CGIAR Counselling Services: Standard Operating Procedure for accessing confidential counselling

Abstract

The CGIAR Counselling Service is a professional, confidential and free service, which is available to all CGIAR staff worldwide. Originally set up to support staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, CGIAR’s Gender, Diversity and Inclusion (GDI) Function has sponsored 700 hours of Counselling, available as a shared resource to all staff across the System. This support is still available. The service provides one-to-one counselling and group specialist assistance on a range of personal, family, social, psychological and mental health issues in a non-judgmental and open manner. It also provides a range of wellbeing, resilience and mental health advice and information. Counselling is available in English, French, Italian, German, Dutch, Spanish and Arabic. This CGIAR Counselling support may be especially helpful for staff with caregiving responsibilities, who are struggling with the pressures of juggling the care of children in a hybrid world, and those who may be under very high levels of job stress. This confidential source of support is also available to anyone who may be experiencing domestic violence. This service is independent of the CGIAR Counselling Roster, which is another information-only resource made available for Centers/Alliances to consider as part of their Employee Assistance Programs. The CGIAR Counselling Service is being sponsored by CGIAR’s Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Program. It is free of charge and completely confidential.

Interested staff should contact The Rome Institute in confidence, using the following link: https://www.romeinstitute.org/contact-us or via email: petra.miczaika@romeinstitute.org