The Israeli Coalition for Trauma is a non-profit organization that brings together 58 organizations, associations, and government ministries that deal with the prevention and handling of emergencies, the treatment of mental trauma and post-trauma, and the development of mental resilience among the population in Israel. The organization's CEO is Talia Levanon. The organization's headquarters are located in the Neve Ilan Media Center. [1]
The coalition was established in February 2001 by the UJA-Jewish Federation of New York, Eran, Selah - Center for Assistance to Immigrants in Crisis (AR), Amcha, Hadassah, and Mahut Israel. [2] [3] [4]
In June 2019, the coalition received special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. [5] This is the highest status a non-profit can achieve on the global stage.
The coalition provides a collaborative and holistic approach, combining the expertise we have acquired over the years with the accumulated knowledge and experience of leading organizations and government ministries specializing in dealing with crisis.
This approach contributes to the strengthening of national resilience, optimizes national emergency preparedness and ensures continuity of treatment. The coalition develops and implements, together with partners from Israel and abroad, emergency and post-emergency care programs, training professionals and volunteers from various fields and volunteers - in emergency preparedness, emergency work and post-emergency rehabilitation. The coalition provides services in the field of trauma: direct responses in the areas of community resilience for vulnerable populations (accessible psychosocial services during an emergency event at a personal, family and community level, support during the period following the event, and providing information and education to the public on how to deal with trauma), prepares for emergency events (workshops, lessons, and practice dealing with emergencies and trauma in schools, senior centers, and other community institutions), and conducts training and instruction for intervention teams in the field. [6] [7]
Since its establishment, the coalition organizations have assisted the population during various emergency events that occurred during the Second Intifada, the Second Lebanon War, the disengagement plan, and the ongoing shelling of Sderot and the communities surrounding Gaza. The coalition supports and works with local authorities after terrorist attacks in processing, learning from the events, and rehabilitating teams and employees. During various wars and military offensives including "Cast Lead" (2008-2009), "Pillar of Defense " (2012), "Protective Edge" (2014), "Guardian of the Walls" (2021), "Iron Swords" (2023-) and more, the Israeli Coalition for Trauma collaborated with government ministries to support, promote, process and rehabilitate local authorities, teams of institutions in the health and welfare systems.
The coalition operates at the individual, family and community levels. Services are provided through various agencies in the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Welfare and Social Services, the Ministry of Health and many organizations, according to the approach and training formulated by the trauma coalition. The center is developing a method for intervening in emergency situations and preventing trauma among students, including activities for classroom transfer, and is training psychological counseling service personnel and all teachers in the relevant local authorities to carry out these interventions in classrooms.
The coalition operates in more than 120 local authorities.
The coalition collaborates with international organizations involved in the field of aid and trauma, including UN organizations. During the years of the coalition's activity, its organizations have provided assistance in a number of emergency events around the world, including the terrorist events in Chechnya and Beslan, natural disasters in Sri Lanka, the Mississippi River, Houston, and Haiti, and the terrorist attacks in Toulouse and Boston Marathon. [10] [11] [12]
The Israeli Coalition for Trauma has also established resilience centers around the world in recent years. In May 2023 after the Russian invasion of February 2022, it opened a center in Ukraine with the support of the Ukrainian government and its program How are you? It has also provided training to the Future for Ukraine Charity Foundation through its GIDNA project of psychological assistance for women who have suffered sexual violence by the Russian Military. [7] [13] [14] [15] [16]
The coalition works in cooperation with the European Union, the Council of Europe and other organizations.
In the aftermath of the Hamas attack in Southern Israel, on October 7, 2023, in which hundreds of people were kidnapped, men, women and children were raped and killed [17] , and several thousand were wounded, the Resilience Centers have been struggling to assist the onslaught of requests that have poured in. These include the extended families and friends of the captives, bereaved families, eyewitnesses who observed terrible things, and others suffering from anxiety. [2] [18] [19] [20]
The ITC is working in coordination with the Ministry of Health and the National Insurance Institute. to provide therapy for people throughout the country. [21]
The following organizations are some of the partners of the coalition:
ERAN- Emotional First Aid- established in 1971 to provide support for a range of anxiety and trauma situations including depression, economic distress, teen challenges, loneliness, violence, abuse, eating disorders, self-image and sexual identity,
Hadassah - The Women's Zionist Organization of America- founded in 1912 to
The Ela Center for Coping with Loss - founded in 1979 to provide mental support to all Israeli citizens
NATAL- Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center was established in 1998, to assist in war-and-terror-related trauma, PTSD and resiliency-building.
Amcha- established in 1987 to provide mental health and social support services for Holocaust survivors in Israel
Selah - founded in 1993 to support immigrants whose lives have been torn apart by tragedy and who lack the resources to cope.
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