Resilience Centers in Routine and Emergencies

Bella Ben Gershon, Director of Emergency Preparedness and Mental Trauma, Mental Health Division, Ministry of Health; Nofar Kin, Deputy Director of Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Mental Trauma, Mental Health Division, Ministry of Health

15 June 2025

Resilience is composed of several closely related aspects: mental resilience, community resilience and resilience of the authority or cluster of residence. Strengthening the relationship of every individual in the community by participating in training, workshops to strengthen coping and volunteer resources, alongside the authority’s ability to provide responses during routine times and crisis, reinforce the mental resilience of every individual.

Obtaining emotional assistance, as soon as possible, during crisis and emergency situations, helps alleviate mental distress while helping quickly restore normal function. Initial intervention through various therapeutic methods can occasionally even prevent the development of symptoms of PTSD.

With the understanding that resilience centers operating under the Ministry of Health were created in conjunction with other government ministries: Prime Minister’s Office, National Insurance, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Welfare, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Immigration and the Ministry of the Interior and Internal Security.

Resilience Centers - Free, Located Nationwide

Resilience centers operate in close conjunction with local authorities, providing a community-, authority- and therapeutic response. The therapy is provided free of charge by licensed professionals who specialize in trauma therapy to victims of anxiety attributed to the security situation. The centers provide individual, group, couples and family therapy by telephone, Zoom or in person at the therapeutic centers across the country.

Note: Resilience centers were established for the Israeli government to provide a response to its citizens during sensitive security situation. As a result, most resilience centers are located in areas defined by the government as conflict zones, with the exception of the national resilience center, which provides a therapeutic response only in areas that do not have authority or cluster resilience centers.

Establishment of resilience centers and services

It is important to know that therapy at the resilience center is provided free of charge by licensed professionals who specialize in trauma therapy to victims of anxiety attributed to the security situation.

Goals of resilience centers

To reinforce the emotional resilience of everyone
To reinforce community resilience and emergency preparedness
To reinforce the resilience of the local authority

The uniqueness of resilience centers lies in the combination between its three areas of activity, insight and the interfaces between them. For example, insights from the individual therapy rooms that are significant to strengthening the community as well as the capabilities and support of the local authority. Based on these insights, customized responses are provided for every area or local authority that are relevant to them. The success of the center’s role is measured when the individual, family and community are capable of returning to full function, are capable of coping with stressful and crisis situations, are able to strengthen and even help those around them to better cope with the crisis.

The contribution of resilience centers during crises

Since their establishment, resilience centers have spearheaded a series of initiatives for support of the population:

Direct assistance for crisis victims
- Establishment of initial support hotlines.
- Initial emotional assistance for tens of thousands of people who were evacuated and injured during the 7.10 events.
- Operation of multiple protected spaces for survivors that include physical-emotional therapy.
- Establishment and accessibility of hundreds of telephone extensions for evacuees from the south and north.
- Provision of emotional trauma therapy to thousands of evacuees and victims throughout the country.
Reinforcement of community resilience
- Workshops to reinforce coping resources for various populations, including victims of the 7.10 attacks, parents of children and adolescents, bereaved families, wives of reserve duty soldiers and immigrant groups.
- Publication of material that supports and strengthens resilience that can help all population groups.
Unique responses to complex trauma
- Integration into space open to art.
- Physical-emotional therapy.
- Surfing as emotional support.
- Bibliotherapy.
Professional training and supervision
- Training therapists on the treatment of trauma victims.
- Training professional mentors to work with resilience groups.
- Emotional assistance for ZAKA personnel, for residential emergency team, rapid response teams, etc.
- Establishment, training and drills of residential emergency and resilience teams (ERT)

Resilience Centers during routine - preparation for emergencies

Resilience centers operate throughout the year. In an emergency, they provide an emergency therapeutic response through a hotline and in-person therapeutic sessions 24/7. During routine times, the centers focus on reinforcing the home front and preparing it for emergency situations in the following manner:

1

Reinforcing emergency preparedness

strengthening the preparedness of residents, communities and authorities for crisis, in conjunction with relevant departments such as welfare, education, security, community security, immigrants and youth. These departments and resilience centers map the needs, and based on the results, perform training, host workshops and make tools accessible.

2

Trauma therapy for population affected by the security situation

resilience centers offer treatment that is administered in compliance with the ‘anxiety’ procedure of National Insurance and the Ministry of Health, which includes individual, family and group therapy in up to 35 therapeutic sessions. Professional therapists at the resilience centers are experts in emotional trauma, in accordance with the Ministry of Health standards. Every center offers psychiatric counseling and follow-up if necessary.

3

Strengthening the local authority and its staff to prevent burnout during an emergency

Reinforcing the coping and assistance resources for authority spokespersons in relaying information and messages in a way that enhances resilience. In addition, resilience centers specialize in assessing the state of the population’s resilience and relay the information to relevant parties, such as the head of the authority, the population as a whole, etc.

Who can receive service at the resilience centers

Resilience center services are provided to children, adolescents and adults who were directly exposed to a security event, such as missiles, terrorists, sirens and terrorist attacks. The centers are not designed for anyone who was exposed through the media or through another person.

Service options

Individual, group, couples or family therapy

people can contact the resilience center on their own or through a referral from outside parties, such as the social services, education departments, HMO, etc. Upon receipt of the referral, the resilience center will send you an invitation for an initial intake session, during which the method of therapy will be determined based on your needs: individual, family, couples or group therapy as well as the therapeutic method.

Community response

will be provided in the response to the community or centers referral. A response will also be provided for needs that arise in the field through responses and programs that the resilience centers develop, such as the “Returning Home” program that focuses on individual and group coping with fears ahead of their return home.

Emotional assistance to professionals

professionals from the local, regional or cluster authority can contact the resilience center to receive professional assistance.

Resilience center professionals

The staff includes certified professionals licensed to provide trauma therapy who satisfy Ministry of Health and National Insurance criteria: psychiatrists, specialist psychologists, clinical social workers who hold a master’s degree, art therapists with master’s Degrees, who comply with the requirements of the Ministry of Health Director General Circular. In addition, resilience centers employ veteran community staff that are experienced working with communities and groups, as well as professional moderators who are experts in community work, trauma and emergencies who host training and workshops.

The resilience center staff serve as a team of professional experts on resilience for heads of local authorities and directors in the authorities and provide training. as well as tools for managing emergencies and bereavement. During an emergency, for example, professional forums are held for community workers from various authorities to train and provide tools on topics such as: how to deliver bad news, dealing with bereavement, assisting and reinforcing emergency response capabilities, as well as strengthening leadership and advising spokespeople.

How to contact the resilience center

Most resilience centers are located in areas defined by the government as conflict zones, with the exception of the national resilience center, which provides a therapeutic response only in areas that do not have authority or cluster resilience centers.
Fifteen resilience centers in various locations across the country, from north to south, are currently operating. These centers are operated through operators that won a tender and that have an agreement with the Ministry of Health, which leads the resilience centers for an inter-ministerial committee that involves several government ministries that have joined forces to achieve the goal.
Resilience centers offer service based on the permanent place of residence. Individuals must contact the relevant resilience center based on their registered address with the Ministry of the Interior. Anyone who has experienced security events and whose area does not have a resilience center can contact the national therapeutic resilience center that offers a therapeutic response only, trauma therapy.