New training track aims to prepare ultra-Orthodox play therapists for children scarred by war

A Hebrew-language promotional article says the war, repeated trips to bomb shelters and disrupted routines have left children with invisible psychological wounds that can deepen over time if they are not treated now. It argues that children often cannot express fear or distress in words, but show it through silence, outbursts or play, making play therapy especially important during this period.

The piece highlights the School for Play Psychotherapy, which says it has trained child psychotherapists for more than a decade and is one of Israel’s oldest and best-known institutions in the field. Its graduates, it says, work in clinics, schools and health clinics and provide professional treatment for trauma and emotional difficulties.

The school announced a new track for ultra-Orthodox women, created from the ground up to fit the community’s lifestyle, values and language. It says the program is not an afterthought adaptation, but a dedicated framework that combines professional standards with material connected to the community’s specific challenges, so students can train in comfort and confidence.

The program is open to women with a bachelor’s degree in education or therapy-related fields such as social work, special education, educational counseling and psychology. Classes will be held online three times a month, plus one in-person intensive session each month in central Israel. The article says each graduate will help fill a long waiting list for child therapy and contribute to the recovery of families and the wider community.