Background

Dr. David Mehlhausen-Hassoen is lecturer of social work and research fellow at the Center for Research and Study of the Family at the University of Haifa.

He is a social worker, a certified couple and family therapist and a certified supervisor for couple and family therapy, and a trained group therapist. He has extensive clinical experience with various populations and in various areas, ranging from psychiatric inpatient settings, IDF veterans and their families, IDF personnel and their families, holocaust survivors and their families as well, as the general population facing the challenges of everyday life.

He chairs the certification committee and is a member of the board of directors of the Israeli Association for Couple and Family Therapy.

His scholarly interests focus on family systems and the dynamics that govern their behavior, especially when coping with detrimental challenges and conflict. More specifically he is interested in:

• Aggression and violence among family members
• Separation, divorce and the transformations throughout the process
• Families coping with mental illness
• The interplay between societal changes and family dynamics
• Couple and family therapy