I recently returned from Israel where I saw how NATAL’s work supports Israelis from all walks of life not only to heal trauma, but to rebuild their lives, helping them restore purpose, build resilience and post-traumatic growth and to move forward with hope, even while uncertainty continues.
NATAL’s work combines exceptional depth with remarkable breadth. It supports people not just in moments of crisis, but over the long journey to recovery, from acute trauma and PTSD treatment through to rebuilding daily life, work, study, and purpose.
NATAL operates across multiple layers of society, working with individuals, families, communities, universities, workplaces, and national systems, throughout the country with all citizens, including minority communities like the Druze.
Clinical care, community support, career recovery, and research are tightly connected, so learning in one area strengthens all the others. At its core, NATAL recognises that trauma affects every part of life, and responds with sustained, holistic support that helps people move forward with dignity and hope.
To give a sense of the impact of this work, here’s a snapshot of how NATAL is supporting recovery across Israel.
Clinical care and recovery
At the clinical level, NATAL provides specialist trauma treatment for those affected by war, displacement, and prolonged insecurity. For Israelis, trauma has been ongoing rather than a single event. Across Israel, people have faced evacuation, disrupted livelihoods, and the slow, difficult process of returning home while anxiety and grief remain high, with many not returning home at all.
Career and academic recovery
A vital part of healing is the ability to function again in everyday life, and for Israel to start building its economic recovery it needs a workforce that has the tools to manage trauma. For many, especially young people, including survivors of the Nova festival, the impact of October 7th and the ongoing war, has had a detrimental effect on their ability to work and study.
NATAL’s career and academic programmes are helping people to return to work, to keep their jobs, or to continue their studies after trauma. Through occupational therapy, structured coaching and peer mentoring, participants rebuild concentration, emotional regulation, confidence, and decision-making. This approach has been shown to reduce anxiety and PTSD symptoms and to improve job retention and educational outcomes.
Community support
Our community support department works throughout Israel. On this trip I visited various project in northern communities where NATAL’s community focussed work extends beyond clinics into daily life. Trauma-informed yoga and somatic practices, creative spaces, including a pottery set up during the war for women and young mothers, and community-led initiatives such as a winery that continued operating throughout the war, all show how connection, routine, and purpose support recovery. Locally based NATAL clinicians continue to provide support in the North and in Druze communities.
World class research
Underpinning this work is NATAL’s world-leading trauma research. With the largest body of clinical trauma data in Israel, NATAL is generating vital insight into PTSD, moral injury, shame, resilience, and the long-term social and economic impact of trauma. This knowledge is shaping treatment, informing strategy and planning, training and tools that can be shared internationally.
Connecting NATAL’s clinical care, career recovery, community work and research is a belief in hope, healing and resilience and Post Traumatic Growth that can be rebuilt through support, structure, and human connection.
How You Can Support Trauma Recovery and Growth
There is a huge amount of work to be done, and demand for NATAL’s support from all over Israel continues to grow. Your support makes this work possible. By donating to NATAL, you are helping people recover from trauma, return to work or study, and rebuild their lives with dignity and purpose.