Jewish Family Services of Greater Charlotte Partners with Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

Charlotte Jewish News, May 2025

By Rachel Green, JFS Director of Programs and Services

Jewish Family Services of Greater Charlotte (JFS) has teamed up with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (CML) to offer a transformative training program aimed at equipping library staff with the necessary tools and knowledge to apply Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed (PCTI) principles to their work. This partnership, which spans multiple library branches across the county, focuses on providing education and practical strategies to help library staff, from customer assistance staff, to librarians and county-wide library leaders, create a more supportive, compassionate, and trauma-aware environment for all patrons.

Amanda Goldson, adult librarian at the Pineville Branch of CML, has taken the lead in creating this partnership: “The partnership with Jewish Family Services has enabled us to introduce Charlotte Mecklenburg Library staff to the importance of understanding trauma and viewing every aspect of what we do through a lens of PCTI.”

Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed (PCTI) care is an approach that focuses on understanding and responding to the needs of individuals who have experienced trauma. PCTI programs prioritize creating safe, respectful, and empowering environments that promote healing and dignity. The core concept of PCTI is recognizing the prevalence of trauma and using a compassionate, empathetic approach to service delivery that takes into account the impacts trauma can have on people’s behaviors, emotions, and overall well-being.

The importance of this approach to the library system is clear to Goldson. “After over 16 years of being a librarian, I knew that our community deserved trauma-informed library staff and services.” JFS, which has received specialized PCTI training from The Jewish Federations of North America, is well-versed in the practical application of these principles. First created to work with the Holocaust Survivor community, the principles of PCTI have now been applied across populations to create trauma-informed programs and services across settings.

This comprehensive training initiative includes sessions that reach library staff across the

CML system, with the goal of fostering greater awareness of trauma and its impact on individuals in the community. Rachel Green, MSW, LCSW, JFS director of programs and services, and Sheryl Gerrard, JFS senior engagement manager, guide participants through the essential PCTI principles, providing case examples and detailed explanations of how these approaches have been successfully applied within JFS programs and services. These insights and examples empower library staff to adopt a trauma-sensitive approach in their daily work, ensuring that every library visit is a safe, welcoming experience for all patrons.

One of the highlights of the training program is its interactive component, facilitated by Amanda Goldson. Amanda leads the library staff in hands-on activities that encourage them to apply the principles of PCTI directly to the library setting. This collaborative learning environment utilizes group and individual brainstorming, vignettes from common challenges and real-life library scenarios, and encourages collaboration between participants from all areas of the library operations. The interactive activities help staff think critically about how to incorporate PCTI into library programs, services, and everyday interactions with patrons. This portion of the training ends with the library staff discussing practical strategies for using the PCTI “lens” when designing programs and services.

The partnership between Jewish Family Services and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library represents a shared commitment to building a more compassionate and trauma-aware community. By providing library staff with the skills and knowledge to understand and address trauma, JFS is helping to create an environment where all individuals, especially those who have faced difficult circumstances, feel supported, respected, and empowered.