Speaker Introduction & Background

• Ayelet Shmuel, LCSW: Psychotherapist and crisis management leader. Trained in Colorado, she now directs the International Resilience Center in Sderot, Israel.
• Professional Experience: Extensive work in trauma therapy and resilience, serving Holocaust survivors, civilians, and first responders in areas near the Gaza border.

The Resilience Center System & the Impact of October 7

• Before October 7:
  
  • The Sderot Resilience Center operated with 45–50 therapists serving a population exposed to rocket fire for over 20 years.
  • Services included individual and group therapies, incorporating creative modalities such as music therapy and animal-assisted interventions.
• After October 7:
  
  • A dramatic rise in demand: 34,000 of the city’s 37,000 residents were evacuated under traumatic conditions.
  • The number of therapists expanded to 350, yet persistent waiting lists remain, indicating sustained need.
  • Trauma is compounded by displacement, ongoing threat, and disruption of community life.

Therapy Approaches & Challenges

• Session Structure:
  
  • Traditionally, clients receive 18 sessions. However, variability in need means some require extended support, placing pressure on the system.
• Modalities Used:
  
  • CBT, including trauma-focused approaches like CPAR-CBT
  • EMDR
  • Prolonged exposure therapy
  • Psychoeducation and empowerment-based approaches
  • Group therapy, especially for parents and children
• Shared Reality:
  
  • Therapists often experience the same traumas as their clients—evacuation, loss, and bombardment—blurring lines between secondary and primary trauma.
• Therapeutic Orientation:
  
  • Therapy is goal-oriented and rooted in specificity.
  • Psychoeducation is central to helping clients understand and normalize trauma responses.

Scaling Mental Health Response

• Data Collection:
  
  • The ICAR organization is collecting national mental health data to assess service needs and outcomes.
• Systemic Challenges:
  
  • Overlapping systems—military, civilian, private—make it difficult to create a comprehensive mental health response map.
• Resilience Factors:
  
  • Community attachment and pride are key sources of strength.
  • A sense of meaning and belonging reinforces individual and collective resilience.

Societal and Political Reflections

• Geopolitical Realities:
  
  • Living near conflict zones like Gaza and Lebanon is seen as central to national identity and security.
• Shifts in Public Attitudes:
  
  • Movement from passive threat management (e.g., shelters) toward a desire for more assertive national security policies.
• Cultural Observations:
  
  • Israeli society is direct, pragmatic, and shaped by repeated existential threats.
  • A strong sense of community and shared military experience sets Israeli trauma responses apart from American ones.
  • Generational shifts are evident—from collective, tribal values to more individualistic, politically correct orientations—though resilience remains deeply rooted.

Unique Aspects of Israeli Trauma and Resilience

• Normalization of Trauma:
  
  • Exposure to conflict and military service is nearly universal in Israel, shaping both personal identity and collective coping strategies.
• Resilience as a National Trait:
  
  • Despite ongoing trauma, many Israelis function well, supported by community bonds, meaning-making, and pragmatism.
• Therapeutic Culture:
  
  • Therapy in Israel tends to be more direct and practical, grounded in a shared social reality between therapist and client.

Reflections on International Support

• American Presence:
  
  • There is deep appreciation for American support, both from individuals and institutions.
• Moral and Emotional Boost:
  
  • International delegations and engagement from U.S. officials provide critical morale and validation during times of crisis.

Closing Thoughts

• Long-Term Recovery:
  
  • Healing will take years. Not every Israeli is clinically traumatized, but widespread stress and disruption are real.
• Ayelet’s Perspective:
  
  • Meaning, connection, and direct, active engagement are essential for both therapy and national resilience.
• Message to Visitors:
  
  • International presence and solidarity matter. Every perspective adds to a fuller picture of the Israeli experience—and the global implications of trauma in wartime.
• Resilience means owning where you live and saying, “I’m here. Don’t tell me what to do.”
• No way she’s moving away from the border—if anything, she’ll move closer to Gaza.
• Israel is tiny. There’s nowhere else to run or hide.
• We have to fix this mess because there’s no alternative.
• Life isn’t sweet or sugar-coated; you can only control so much.
• Survival depends on having a real, strong connection to your place.
• Community resilience starts with pride and attachment to your hometown.
• Without that rootedness, existence here isn’t possible.

Resources

• Zoom Presentation by Ayelet Shmuel to Israel Trauma Mission 2025-06-22

Bio

Ayelet trains professional and paraprofessional teams in Israel and the Gaza Strip in the field of emotional first aid. She works with clients facing war trauma and chronic stress, particularly in the cities of Sderot and Ashkelon.

She was a member of the professional team at the Resilience Center in Sderot, where she provided training in emotional first aid, resilience-building, acute stress management, and trauma-informed interventions.

Ayelet currently serves as Director of the International Resilience Center in Sderot.