Open Dialogue Therapy Program for War Casualties & their Families in Israel

The events surrounding the October 7th attack and the subsequent ongoing war have inflicted trauma upon soldiers, captives, and civilians directly exposed to the atrocities, as well as those forced to evacuate their homes. When left untreated, this trauma often necessitates acute mental health services, leading to psychiatric hospitalization—a traumatic event in its own right, as reported by individuals undergoing hospitalization. In leveraging ODI's capacity to minimize harm and proactively prevent psychiatric hospitalizations, we propose implementing a well-researched systemic family intervention program within the community. With a budget of $200,000, we can provide assistance to 40 families over a six-month period. This intervention has demonstrated the potential to prevent hospitalizations in 70% of cases. The efficacy and cost-effectiveness of open dialogue as a treatment method are noteworthy, with a significant portion of the budget allocated directly to the treatment itself, conveniently administered in the home environment. There is no necessity to allocate funds for large buildings and their maintenance. Moreover, this treatment extends to the entire social network, offering simultaneous therapeutic support to multiple individuals.