New Service at Schneider Children’s: Online Psychotherapy

These days, when the entire world is in a state of crisis, many experience confusion and helplessness due to the rapid changes in regulations and in our daily lives. Regulations issued by the Israeli Ministry of Health can cause a significant sense of detachment from supportive agencies. The sharp change in routine is exacerbated by the constant presence of the nuclear family staying at home, over long days under the same roof, and these often lead to growing tension among family members.

These complicated times highlight the need for online services, as a means to provide support to a distressed population, to ensure continued treatment and to offer emotional treatment to children, adolescents and parents who need it but cannot physically come to the hospital. Support via videoconferencing is also offered by Schneider Children’s to children and adolescents who are not patients in the Department of Psychological Medicine.

The team in the Psychological Medicine Department at Schneider Children’s, headed by Prof. Sylvana Fennig, treats children and adolescents from across the country, who suffer from complex problems including functional and emotional difficulties. Services are provided by leading professionals in the field and include assessment and counselling for patients and families utilizing advanced therapies combined with pediatric psychiatry and psychology.

As part of the department’s activities, a number of targeted mental health clinics offer support to children and adolescents in specific areas: Depression and Suicide, Anxiety, Tics and Tourette’s Syndrome, Post Trauma, Selective Violence, Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry, Biofeedback and Hypnosis, Parental Authority, Learning Disorders, Family Counselling, Multidisciplinary ADHD and Physical-Mental Disorders. The Department also includes an inpatient ward for Crisis Intervention and Eating Disorders.