Mental Health
Training Arena
Delivering bad news workshop
A 3- session workshop for professionals who are tasked with delievering bad news to community members
Operational Stress Management Course
Introduction to operational stress management: A digital course to actualize self-care for first responders
Community Stress Prevention Center’s Training
A selection of training and courses, which can all be tailormade for your specific community and institution's needs
24 Hours Hot-Line for First Responders
Telephone helpline for first responders and stress therapy personnel
Tool Kit
Soly AI
Free
Soly Emotional Health pioneers a platform for trauma resilience, blending our Trauma-Resilience AI with compassionate care to unite therapists, clients, and communities...
Dugri
Free
Dugri is a safe and anonymous peer support network that drives one-on-one real talk...
Expert Consultation
Tzivy Reiter
Director, Children and National Trauma Services, Ohel
Tzivy directs Outpatient Mental Health, School-Based and Trauma services, and oversees implementation of evidence-based practice models across programs. Tzivy is a...
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Dr. Edith Zakai-Or
CEO at Maytiv Center For Positive Psychology, Reichman University
Dr. Edith Zakai-Or completed a bachelor's degree (BA) in psychology and philosophy at Bar Ilan University. She later went on to pursue a PhD in Industrial Social...
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Idit Michael
Head of Programming and Senior Mental Health Professional at Natal
Idit Michael, Head of Programming and Senior Mental Health Professional, NATAL Global. Former Chief Superintendent of the Mental Health Division of Israel’s Police,...
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Dr. Tamar Lavi
Director, Community Outreach Natal
Dr. Lavi is an educational psychologist and a psychotherapist. She has conducted researches and treats populations exposed to trauma in the context of war and terror for...
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Dr. Hilla Hadas
Executive Director of Enosh - The Israeli Mental Health Association
Dr. Hilla Hadas (Ph.D. in life sciences) has held the role of CEO of Enosh for over a decade. Enosh is the leading mental health organization in Israel, specializing in...
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Dr. Einav Levy
Director of The Israeli School of Humanitarian Action
Einav Levy is the Founding Director of The Israeli School of Humanitarian Action and Lucien Research center for Humanitarian Action. He is also the head of the stress...
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Prof. Michael Davidson, MD
President The Israeli Medical Centre for Alzheimer
Prof. Davidson has trained in psychiatry at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City between 1981 and 1985 where remained on staff until 1995 and became...
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Dr. Moshe Farchi
Expert in the fields of acute trauma, emergency mental health intervention, Psychological First Aid (PFA)
Dr. Moshe Farchi, PhD. is an expert in the fields of acute trauma, emergency mental health intervention, Psychological First Aid (PFA) and psychological inoculation,...
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Talya Levanon
CEO Israel Trauma Coalition
Ms. Levanon directs all of ITC’s initiatives by building collaborative partnerships that form the foundation of sustainable support for trauma victims both in Israel...
Schedule a consultationBest Practices
CSPC
Israel
An informative one-pager about how to speak to children about traumatic events like war, and other imminent threats.
Ohel
USA
Ohel presents: Coping with Sari, Ori and Bananas! A puppet show for children to help them process their feelings about the war, in collaboration with Sari Kapnitikoff of That Jewish Moment.
ICSPC
Israel
Discover your inner strength with the Resilience Fairy! 🧚♀️✨ Join us in this fun video for kids and adults to learn about the BASIC PH resilience model – a superpower for coping with stress and anxiety! 💪🚀 B = Belief A = Affect S = Social I = Imagination C = Cognition Ph = Physiology Unleash your inner hero now!
Natal
Israel
Especially for times of war, when in Israel and Jewish communities around the world the ongoing threats bring high levels of stress with them, Natal offers plenty of resources to cope with the stress buildup and help in relaxation.
The documents included in this Best Practice:
- How to Calm Children, and Adolescents during Times of Stress
- The Animal Superpower Game
- Self-soothing in 8 steps
- Family Relaxation Exercise
Israeli National Resilience Institute
Israel
Local Community Emergency Teams (CETs) work closely with rescue forces. During interventions, these teams are exposed, in real time, to the difficult sights and situations that individual victims, families, and communities are experiencing. CETs serve with a high level of dedication, social responsibility, and humanitarianism.
These helpers are vulnerable to situations outside their control and are at risk for various types of danger. The impacts range across a spectrum from secondary traumatic stress syndrome (the costs they pay), to posttraumatic growth (the “benefits”).
The scientific literature we reviewed emphasized the need to appoint a team member to support the rescue workers in the field through prompt, preventive interventions. It is important for a designated person to provide responses to the teams’ needs, and strive to reduce risks, burnout, and secondary traumatization among the helpers.
In light of this need, the Ministry of Social Affairs has decided to add a new position to the Community Emergency Teams: a CET supporter.
Hebrew
Smadar Spearman
Israel
Providing emotional support via the telephone during emergency situations has become a well-known and accepted method for helping people. In the past, the telephone was seen as an alienating means of communication. Today, however, most people are intimately attached to their smartphones (which are actually mobile personal computers) and can use them to access many services. Asking for assistance via telephone has become legitimate, and is even more common than face-to-face meetings.
This widespread use of mobile phones can be seen as representing the physical and psychological distance between people in the reality of the twenty-first century. At the same time, mobile phones can bring people together during emergencies and in their aftermath, when security and stability have been severely undermined. Phones can also be used to provide assistance to people who were not directly harmed, and facilitate their efforts to restore a sense of equilibrium. Research has proven that using phones to help people in need is effective, simple, and economical in terms of time and emotional energy.
Israeli citizens have used the Ministry of Welfare’s Open Line service frequently, and it has received positive feedback. In the meantime, the threats of war and terrorism continue. This has led to the conclusion that the Open Line should become an official and professionalized service.
Israel Trauma Coalition
Israel
The Israel Trauma Coalition and Israeli writer Hadassah Field have written and translated a book for Ukrainian children. It has additional recommendations for parents on how best to convey to children the main messages embedded in this story.
English version: https://www.flipsnack.com/EF6DED88B7A/piece-of-home.html
Ukrainian version: https://www.flipsnack.com/EF6DED88B7A/-.html
Boca Recovery Center
United States
Drug and alcohol abuse can make depression and mental illness worse, and depression can increase the risk factor for addiction. The reverse is also true, in that addiction can raise the odds for depression.
When addiction and depression are present in the same person at the same time, these disorders are said to be comorbid, or co-occurring. Depression and addiction commonly co-occur, and each condition can complicate the other.
Depression and addiction are complexly intertwined, requiring comprehensive dual diagnosis treatment programs for optimal support. Treatment aims to manage both conditions at the same time, often using both medications and therapies together.
UCLA and Fetzer Institute
This 20-item scale, is designed to measure one’s subjective feelings of loneliness as well as feelings of social isolation. Participants rate each item as either O (“I often feel this way”), S (“I sometimes feel this way”), R (“I rarely feel this way”), N (“I never feel this way”).
Dr. Shiri Daniels
Executive Director of Counseling Eran; Member of JReady's professional committee
Israel
Crisis and disaster events can evoke overwhelming emotions: anxiety, anger, uncertainty, helplessness, and a sense of threat to our basic safety and security. In addition, for some the events may provoke earlier traumatic memories from a similar situation and/or intensify preexisting emotional difficulties. Crisis events undermine the sense that we have control over our lives, harm social resilience, and raise levels of anxiety and emotional distress among all of us: children, youth, and adults alike. At times, the emotional overload can paralyze us, leading us to close ourselves off and avoid contact with others. However, talking about our most difficult fears and disturbing thoughts can bring a great sense of relief during times of emotional distress.
Community Stress Prevention Centre
Israel
Simple tool to self-assess levels of stress and anxiety.
Dr. Shiri Daniels
Executive Director of Counseling Eran; Member of JReady's professional committee
Israel
Every 40 seconds someone in the world commits suicide and every 41 seconds there are devastated people left behind, trying to comprehend the meaning of the act. In the vast majority of cases, suicide is preventable and suicide prevention is not only reserved for professionals. Listening and social support to those around you is invaluable and can save lives. The following ‘best practice’ written by one of the leading professionals in Israel offers us a practical guide on how to identify suicidal distress and how to react to is step by step.
Dr. Zohar Rubinstein
Israel
Tel Aviv University Summer 2020 Course: COVID-19: From Crisis to Opportunity
Prof. Mooli Lahad
Founder and President of ICSPC
Israel
One of the most important things to do when treating a client suffering from emotional trauma is to create a safe / pleasant, secure under control atmosphere, together with experiencing safety, and control. In every therapeutic process it is important to create the feeling of safety as part of the therapy relationship. However, in order to help a client who suffers from sudden acute anxiety, it is especially important to actively “teach” him how to create a safe/ pleasant place and to enhance the feeling of control of the level of anxiety.
Prof. Mooli Lahad
Founder and President of CSPC
Israel
A practical guide to dealing with the psychological effects of Corona: What does it mean when yesterday does not predict today and tomorrow
The Author Mooli Lahad full Professor of psychology Founder and President of CSPC [www.icspc.org] This paper includes two parts.The first offers a conceptual framework of why this new and ever evolving situation confronts us with an immense fear of the unknown: The Continuity Model. The second part will try and use the 40 years of expertise of working in psycho trauma and community resilience to give some practical recommendations for active coping. Let’s start with the name of the virus. Corona means crown or tiara due to the similarity between the virus form and its similarity to a crown. Our goal should be to reduce Queen Corona’s control over our lives!
Prof. Mooli Lahad & Ayalon O.
Israel
BASIC Ph recommended post-trauma interventions Individual and group methods for the three stages of recovery from crisis induced trauma
The following strategies are grouped into the three stages of healing suggested by Herman, integrating BASIC Ph coping resource and coping skills. The channels that are employed in each activity are marked in the attached legend.
Out of the Depth
Israel
Individuals and cultures mourn in different ways. Usually mourning includes a sense of loss expressed as a feeling of absence and longing for the deceased. Each person expresses mourning in her or his own way: there is no ‘normal’ or ‘correct’ way to mourn. It is a spiritual, personal, natural process after experiencing loss.
Out of the Depth
Israel
Bereavement is always difficult but in the current circumstances, the loss of a loved one becomes even more painful. Under normal circumstances, religious and social mourning customs and rituals assist in the process of comforting and sharing the loss from the funeral to the shivah (seven day mourning period,) through prayers, visits from family and friends, and the memorial ceremonies.
Dr. Yochi Siman Tov, Riva Schechter and Rachel Moshe Avraham
Ministry of Education
Israel
“Not infrequently, we hear of cases where students and their teachers are required to quarantine in the home, following exposure to confirmed cases of the corona virus. It appears that we will be dealing with this situation for the foreseeable future. It engenders feelings of helplessness, a loss of control, and ongoing uncertainty, and as such is the cause of fears and worries. A direct and open conversation can be calming, gives security and provides a feeling that there is someone who can be relied upon.
As is always the case, but especially now, it’s very important to strengthen the connection between parents and their children, and to provide a feeling of safety and security as much as possible. Parents have a responsibility to explain the situation to their children and help them understand what is happening and the coping methods which they can use.”
Natal
Israel
NATAL’s online trauma resiliency portal for children and teachers in school – Safe Place is a classroom based psycho-educational platform meant to help children and youth learnand develop stress management and coping skills. Safe Place was originally designed to help Israeli children living in Israel’s southern conflict zones cope with high levels of stress due to ongoing security threats, but is useful in learning how to cope with stress
Natal
Israel
5 min relaxation technique that is relevant to all ages. Jacobson’s relaxation technique is a type of therapy that focuses on tightening and relaxing specific muscle groups in sequence. It’s also known as progressive relaxation therapy. By concentrating on specific areas and tensing and then relaxing them, you can become more aware of your body and physical sensations.
Natal
Israel
This podcast focuses on addressing the transition of first responders from work to home, and the importance of setting boundaries, developing rituals and coping mechanisms to separate one’s work life from home life. Featuring Sherry Campanelli, Manager of the Mother/Baby Department at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood New Jersey and Terry Hoben, Emergency Medical Services Coordinator for University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey.
Natal
Israel
This episode shares the story of Dr. Pruden, an Emergency Medicine Physician and Director of Emergency Preparedness at St.Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson, NJ. In this very personal podcast, Dr. Pruden details his experience being diagnosed with COVID and shares how he managed during his month-long hospitalization. Dr. Pruden’s diagnosis was featured widely on broadcast media including the TODAY Show. Dr. Pruden joins the podcast to recount his personal story of perseverance and resilience, along with the powerful coping tools which aided in his recovery.
Natal
Israel
This episode focuses on defining anxiety and stress. Tips and tools are shared to assist with building resilience to help manage situations involving anxiety and stress. This podcast features Dave Cooper, Founder of Verge Coaching/Consulting Company and Mike Biller, President and Chief Operating Officer of Tomahawk Strategic Solutions.
Israel Trauma Coalition
Israel
In times of crisis, community Rabbis and lay leaders have a unique role in maintaining and nurturing
personal and community resilience. Rabbis are inundated with halakhic questions regarding prayer
gatherings, lessons, issues of closeness and distance. Behind each such question lies significant
psychosocial concerns, anxieties, the need for support and maintaining continuity in the face of an
unknown threat.
Israel Trauma Coalition
Israel
We are witnessing the spread of COVID-19 around the world. The virus is a new kind of concern, not
something we are used to dealing with and as such causes stress, affect our emotional state and that
of our children. We need to increase the ability to cope with this stress and strengthen our resilience.
The two main causes of stress are uncertainty and feelings of helplessness.
To reduce uncertainty, relevant information should be provided and tailored to each child’s
developmental stage
Israel Trauma Coalition
Israel
Staying in isolation out of fear of contracting COVID-19, waiting for the test result, and the diagnosis
itself naturally brings tremendous stress. Uncertainty, coupled with fear for the future, can result from
being separated from your loved ones.
All of this can come with a variety of emotions: Fear, sadness, vulnerability, insecurity, helplessness,
shame and anxiety about what’s coming next. These emotional reactions to the disease are both
expected and natural. Being in isolation alone or with your family can magnify these reactions so we
need to find ways to protect ourselves, maintain continuity and especially, to find ways to stay
connected.
Israel Trauma Coalition
Israel
During these days, of stress and uncertainty, remote intervention allows us to maintain therapeutic
continuum, to provide assistance to those in need, and overcome the limitations of social distancing
currently required. This option is also suitable for use in other emergencies, such as a security escalation that
prohibits meetings.
2020
Natal
Israel
These days, as we deal with the Corona pandemic, its unique conditions of hospitalization, isolation, and distance, it is especially important to pay attention to the process of saying goodbye to a terminal patient. The inability to provide the patient a choice in end-of-life rituals, along with the lack of close physical touch, may increase the fear of death and the difficulty in coping with the loss and grief.
Natal
Israel
In times of adversity and turmoil, stress evokes strong emotions and causes uncertainty in all of us.
So what can you do to help children cope? Here is a list of useful tips for parents, teachers and caretakers:
Israel Trauma Coalition
Israel
Caregivers are exposed to many situations in which they experience emotional, cognitive, behavioral
and physiological reactions that cause difficulties and stress. A significant factor that causes stress is
the fear of contagion. The family and their immediate social circle may also add to this pressure due to
their concern for the safety of their loved ones who may be exposed to the virus.
Israel Trauma Coalition
Israel
The Corona epidemic has created a terrible situation whereby family members cannot stay and care
for their relatives who are hospitalized or in rest homes and may not be present in their final
moments. People die alone and family members afforded no separation process, discover new
meaning to loss and loneliness. Caregivers do what they can to assist dying people, but they also
suffer from the circumstances. Watching people die alone affects everyone.
Natal
Israel
Saying goodbye to a loved one due to a serious illness brings up deep sorrow and pain. When this loss happens unexpectedly, the event is even more disorienting, and includes feelings of regret and helplessness. These days, the essential and natural components of support – the physical closeness – are impossible. This situation can be frustrating and angering. With that said, we must remember that saying goodbye involves other components besides physical closeness and touch. The following pages are meant to assist you in directing the end-of-life process with your loved ones, while they are in isolation and unable to physically meet, touch, and hug.
Israel Trauma Coalition
Israel
These are uncertain times. We are all concerned, we miss our dear ones and hope for better days. We are all required to exercise caution and adhere to the government’s guidelines and instructions for our particular location. This is a tough challenge for all of us.
Israel Trauma Coalition
Israel
Caregivers are exposed to many situations in which they experience emotional, cognitive, behavioral and physiological reactions that cause difficulties and stress. The elderly population has considerable life experience, as well as coping capacities in crisis, uncertainty, stress, etc. At the same time, the elderly can be vulnerable due to the reduction of personal and environmental resources. Coping with loneliness, and the needs of the elderly, may also put a strain on the staff during routine and crisis affecting their functioning.
Dr. Yochi Siman Tov and Rachel Moshe Avraham
Ministry of Education
Israel
As efforts to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus and stop the chain of infection continue, we are on the verge of a new year that will look different from the usual and familiar. At the same time, it is necessary to be precise with guidelines for intervening in situations of risk in general, and in situations of suicide in particular, in order to more appropriately manage the correct intervention. It is important to note that the principles of intervention are generic guidelines and each individual scenario should be evaluated individually for optimal results.
Dr. Yochi Siman Tov and Rachel Moshe Avraham
Ministry of Education
Israel
This briefing discusses delivering difficult news to students when they cannot be gathered in person at the school and will be meeting virtually. In this case, it is recommended that parents will be the first people to deliver the difficult news to their children. Parents will receive directions (written and through a virtual meeting)1 on how to deliver difficult news in this context. Following students’ conversations with their parents, school staff will conduct a group virtual meeting with the students. It is important to choose a virtual platform that will make participants comfortable
