HEALING OUR ISRAELI WOMEN VETERAN HEROES WHO SERVED ON THE FRONT LINES

$90,000 from GGC Members with 1:0.5 Matching challenge grant will enable the launch of a new model of assistance to IDF combat women veterans. Until now the focus has been on male veterans and mixed groups. Our request would fund 105 women – 15 participants in seven homogenous groups.

About the Project

The transition from combat routine to civilian life is oftentimes jarring and harsh. Many bear invisible psychological wounds which negatively impact their lives long after they have been discharged. Findings indicate more than 16% of IDF soldiers who took part in Israel’s wars suffer from unprocessed trauma as a result of their exposure to life-threatening events. Currently there are 4,500 veterans officially recognized by the Ministry of Defense for whom the diagnosis of PTSD is chronic.

There is a significant gap in assistance to female veterans who make up 18% of the IDF’s combat force, but fall between the cracks and do not receive adequate treatment from the military, the Ministry of Defense or the health services. The IDF female combatant population serves mainly in the Israel Border Police Unit and Infantry Brigade. Their contribution has often been marginalized and their difficulties overlooked.

B’shvil Hamachar will harness its years of success treating IDF veterans for combat-related trauma through its well-established ‘Journeys for Tomorrow’ program for female IDF veterans. B’shvil has integrated female veteran soldiers with men in the past, but women combat veterans deserve a customized program to fully address their mental and emotional needs to reduce post-traumatic symptoms and strengthen mental resilience. With a group of peers who have had similar experiences, former women combat soldiers can allow themselves to let down their defenses, mobilize resources from within and from those around them, and learn new techniques. For many, the setting and the process ease their symptoms and the obstacles with which they contend; for others, it creates a path to healing and growth by realizing and acting upon the need to seek more intense treatment so they are better able to work, engage with family, focus on their studies and enjoy social situations.

Each journey is comprised of four stages:

1. Personal interviews with each participant are conducted to gain mutual acquaintance and an initial mapping of the group members and their needs. The interviews are conducted by B’shvil professionals.
2. A two-day group session is held mostly in nature to draw up a “group-contract” that includes “clauses” relating to discretion, abstaining from judgment and mutual acceptance.
3. An eight-day journey in nature where activities are conducted.
4. A two-day group session two-months after the journey to discuss the experience and identify further participant needs. An additional meeting takes place six-months later for further support.

The Need

The transition from combat routine to civilian life is oftentimes jarring and harsh. Many bear invisible psychological wounds, which negatively impact their lives long after they have been discharged.

B’shvil seeks to conduct seven all-female ‘Journeys for Tomorrow.’ Each journey is built for 15 soldiers intentionally small to ensure intimacy and comfort for all participants. B’shvil also seeks resources to provide additional services to these participants post-program should there be a need.

However, PTSD diagnosis has been criticized for falling short of capturing the depth of the post-traumatic experience (Stein et al., 2016). Many studies have shown that exposure to combat conditions leaves various effects on those taking part in it, which are not necessarily manifested as PTSD, but as symptoms that are below the clinical range. Many effects are seen in areas of life such as depression, anxiety, difficulty in social functioning, domestic violence, consumption of addictive substances, sleep disorders, sexual dysfunction, dissociation and more. (Costanzo et al., 2016; Harik et al. 2017; Fultona et al. 2015). The situation described is known as ‘Subthreshold Post-traumatic Stress Disorder’ (ST PTSD) which is widely defined as having PTSD symptoms below the threshold for diagnosis. Therefore, the actual number of IDF ex-combatants who suffer from PTSD and ST-PTSD is much higher than the formal and known statistics. These veterans develop, over time, complex mental health problems that are not necessarily recognized as legitimate by their surroundings (Franklina et al. 2018; Zlotnick et al., 2002). 

Program Evaluation  

B’shvil has many years of professional and operational experience in conducting this program. The organization’s ambition is to constantly improve in the response it gives and regularly update its professional ability. Therefore, B’shvil conducts ongoing research on its own activities by handing out academic questionnaires to the participants. The results reflect many successful outcomes attained by participants: reduced post-trauma symptoms; gained confidence; an improved ability to open up to and help others; the ability to focus, relax and overcome fears; recaptured feelings of normalcy and a positive outlook on life; and a strengthened self-image.

The outcomes are measured by the following academic questionnaires:  PCL-5-Post Traumatic Symptoms, MSPSS-Perceived Social Support, PGI- Post Traumatic Growth and dimensions of resilience, BSI- Brief Symptom Inventory. The questionnaires are regularly distributed during journeys at three points in time in order to compare the variables examined before and after participation in the program to enable us to evaluate improvement: 1. In the pre-journey opening session 2. In the closing session after the journey 3. Six months later at a follow-up session. In addition, participants are asked about seeking psychological treatment.

Project Goals/Objectives

To enable 105 women IDF veterans to regain a peaceful daily life as functioning members of Israeli society.

Bshvil Hamachar Brochure

Projected Budget

Project Impact

1. Reduction in post-traumatic symptoms and strengthening mental resilience among 105 participating IDF women veterans , helping them regain the ability for positive and constructive engagement in every aspect of their lives.
2. Improvement in the lives of the thousands surrounding theses veterans including spouses and children, parents and siblings, co-workers, and more.
3. Contribute to the well-being of Israel’s economy by addressing these critical needs of veterans, for which the State allocates an estimated $1,708,888 each year (see ‘Social Finance Israel’ study on B’shvil’s activity in 2021).

At the heart of B’shvil HaMachar is the underlying and proven assertion that this structured and therapeutic journey helps vulnerable veterans, who are of significant number in the Israeli population, to regain the ability for positive and constructive engagement in almost every aspect of their lives.

Constantly seeking to improve its services, B’shvil conducts ongoing evaluations of its activities with participant surveys before, during and after the journey which measure PCL-5-Post Traumatic Symptoms, MSPSS-Perceived Social Support, PGI- Post Traumatic Growth and dimensions of resilience, BSI- Brief Symptom Inventory. The results demonstrate:

1. Reduced post-trauma symptoms
2. Increased confidence and strengthened self-image
3. Improved ability to open up and help others as well as to focus, relax, and overcome fears
4. Renewed sense of normalcy and more positive outlook on life

Ariel, a member of ‘Paz team’ and the IDF’s Paratroopers’ Division “For too long we have been walking around in the dark, keeping things bottled up inside and letting the wound fester from within, robbing us of our inner strength and resources. It’s time to stand up to our fears and look them straight in the eye. So, my team members turned to an amazing organization called “Path to Tomorrow”, a non-profit organization that is all about giving, and whose mission it is to genuinely help. They’re amazing people who volunteer and I would even go as far as to say they are lifesavers.”

• Attachment of academic research – bibliography

Organization Mission

To assist IDF veterans return to normal life patterns through support-group activities, helping participants regain the ability for positive and constructive engagement in almost every aspect of their lives.

Video showcasing the work in action

Article- Thirty Men in a Boat

Recommendation letters by leading IDF personnel <Letter 1> <Letter 2>

Tags

Health | IDF | IDF- Serving our Nation | ISRAEL | Mental Health | Mental Health | New Model | People with Disabilities | Project Targeted | Seed Funding | Women | Women at Risk