JFCS is the community’s go-to agency for mental health services

There are two key reasons for this: our very experienced licensed clinical social workers and their expertise; and financial support JFCS receives from our generous donors and from grants.

One recently received two-year grant is a game-changer. The Jewish Federations of North America awarded JFCS a significant sum to provide a bevy of mental-health services – and educational opportunities – for clients of all ages, always through the lens of person-centered, trauma-informed (PCTI) care.

Douglass Ruth, LCSW, CCTP, clinical director, explains this grant allows JFCS to connect with more clients and in more ways than ever before.

Mental Health SpotlightNow, in addition to one-on-one psychotherapy, JFCS offers Mental Health Spotlight. 

The Mental Health Spotlight provides pertinent information about mental health or mental health adjacent topics that are timely and of interest to the community and are offered through various modalities – groups, workshops or presentations. Our Walking Beside You grief-processing group and Cancer Support Group are two examples.

Mental Health Spotlight’s goal is community outreach and providing pertinent information about topics our clinicians are tuned in to through their client work.  

“This is a shift from JFCS over the past couple years,” says Doug, adding he now hears from clients more frequently than ever before, “I can always come here.”

Learn more about JFCS’s Mental Health Spotlight’s upcoming events.

What is PCTI care?

PCTI stands for “person-centered, trauma-informed.” This important counseling methodology has six guiding principles:

  1. Safety
  2. Trustworthiness & transparency
  3. Peer support
  4. Collaboration & mutuality
  5. Empowerment & choice
  6. Cultural, historical & gender issues