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Creating a More Resilient Israel, Ensuring a Better Future 2018 Update

Creating a More the beginning of 2018, NATAL has been working in the wake of increased tensions, to provide trauma treatment and prevention services to all Israelis. The past six months

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Creating a MoreResilient Israel,Ensuring aBetter Future

2018 Update

Since the beginning of 2018, NATAL has been working in the wake of increased tensions, to provide trauma treatment and prevention services to all Israelis. The past six months have included riots near the southern border, continued rocket-fire and incendiary kites, and escalating tensions along the northern border.

A Year in Numbers

3,880conversations

While it is still unclear where the current situation will lead, NATAL stands at the ready to provide support when it is needed the most. Here is a brief summary of NATAL’s work in numbers since January 2018:

95veterans

1,985students

1,250calls

350patients

36hours trainingof

300hours trainingof

500hours therapyof 1

95 veterans have joined weekly “Running with Rami” groups across Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Modi’in (new).

Safe Place Programming has been integrated into 9 new schools, directly impacting 1,985 students and thousands more family and community members indirectly.

Over 1,250 incoming calls have been answered by NATAL’s Helplinemembers indirectly.

Over 3,880 ongoing conversations continue between NATAL’s Helpline volunteers and callers.

Teachers in 6 new schools across Israel received over 36 hours of Resiliency Training.

Groups of nurses from 6 different hospitals across Israel received 300 hours of training to strengthen their personal coping resources and prevent compassion fatigue.

NATAL’s Clinical Unit is currently treating over 350 patients on a weekly basis, including over 130 veterans and nearly 80 children.

More than 500 hours of therapy has completed in people's homes with NATAL's Mobile Unit.

Twenty years ago, Judith Yovel Recanati and Dr. Yossi Hadar (z”l) first conceived the idea of a trauma center for victims of terror and war in Israel. Nearly twenty years to the day, NATAL was invited for a reception at the home of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to commemorate its 20th anniversary.

From its humble beginnings in a small building in Tel Aviv, NATAL grew to a full-service trauma and resiliency center that now includes the Helpline, Clinical, Community Outreach and Mobile Units, a Multidisciplinary Trauma Studies Center, Social Therapeutic Club, and numerous community resiliency programs and many international collaborations.

Twenty years later, NATAL has touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israelis, including veterans, children, victims of terror attacks and their family members, first responders, teachers and more.

20 YEARS OF NATAL, 70 YEARS OF ISRAEL

Nechama Rivlin, President Reuven Rivlin, Judith Yovel Recanati and Orly GalPhoto credit: Mark Neiman

PRESIDENT REUVIN RIVLIN COMMEMORATES NATAL’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY

“Victims of trauma may suffer from an invisible injury, but they must not be invisible victims. The establishment of NATAL has

changed the Israeli society, changed the discourse on post trauma, and helped Israeli society recognize and embrace the victims. For this we all thank NATAL, its advocates, its donors

and of course its courageous patients”.

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Helping the HelpersTraining for Israel's Police Force and Emergency Medical Personnel

First responders work under extreme conditions and may face many challenges on a daily basis. Under ever-changing conditions and at times stressful situations, they are expected to demonstrate strength to those suffering around them. However, they often lack the training to help traumatized individuals with the emotional repercussions of their situation.

NATAL’s Resilience Programs focus on providing participants with practical tools for self-resiliency, in both routine and emergency situations. During the program, participants are able to express their thoughts and emotions in a safe setting. They learn specialized coping techniques for working with traumatized patients and their families. The program does not only help participants avoid compassion fatigue, but also provides them with tools to strengthen themselves and their surrounding circles.

This year, NATAL successfully finished training over 12,000 members of Israeli’s police force.

NATAL is also actively training emergency medical personnel, including nurse, doctors and various medical specialists who work in emergency rooms across Israel. To date, over 30 hospitals in Israel have received training, which has inspired similar

programs and collaborations internationally.

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Trauma drastically interrupts a child’s healthy development, and without help it can derail the course of their lives. NATAL offers programs and trauma intervention services to protect the psychological and emotional welfare of Israel’s future generations.

In 2018, NATAL launched a new innovative project for youth, in which children create therapeutic dolls which resemble themselves. Often the most vulnerable demographic when it comes to trauma, the dolls provide the children an interactive and playful platform, while also providing greater insights for the children’s therapists. NATAL is excited to expand this program into 2019.

NATAL is also expanding its Phototherapy Program for at-risk youth. Originally developed in boarding schools for girls who have faced neglect and domestic violence, the program is now being implemented in boarding schools for religious boys in need of greater psychological support. Facilitated by NATAL’s therapists, the students are introduced to photography, videography, and other media as means of self-expression. These constructive outlets for fear, stress, and anxiety help reduce the risk of developing double trauma because of their troubled histories compounded terror and war.

(Top) NATAL's Youth Leadership Program in Ashdod (Bottom) NATAL's phototherapy program in action

at the Kiryat Malachi school for at-risk boys.

Tailor-Made Therapy & Support for Children

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NATAL’s Global ReachKeeping in the spirit of “Tikkun Olam”, NATAL continues to lead groundbreaking collaborations with international partners, acknowledging the global need to support victims of terror and communities in their quest to strengthen resilience.

ChicagoNATAL continues to support TURN by training new cohorts of professionals, helping them to build the capacity of their new helpline.

Following last year’s launch of TURN’s Helpline, the NATAL-based model is now serving trauma victims in Chicago. In June 2018, NATAL’s team returned to Chicago to complete the second cohort of training with The Urban Resiliency Network (TURN), headed by Pastor Chris Harris. This latest visit was designed to provide further training to TURN staff in Chicago, to be able to provide a range of different trauma informed interventions to their communities, via the phone.

NATAL’s work with Chicago has been covered widely in the press, by publications such as WGN, Chicago Sun Times, I 24 News, and JUF Chicago.

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Together with the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) program, NATAL launched a Professional Resiliency Training Program for New Jersey’s First Responders.

In the first cohort, NATAL professionals led a diverse group of ER physicians, nurses, paramedics, social workers and other first responders through an intensive and interactive course over the span of two weeks.

The objective was to create a first cohort of trainers, who are now available to deliver resiliency training programs to additional emergency medical professionals across the state of New Jersey. In addition, the network sought to strengthen the relationship amongst the participants in order to create a support network of professionals in their communities.

NATAL is in the process of developing additional trainings to first responders across the state of New Jersey to include Fire and Law enforcement personnel.

New Jersey – Urban Area Security Initiative

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In May 2018, NATAL was invited to Sweden to present at an international symposium on victims of terrorism, organized by Victim Support Europe and attended by an international audience of victims’ rights organizations, NGOs and leaders in the field of trauma.

This year’s theme focused on “Reaching Out to Victims,” looking at the barriers that prevent individuals from coming forward and what solutions have been developed to give victims better access to support.

On behalf of NATAL, Dr. Sigal Haimov presented NATAL’s unique Helpline Model and Maya Tadmor-Anderman presented NATAL’s extensive work in Public Advocacy, as a means of removing social stigma associated with seeking treatment.

Victims Support Europe (VSE)

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In the immediate aftermath of the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, NATAL Psychologist Yotam Dagan visited Parkland, Florida, representing NATAL as part of a delegation with the Israeli Trauma Coalition. Over the course of a week, NATAL helped to hold workshops with first responders, school social workers, mental health clinicians, teachers, parents, families of victims, faith and community leaders.

NATAL believes in creating and sustaining partnerships with local relief organizations, providing in-depth training, so that NATAL’s impact can be felt on the community in a sustainable way. Even in the most challenging of times, NATAL was inspired by the great power of community and the goodness of people, by the bravery of the survivors and the strong values that guide both nations. It was an honor to take on this mission, to be able to assist, help heal and strengthen the people of Parkland.

NATAL’s work in Parkland, Florida has been covered widely in the press, by publications such as Israel 21C, NBC Miami, and CNN.

Parkland, Florida

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A Look into Public AwarenessNATAL’s Red Crayon Ad

During times of relative calm, NATAL’s messages remind people that trauma lives in the quiet moments of our daily routine, while in times of emergency, NATAL’s messages remind people that they do not have to suffer alone.

Red Alert – This newspaper ad run by NATAL features a red crayon with the tail of a rocket. The caption translates to, “For some children, red is more than just a color,” referring to the code red siren that warns of incoming attacks in Israel. Once the siren has sounded, civilians have sometimes as little as 15 seconds to reach a shelter. The ad highlights the uncertainty and unsettled feelings children in Israel’s southern cities carry with them through their daily lives, even in simple activities like coloring.

This is just one of the multitude of public awareness campaigns and outreach activities NATAL undertakes throughout the year. Timed around national days of remembrance, holidays or periods of emergency, one of NATAL’s primary missions is to normalize what people may be feeling and to remind them that NATAL is there to help.

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For some children, red is more than just a color.

10 Ibn Gvirol Street, PO Box 20055, Tel Aviv 6120001, Israel

972-732-363-363 [email protected]

www.natal.org.il

1120 Avenue of the Americas 4th Floor, New York, NY 10036

646-481-0481 [email protected]

www.afnatal.org

NATAL continues to be a source of support and optimism for thousands of Israelis. Thanks to friends like you, we are hopeful for continued healing, meaningful

partnerships, and more resilient communities across Israel and the globe. Thank you for your continued support.

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