in the human rights or humanitarian sectors, and familiarity with international organizations. A history of working with others to improve organizational culture and staff wellbeing is highly desirable, as is experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
- Fluency in English is required. Proficiency in French and/or Arabic is highly preferred.
Related Skills & Knowledge:
- Experience working with people who live/work in a volatile security environment is desired.
- Experience training individuals and teams on ways to boost resilience and manage stress is desired.
- Experience working with a diverse, international staff is desired.
- Familiarity with peer support systems is desired.
- Knowledge of alcohol and drug dependency is desired.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate with a diverse international audience are desired.