Wellness in Career Transition

Bolstering Mental Health and Resilience of Development Practitioners to Find

Meaningful New Employment Opportunities and Rebuild the Global Development System

Former USAID staff and partners – whose careers were ended in last year’s demolition of USAID and the international development sector – need urgent psychological support to weather the impact not only of losing their employment and livelihoods, but their calling as international development professionals. Tens of thousands of international development practitioners have been abruptly thrust into a job market in which their primary employment options have been decimated, and in many cases they have also lost their health insurance coverage that would ordinarily cover the costs of mental health support.

To provide support for crisis mental health and wellness interventions for this community, the AidTA team established a partnership with The KonTerra Group. During 2025, KonTerra served approximately one thousand development professionals through weekly peer group counseling sessions, weekly webinars and discussion groups on managing grief, anxiety and transition; and individual counseling services. Demand for individual counseling quickly exceeded the funding available. Additionally, few if any organizations have been adequately able to meet the demand for support to local staff impacted, and with our connections we have been able to reach this population who have unique needs for assistance.

The AidTA team coordinated closely with several institutions, including Georgetown University’s “Pivot With Purpose” program, which has been especially effective in providing a comprehensive array of resources to international development professionals to find new jobs in new fields. However, the demand for support on both the mental health and career transition fronts far exceeds available resources, and the two pathways have been fairly stovepiped up until now. 

During 2026, AidTA will take an innovative integrated approach to the career transition of the international development community, bringing together mental health and resilience with professional development resources and exploring new approaches to the crisis. With KonTerra and its network of partners, AidTA plans the following activities designed to deepen our support for global south development professionals:

Key Programs

  • Psychosocial Support Webinars

    Psychosocial webinars to provide support for mental health issues that arise around significant anniversaries from last year’s traumatic events.

  • Wellness in Career Transition Program

    A bespoke program of wellness in career transition specifically targeted at the members of the international development community who have not been able to ‘pivot’ as easily as others and are now facing long-term un- and under-employment.

  • Peer Support Communities

    Peer to peer support groups, particularly for USAID Foreign Service National staff & national staff of international development organizations, to sustain their connections and support each other through a transition that has different implications in each country’s unique context.

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Have questions, ideas, or want to collaborate? We’d love to hear from you. Reach out to explore partnerships, volunteer opportunities, or ways to support the global development community through this critical transition.