Job Description

Sustainable Peace Foundation (SPF) is an Iraqi feminist Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) striving to build and sustain peace through vertical and horizontal approaches and participatory methods; addressing root causes of tensions and conflicts challenging positive peace in Iraq. SPF strives to achieve this by working on the grassroots level to reinstate and strengthen the lost trust between Iraq’s diverse ethno-religious communities; increase community resilience, empower and building the capacities of the very effected communities so they can mitigate and transform conflicts through dialogue and non-violent means.

SPF strives to achieve these objectives by working with vulnerable groups such as, youth, women and girls, people with special needs and IDPs through developing their capacities to take leadership roles and to actively participate in the peace and reconciliation processes; economically empower communities by offering them vocational trainings and providing them with livelihood means to ensure stability and a dignified living standard.

SPF also strives to engage local authority and security actors with the local communities through advocacy, round table dialogue sessions and developing local peace mechanisms and structures capable to acts as soundboards conveying their communities’ needs and challenges. Another pillar of SPF’s efforts is to support and capacitate Iraq’s civil society for example, SPF provide the technical coordination and the secretariat of Nineveh Peace Forum, which it is a founder.

SPF also provides consultations for local and international NGOs on peacebuilding and social cohesion programming, such as: context analysis, needs assessments, actor and service mapping etc.

SPF’s focuses on minority protection, but through its Do-no-Harm approach, which ensures that SPF programming and implementation creates cohesion instead of doing harm.

Project Aims

The Art Therapy Consultant will lead the material development for the “Colours of Healing: Trauma-Informed Art Therapy for Women and Girls at Al-Amal Rehabilitation Centre, Nineveh” project, implemented by the Sustainable Peace Foundation through the funding of UN Women - Iraq. The project aims to enhance the resilience, healing, and dignity of women and girls at Al-Amal Rehabilitation Centre through a gender-responsive and trauma-informed art therapy intervention. It seeks to respond to the immediate emotional and psychosocial needs of women and girls returning from Al-Hol by providing safe, non-stigmatising spaces for emotional expression, stress relief, and adaptive coping, without requiring forced verbal disclosure.

Terms of Reference

• Lead the development of a culturally appropriate, age-sensitive, and gender-responsive art therapy approach tailored to women and girls at Al-Amal Rehabilitation Centre.
• Develop structured session plans and identify the required art materials to support the intervention.
• Design participant orientation processes specifically crafted to foster trust, voluntary engagement, and emotional safety.
• Ensure all developed content strictly adheres to trauma-informed, survivor-centred, and do-no-harm principles.
• Tailor the materials to cater to two distinct demographic groups participating in the sessions: adolescent girls (targeted 86) and adult women (targeted 58).

Scope of Work

The Art Therapy Consultant will be responsible for the following:

• Design the core art therapy curriculum and session outlines to be implemented during the project.
• Integrate creative expression exercises with basic techniques that promote emotional well-being, self-expression, confidence, and adaptive coping among participants.
• Ensure all designed activities avoid practices that could trigger distress, compel disclosure, or contribute to re-traumatisation.
• Work efficiently within the designated timeframe (July 2026) to prepare the materials ahead of the field implementation phase.

Deliverable

• 1 Developed and prepared culturally appropriate, age-sensitive, and gender-responsive art therapy approach.
• Clearly outlined session planning documents and methodological guidelines ready for facilitator use.

Required Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Art Therapy, Psychology, Counseling, Social Work, or a related field.
• Proven experience designing and developing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) interventions or art therapy materials, particularly in displacement or emergency contexts.
• Demonstrated experience working with vulnerable populations, specifically conflict-affected women and girls or returnees.

Preferred Skills and Competencies

• Deep understanding of trauma-informed care, gender-responsive programming, and "do no harm" principles.
• Cultural sensitivity and contextual awareness regarding the specific challenges faced by women and girls returning from Al-Hol.
• Excellent curriculum development, planning, and documentation skills.
• Ability to work efficiently to deliver high-quality materials within a one-month implementation period.

Interested candidates should submit their CV and a cover letter outlining their relevant experience and motivation for the role to hr@sustainablepeacefoundation.org. Please include "Art Therapy Consultant - Material Development" in the subject line of your email. Please note applications without cover letters will not be considered and female candidates are encouraged to apply.

For more information about the Sustainable Peace Foundation visit our website at www.sustainablepeacefoundation.org.