Donate to support The Community Clinic
Your donation will be used for short and long term mental health support of victims and family members
In the drop-down menu chose:
The Psychology Clinic
American Friends of Bar-Ilan University is a USA 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.
The horrific events of 7 October 2023 have deeply wounded the psyche of our nation, leaving countless individuals, families, and communities reeling. A loss of life unseen since the dark days of the Shoah, exposure to unimaginablly cruel brutalities, loss of homes and of entire communities, and a mobilization of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and reservists at a scale not seen since the Yom Kippur War. The horrific massacre, kidnapping and the ongoing war have affected every single person in Israel and every jew around the world.
Within 36 hours of the beginning of the horrific events of 7 October 2023, the Bar-Ilan Psychology Department Community Clinic’s staff recruited a group of over 100 current faculty and students to provide psychological first-aid hotline. The hotline was, and still is, available from morning to night to any person in need. The hotline staffers offer support to callers with diverse needs, some truly heart-breaking.
Among the people who call the hotline are:
- Residents who have lost their homes and possessions.
- People living in Southern towns under repeated missile attacks who have no shelter in their building
- Parents struggling to stay resilient for their children in the face of overwhelming stress and adversity
- Any person in need – some in truly heart-breaking situations
In addition to the hotline the clinic’s experts work in-person with:
- Children who lost parents and/or siblings
- Parents who lost children
- People who’s relatives were murdered or kindnnaped
The Clinic’s staff continues to sustain the immediate response capacities while hoping to reopen the clinic for “routine” services in these non-routine times, with many of our staffers directly affected by events (about a third of our student therapists are on reserve duty, while others are busy with young children at home).
In addition to taking calls, Senior clinicians established a support system for the volunteers, which includes nightly debriefing/supervision meetings and round-the-clock phone availability for consultation.
It doesn’t stop there. New needs are being identified and immediate action follows. In collaboration with the University’s translation department, interventions for those speaking multiple language (including Spanish, Russian, Arabic, English) became possible.
Swift action is vital: there is no time to waste in bringing specialized trauma treatment, grief counseling, child and family interventions, and efficiently delivered intervention models to bear. With compassion and expertise, we can foster resilience and healing at this vital juncture.This will be quite a challenge, but if we learned anything in the clinic’s 53 yearlong run, we will manage to do so!
This is truly Pikuach Nefesh
Withing days of October 7 an Emergency Fund was established. God willing, the Clinic will be able to continue it’s important work as long as it is needed and be able to use the Emergency Fund to expand our sliding-scale and minimal-cost options to those in need.
Please open your hearts and wallets and donate to support the The Psychology Dept. Community Clinic at Bar-Ilan Universityn
In the drop-down menu chose:
The Psychology Clinic
American Friends of Bar-Ilan University is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax-exempt to the extent allowed by law.
This Charity’s score is 96%. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.
Click here to read about the Psychology Department Community Clinic at Bar-Ilan University – October 2023 Emergency and Post-Emergency Planning Document
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