Advocacy Initiative for Mental Health and Resilience Policy
The events of the Iron Swords war and the COVID-19 pandemic have revealed the necessity for a broad national response that not only addresses crises but also strengthens mental resilience and promotes mental well-being across multiple systems and age groups.
The proposed initiative aims to address the urgent need for comprehensive government policy in the mental health and resilience field in Israel.
We propose to lead a civic initiative, in collaboration with organizations and experts from civil society, to develop and advance short, medium, and long-term policy proposals.
The ultimate objective is to drive government policy change that will increase resources for mental health and resilience, ensuring they are invested wisely and effectively, leading to improved health and resilience in Israel.
The Need and Urgency
The Iron Swords War, along with the COVID-19 pandemic before it, underscored the crucial importance of mental health and resilience, making these issues a top priority in Israel’s national conversation. The need is both vast and urgent: in recent years, there’s been a growing recognition that a comprehensive national approach is necessary—one that provides broad support for dealing with hardship, trauma, and challenges while fostering personal growth, development, and success in reaching life goals. This includes ongoing improvements in prevention, treatment, and recovery services, expanding state-level support across multiple systems (health, education, welfare, and beyond), and all age groups, from birth through old age.
Sadly, this broad approach isn’t reflected in the current government system, which is struggling on all fronts, especially when it comes to handling crises, and is in a state of deep dysfunction. The core issue lies in the severe underfunding of mental health services, far below what’s necessary or standard in developed countries, leaving mental health as a low priority on the national agenda. This lack of resources has created a system barely surviving, with no ability to develop a clear vision or long-term strategy. The fragmentation within the government makes the situation worse, with no coordination or unified approach across the relevant agencies.
The national and personal trauma that began on October 7 has brought an unprecedented awareness of the importance of this issue, both in public conversations and among decision-makers at the political and professional levels.
This awareness presents a major opportunity for change and the risk of missing that window. We're already seeing signs of a "band-aid" approach, which drains resources and fails to create the foundation for the broader change that's truly needed. Plus, poorly developed policies that aren’t practical or effective could cause us to lose momentum, and the current sense of urgency could fade as time passes and the immediate crisis becomes more distant.
Experience from various sectors shows that the chances of successfully changing government policy are much greater when civil society is organized and operates in a structured, professional way to push the government toward consistent, long-term action. This approach helps ensure that the perspectives of all professionals and stakeholders are properly considered and balanced.
Our Proposal
We propose launching and leading a long-term civic initiative, working alongside stakeholders and experts from civil society, to systematically promote proper regulation and national investment in mental health and resilience in Israel.
This kind of civic initiative will have to balance two key needs: addressing the immediate crisis, which has been ongoing for years but has intensified due to recent events, and rebuilding the system to create a strong foundation for a broader, more comprehensive long-term approach.
To address these challenges, we propose leading a broad, long-term process with civil society stakeholders who want to be involved. Together, we’ll develop a policy change proposal that can be implemented in the short and medium term while laying the groundwork for a more comprehensive long-term shift. Think of it as a first step or a way to stabilize the situation before tackling the bigger issues. In parallel, we’ll work with decision-makers to craft a strategic policy to drive more profound, meaningful change, all based on the same core principles. Both proposals must be rooted in existing expertise and backed by strong support from the many non-governmental organizations in this space. Their development and promotion will require active participation from these stakeholders, alongside professional collaboration with the government and political leaders, reinforced by ongoing public and media engagement. We expect the entire project to take five years.
Project Status
We began advancing this initiative in July 2024. Since then, a long list of leading organizations in the mental health field have joined as partners, including the Psychiatric Association, The Lishma Association, the Young Adults Centers Network, JFN, The Israel Association of Community Centers, the Forum for Public Psychology Organizations, the Movement for Public Psychology, the Coalition of Religious Mental Health Organizations, ERAN, Enosh, YAHAT, the Israeli Youth Movements Council, ICAR, the "Families for Mental Health" Association, Bar-Ilan University, the Social Workers’ Union, Ozma, the Israeli Psychiatric Association, the Patient Rights Association, C.S.P.C, 2connect, the Association of State Employed Doctors, the Association Mental Health in the Community, NATAL, the Joint, and the Network for Young Adults Centers.
After forming the partnership, we mapped out the issues and challenges in the field and outlined 19 policy goals. In September, we held a roundtable conference with the partner organizations, with 15 organizations participating. During the conference, they discussed the policy document we drafted and selected key goals for further research. This research will help us finalize the short- and long-term policy objectives.
The key goals we are working on as part of the mapping process include:
- Building resilience capacities within local government
- Promoting public awareness by providing knowledge and tools to change agents
- Defining new roles in the mental health field
- Regulating currently unrecognized professions
- Enhancing the status and prestige of public sector workers
- Establishing a central body for inter-ministerial coordination
- Developing a dedicated emergency response mechanism
- Consistently increasing the budget for community treatment and rehabilitation
- Providing support and empowerment for the families of patients
- Integrating mental health survivors into key roles within the system.
Want to get involved?
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