Specifications include, but are not limited to: New Hanover County’s Port City United (PCU) is inviting interested mental health professionals to respond to this request for proposal to provide mental health services and training to PCU staff to include workshops on understanding the basics of the field of mental health, recognizing, and responding to trauma, approaches to address stress management and how to incorporate self-care strategies. Port City United staff, especially those involved in violence interruption, have personally experienced trauma and violence and will be working with individuals in the community who have also experienced trauma and violence; therefore, it is imperative that staff are trained and prepared to respond, de-escalate, and self-regulate. It is necessary for staff to receive proper training and support. At a minimum, the selected mental health professional will be required to provide the following: • Workshops/training on the field of mental health, including but not limited to defining mental health, how mental health is important during different stages of life, informing on common mental health problems, factors that contribute to mental health problems, warning signs and triggers, and where to find help, • Group sessions on approaches to discuss and address stress management and techniques that assist in self-regulation using Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy after staff respond to community situations that may involve violence, • Group sessions on developing self-care strategies to reduce possible burn-out, and • Group follow up sessions to check in and ensure that staff understand and practice good mental health practices among themselves and with the community by learning about compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, as well as the trauma reactions that first responders experienced by being the first on a scene. Sometimes professionals trained to treat trauma and manage very stressful situations can help others, but struggle to reclaim their own emotional wellbeing.
