The Psychology Division at Ichilov Medical Center provides comprehensive psychological care for patients, their families, and medical teams as an integral part of medical treatment.
Services are provided throughout the hospital and outpatient clinics, combining clinical, consultation, and rehabilitation care within multidisciplinary teams for patients with acute, chronic, and complex medical conditions.
Outpatient care is also provided through the Synapse Clinic, supporting continuity of care between hospitalization and the community.
The Division also collaborates with Mental Health Services, integrating psychological and psychiatric care according to each patient’s needs.
The Psychology Service promotes an integrated approach to physical and mental health, providing accessible support for patients experiencing significant emotional distress during hospitalization or undergoing evaluation for complex medical conditions.
The service develops psychological care tailored to the needs of a large multidisciplinary medical center and responds to changing needs throughout the hospital, including departments without a dedicated psychologist.
Areas of Practice
Clinical psychology provides assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for a wide range of mental health conditions, tailored to each patient’s individual needs.
Treatment includes individual, group, couples, and family therapy. Clinical psychologists work throughout the general hospital, Dana-Dwek Children’s Hospital, and Mental Health Services, including inpatient departments, day treatment programs, and specialized clinics.
Working closely with multidisciplinary teams, they provide integrated care for conditions including trauma, anxiety, emotional crises, and psychological difficulties associated with physical and mental health conditions.
Developmental psychology focuses on the assessment and treatment of young children and their families, considering the relationship between the child, parents, and environment.
Services include individual and parent-child psychotherapy, parental guidance, early intervention, group therapy, and support for complex developmental and emotional conditions.
Developmental psychologists also assess developmental, emotional, communication, and attention-related difficulties. They work in settings including the Child Development Institute, NICU, Parent-Infant Unit, and specialized diagnostic and treatment centers, in collaboration with multidisciplinary medical and allied health teams.
They are also involved in research, professional training, and the development of group intervention programs.
Appointments: Please contact the Child Development Institute or the relevant unit.
Medical psychology is an integral part of patient care throughout the hospital, providing psychological support to patients, families, and medical teams.
Services include psychological assessment, individual and group therapy, preparation and support for medical procedures, coping with acute and chronic illnesses, and support following crisis, trauma, grief, and loss.
Medical psychologists work closely with medical teams across inpatient departments and outpatient clinics, providing care for patients facing complex medical conditions, including life-threatening illnesses, prolonged hospitalization, and symptoms without an identified organic cause.
During hospitalization, referrals can be made through the medical or nursing team. For outpatient appointments, please contact the relevant unit.
Rehabilitation psychology supports patients coping with injury, disability, illness, and functional changes resulting from medical, neurological, or psychological conditions.
Services include neuropsychological and emotional assessment, individual and group psychotherapy, consultation, and crisis intervention.
Rehabilitation psychologists work in rehabilitation departments, day rehabilitation programs, specialized clinics, and neurological and neurosurgical services. They also perform neuropsychological assessments before and after complex procedures, including awake brain surgery.
Care is provided throughout hospitalization and in outpatient settings, supporting both patients and their families during the rehabilitation process.
The Psychology Division combines clinical practice with extensive research aimed at improving the understanding and treatment of psychological processes associated with medical conditions.
Psychologists from all specialties participate in research conducted throughout the hospital and Mental Health Services, in collaboration with medical teams and leading academic institutions.
Research areas include:
- Emotional coping with acute and chronic illness
- Mind-body interactions and the psychological impact of medical conditions
- Adjustment, resilience, and rehabilitation
- Healthcare professionals and occupational burnout
- Development and evaluation of psychological interventions in healthcare
Research is focused on clinical application, contributing to innovative services, improved treatment processes, and closer integration between psychology and medicine.
The Psychology Staff Support Unit promotes the emotional well-being of Medical Center employees, providing professional support both during crises and in everyday situations.
The unit offers two main types of support:
- Individual Psychological Consultation: Focused support for hospital employees experiencing professional or personal difficulties.
- Team Psychological Support: Customized interventions based on each team’s needs, including workshops, lectures, professional programs, crisis and change interventions, support groups, peer groups, and Balint groups.
Balint groups focus on the relationship between healthcare professionals and their patients, helping reduce burnout and strengthen team cohesion.
Balint Program Coordinator: Galit Argov
Contact
Team Support: Goni Lerer – 054-6970194
Individual Consultation: Karin Smotriaz – 052-8595381
Email: Psy-team@tlvmc.gov.il
Psychology Services by Unit
The Synapse Clinic, opened in 2025, is the outpatient clinic of the Psychology Division at Ichilov Medical Center, specializing in psychological care related to medical conditions.
The clinic provides psychological assessment and support for patients coping with illness, injury, surgery, and rehabilitation, based on an integrated approach to physical and mental health.
Who We Treat
- Patients with acute or chronic illnesses
- Patients recovering from surgery or injury
- Patients experiencing stress, trauma, or loss associated with physical or medical symptoms
- Patients requiring continued psychological care after hospitalization
Services
- Psychological assessment tailored to medical conditions
- Individual and group therapy
- Focused short-term interventions
- Support during adjustment, rehabilitation, and life changes
The clinic works closely with medical teams to ensure continuity of care between hospitalization, outpatient services, and the community.
Location: Beit Hadar-Dafna, Wing B, 3rd Floor
The psychological service at Dana-Dwek Children’s Hospital provides comprehensive care for children, adolescents, and their families as an integral part of medical treatment. The team includes clinical, developmental, medical, and rehabilitation psychologists working in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
Using a family-centered approach, the team provides emotional support, assessment, and interventions for children with complex medical conditions.
Services include:
- Emotional preparation and support before and after surgery and medical procedures
- Psychological care for chronic and complex medical conditions, including neurosurgical and hemato-oncological conditions
- Individual, parent-child, and family therapy, as well as parental guidance
- Participation in multidisciplinary assessments and treatment planning
- Support during crises, adjustment to illness, rehabilitation, and end-of-life care
Services are also provided through specialized clinics, including eating disorders and gastroenterology, and across the hospital’s inpatient departments.
The psychological service provides emotional support for patients coping with cancer and hematologic malignancies, as an integral part of medical care.
Care focuses on the emotional, family, and personal impact of life-threatening illness and is tailored to each patient’s needs and stage of treatment. Services primarily include group interventions, alongside individual therapy and short-term psychological support when needed.
Key areas include:
- Coping with diagnosis and uncertainty
- Support during complex treatments and related side effects
- Preparation and support for bone marrow transplantation and intensive treatments
- Coping with recurrence, disease progression, and end-of-life situations
- Support in communication with family members and medical teams
- Short-term support for family members during periods of crisis
Care is provided in inpatient departments, day hospitalization, outpatient clinics, the Radiation Institute, and specialized units, including the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.
The psychological service within the Cardiology Division supports patients coping with acute and chronic heart conditions as part of their cardiac treatment and rehabilitation.
Services are provided in inpatient departments, the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Cardiology Day Hospital, Cardiac Rehabilitation, and outpatient clinics, in close collaboration with multidisciplinary medical teams.
The team provides evidence-based, short-term interventions to help patients and their families cope with the emotional impact of cardiac illness and support recovery and return to daily life.
Areas of care include:
- Coping with cardiac events and health-related crises
- Anxiety, depression, and stress reactions following a cardiac event
- Support during rehabilitation and adjustment to medical changes
- Improving adherence to treatment and lifestyle changes
- Support during transitions from hospitalization to rehabilitation and daily life
- Support for family members coping with complex medical situations