Mental health crisis support and advocacy services in Israel are drastically sought after by both native born Israelis and recent immigrants. Thankfully, there is an ever growing basket of services addressing mental health.

However, even with the quantity of mental health services in Israel, people in crisis and their families are still suffering tremendous distress and difficulty in accessing the services that are available. The providers of the services are often disconnected from each other, leaving the public without a clear navigation path to healing. There is an enormous knowledge gap regarding the availability of services, the needs and rights of people suffering in a moment of crisis and the needs and rights of their families.

This is further exacerbated by the high costs of treatment, trauma, shame and social stigma. Most families in this situation find themselves isolated and completely alone. With no community support many of these households, overwhelmed with the health of the ill individual, unravel.

Avnei Chein’s mandate is to provide real-time advocacy – guiding and accompanying clients and families through the initial dark moments of crisis to the point where they can survive and flourish independently.

A single-entry point, Avnei Chein’s Crisis Support Team guides individuals with mental health conditions and their families, hand in hand through the complex Israeli social welfare, mental health and justice systems to ensure that individualized care is successfully provided. Furthermore, Avnei Chein provides a host of support services to meet the needs of family members.

The State of Israel Ministry of Health has a mental health division, which has tried to improve policies and provide better services “throughout the entire service chain”, but there is still much work left to be done. Avnei Chein was created with the realization that the current mental health safety net is full of holes, and does not address the complex realities of many cases of mental health issues.

Put simply, individuals and family members of people in a mental health crisis no longer face their journey alone.

See all of mental health crisis support and advocacy services.