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Description
Each year, many adolescents and young adults with significant emotional, relational, psychiatric, or family-system complexity leave their home communities to spend a gap year in Israel. For referring clinicians, this transition can raise important questions: Is the student stable enough to go? What level of support will they need? How should risk be communicated? What happens when a student’s functioning changes once they are far from home, family, and familiar treatment providers? This presentation will help clinicians think more clearly about the clinical risks and opportunities involved in sending higher-complexity clients to Israel for the gap year.
The talk will focus on practical guidance for assessment, preparation, referral, and continuity of care. We will discuss common clinical patterns that emerge during the Israel year, including more complex problems such as emotional dysregulation, safety concerns, personality-related difficulties, substance use, trauma responses, and the impact of program structure and culture. Particular attention will be given to coordinating care between therapists, parents, psychiatrists, and yeshiva/seminary staff while maintaining appropriate boundaries and confidentiality. Clinicians will leave with a clearer framework for deciding when a gap year is clinically appropriate, what supports should be in place, and how to help students transition with greater safety, clarity, and therapeutic continuity.
About the Presenter:
Dr. Tzachi Fried is a clinical psychologist and the clinical director of Machon Dvir in Jerusalem, where he leads a coordinated clinical team in working with complex emotional, relational, and personality-related difficulties. His clinical work integrates DBT and RO-DBT with other modalities and trauma-informed approaches. In particular, Machon Dvir focuses on cases involving high distress, high risk, diagnostic complexity, family-system challenges, and difficulties in emotional regulation. In addition to his work at Machon Dvir, Dr. Fried provides psychotherapy, clinical supervision and consultation to therapists working with complex cases. Jon Ifrah and Shevi Slome, co-presentors, are clinicians on Dr. Fried's team
Learning Objectives:
- Identify clinical risk factors, destabilization points, and psychosocial variables that may affect a student’s transition to an Israel gap-year program.
- Assess the appropriateness of an Israel gap year for adolescents and young adults presenting with emotional, psychiatric, relational, or family-system complexity.
- Develop a continuity-of-care plan that coordinates communication and treatment roles among students, parents, referring clinicians, Israeli providers, psychiatrists, and educational staff while maintaining appropriate ethical, confidentiality, and risk-management standards.
Agenda:
Introduction and Overview of the Israel Gap-Year Transition — 10 minutes
• Developmental and psychological aspects of the transition
• Why the Israel year can be both growth-promoting and destabilizing
• Clinical themes commonly seen during the gap year
Destabilization Points During the Transition to Yeshiva/Seminary — 12 minutes
• Separation from family and existing supports
• Religious, social, and identity pressures
• Structure changes, independence, and emotional regulation challenges
• Early warning signs of deterioration
Pre-Gap Year Clinical Assessment: Go, Don’t Go, or Go with Support — 15 minutes
• Assessing emotional stability and readiness
• Evaluating risk factors and protective factors
• Clinical indicators requiring enhanced support or reconsideration
• Determining appropriate levels of care and monitoring
Preparing Students, Parents, and Programs — 10 minutes
• Setting realistic expectations
• Psychoeducation and transition planning
• Communicating concerns appropriately with families and institutions
• Establishing support structures before departure
Common Clinical Patterns and Struggles Emerging in Israel — 15 minutes
• Emotional dysregulation and interpersonal instability
• Trauma responses and attachment-related difficulties
• Substance use and impulsive behaviors
• Anxiety, depression, suicidality, and personality-related presentations
Coordinating Care Across Systems and Countries — 15 minutes
• Collaboration between referring therapists, Israeli clinicians, psychiatrists, and school staff
• Confidentiality and release-of-information considerations
• Managing crises remotely
• Ethical and legal considerations in continuity of care
Case Discussion and Applied Clinical Decision-Making — 8 minutes
• Case-based application of assessment and continuity-of-care principles
• Discussion of intervention planning and clinical judgment
Q&A and Closing Reflections — 5 minutes
• Key takeaways
• Resources and recommendations for clinicians
This presentation is open to:
- Behavior Analysts
- Social Workers
- Professional Counselors
- Therapists
- Psychologists
- Licensed Mental Health Practitioners
- Medical Doctors and Other Health Professionals
- Other professionals interacting with populations engaged in mental health based services
This online class is offered at an intermediate level, and is beneficial for an intermediate level clinician:
- New practitioners who wish to gain enhanced insight surrounding the topic
- Experienced practitioners who seek to increase and expand fundamental knowledge surrounding the subject matter
- Advanced practitioners seeking to review concepts and reinforce practice skills and/or access additional consultation
- Managers seeking to broaden micro and/or macro perspectives
Additional information
- Refunds: Registrants who are unable to attend a Unlimited CEs NEFESH seminar or live webinars may ask for, and will receive, a credit or refund (your choice). Refund requests will be processed within 3 business days. When an attendee knows in advance that they are unable to attend we ask that they inform Unlimited CEs NEFESH ahead of time by emailing secretary@nefeshinternational.org or by calling or texting 201-384-0084 this allows us to free up the spot in the training in the event that a training is at or near capacity.
- Disability Access: If you require ADA accommodations, please contact our office 30 days or more before the event. We cannot ensure accommodations without adequate prior notification.
- Please Note: Licensing Boards change regulations often, and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly.
- The grievance policy for trainings provided by Unlimited CEs NEFESH is available here
- Satisfactory Completion: Certificates are available after satisfactory course completion in your account or by clicking here
- Participants will receive their certificate electronically upon completion of the webinar and course evaluation form.
- There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this program.
- System Requirements: Any device (such as a computer, tablet, or phone), Dual-Core 2 GHz or higher processor, and at least 4 GB of RAM capable of running a Zoom session, along with a stable internet connection.
- Although early registration is recommended for this class in order to ensure the best experience, attendees may register and join until the start of the program