About the Department of Community Mental Health

Vision of The Department of Community Mental Health

Mental health is shaped by a combination of social, biological and cultural factors. The objective of the Department of Community Mental Health is to promote mental health in individuals and society. Faculty from the department and many of the students are involved in research and practice examining mental health issues, including resilience promotion, prevention and reduction of psychopathology, coping with trauma, and psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery from serious mental illness. Many of these efforts are in collaboration with mental health consumers along with health, social, national and non-governmental authorities and organizations. These efforts unite theory, application, and training of mental health professionals.

Values we endorse

  • Person-centered, humanistic approach
  • Growth potential throughout the mental health continuum
  • Mutual influences between person & environment
  • Community orientation
  • Choice and empowerment

The core academic studies in the department include the following:

  • Acquisition of knowledge in prevention and rehabilitation interventions, crisis states, trauma and policy planning, mental health management and research.
  • Values and basic assumptions of community mental health, rehabilitation, integration and recovery.
  • Increasing resilience of people to cope with and prevent mental disorders
  • Mapping social, cognitive and emotional characteristics of mental health conditions.
  • Understanding legislative, cultural, organizational aspects of the mental health systems worldwide and in Israel

The Department studies focus on two main areas

A. Psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery
The department emphasizes the specialization in psychiatric rehabilitation through specific intervention and skills training. Courses that are part of this orientation also involve research on stigma, recovery and psychiatric rehabilitation. As part of the curriculum, 2nd year students have the opportunity to join a practical specialization program. In this program, field experience is combined with knowledge learned in courses thereby allowing the implementation of psychiatric rehabilitation theory.

B. Promoting community mental health in daily life, crisis states and trauma
The department emphasizes prevention and promoting health by developing personal and social resilience. It focuses on teaching about and developing prevention programs and promoting mental health aimed at the general population to improve coping with hardships, stress, anxiety, crisis states and trauma. This is essential in light of the reality in which people are frequently exposed to stress and crises, because of economic reasons (e.g., unemployment), security reasons (e.g., war and terror) and interpersonal issues (e.g., abuse). Early individual level interventions may protect mental health, might prevent the development of mental illness and at least allow for proper and early treatment. Health is promoted appropriately from a holistic perspective spanning mental, physical and social factors.

 Acceptance Criteria for M.A. studies

  • An academic degree from a recognized institute (by the Israeli Council for Higher Education) in the fields of: Psychology, Behavior sciences, Social work, Education, Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Communication Disorders, Physiotherapy, and Medicine. A candidate with different background will have to receive special study permission from the department committee for M.A. studies.
  • An average/mean score of at least 80 in the first degree
  • Receiving at least 70 points in an English entry exam.
  • Two recommendation letters, with at least one letter from a faculty Member professor. The recommendations will be sent by the recommenders in a sealed and signed envelope.
  • A candidate that graduated from an academic institute at Hebrew was not the teaching language will be required to pass a Hebrew exam as a condition to be accepted.
  • Candidates who graduated in foreign Universities and foreign Universities with branches in Israel that are recognized by the Israeli Council for Higher Education will be required to pass the Graduate Record Examination.

In addition, the candidates will have to send the following documents:

  • Candidate Personal Questionnaire, with a photo attached.
  • Curriculum Vitae (C.V)
  • Declaration of Intents

The Community Mental Health Department offers two different tracks in M.A. studies:

M.A. Program with Thesis (Program A): The main purpose of this program is to instill a deep understanding and knowledge in a specific area in the community mental health field while providing high research and writing skills to the students in this program.
The program is based both on research and theoretical courses.
Students in this program have to complete courses that add up to a total of 34 points, write two seminar papers and submit their research thesis.
The studies in this program (including the thesis writing) will last no more than 3 years.

M.A. Program with a final paper (without a thesis) (Program B): The students in this program have to complete courses that add up to a total of 40 points and write three seminar papers. The study duration in this program is two years. In addition, students in this program are required to take an integrative final exam. The purpose of this exam is to test students’ integrative knowledge of research in the realm of community mental health, based on their studies in the various courses.

Curriculum

The curriculum is based on mandatory courses, research courses, seminars and electives.

Mandatory Courses
  • Psychopathology
  • Introduction to Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Research Courses
  • Research Methods 
  • Designing and Writing a Thesis
  • Statistics

Seminars

  • Aspects Of drug & Alcohol Use 
  • Debates In psychiatry 
  • Community Mental health & Trauma 
  • Filam & Mental haelth
  • Living With A Disability 
  • Mental health Advances-Arab Population 

Electives

  • Trauma & Community
  • Interviewing Skills and Primary Ways of Intervention
  • Introduction To Cognitive behavioral Therapy 
  • Parent Training In Mental Health
  • The Impact Of Trauma 
  • Where Emotions thoughts & Body meet 
  • Dual Diagnosis 
  • Community Mental Health Policy
  • Gender Disability & mental health 
  • Communication Skills In Mental Health 
  • Illeness Management & Recovery -IMR 
  • A critical approach to mental health
  • Interviewing Skills 
  • Mental develompment In Life Cycle
  • Motiviatinal Interview 
  • Historical Perspectives On mental Health 
  • Mental Health In Minority Groups 
  • Cross -Cultural Perspectives On Mental health 
  • Integrated Practices In Community Mental
  • The Consumer Movement In Mental Health
  • Autism Spectrum 
  • Emotional Aspects Online Enviroments 
  • Positive Pschology
  • Coping with A Family Member’s Disability 
    • * The curriculum may change and updated from time to time. 

 Ph.D studies:

Studies in this program are designated for exceptional students who completed  their first year of studies, wish to continue directly to a doctorate and  the department views as possible Ph.D candidates.  

Acceptance prerequisites (as a second year student in the program):

      • The average grade of at least 90 in their BA  from a recognized high education institute in Israel or abroad
      • Two letters of recommendation from academic lecturers
      • A written contract with the ppotential doctorate instructor
      • A letter of intent from the candidate concerning the proposed research topic (up to 5 pages), signed by the potential doctorate instructor
      • Completing at least 16 course credits with an average of at least 90 and submitting a seminar paper which received at least 90
      • An approval of the University Research Students Committee

Studies’ Structure:

      • Earning at least 34 course credits  in the M.A. level with an average of at least 90
      • Submitting 2 seminar papers or an equal requirement set by the department
        The student has to achieve the grade of at least 90 in each of the seminar papers
      • Submitting a doctorate research proposal no later than the beginning of the fourth semester of studies

With the approval of the doctorate research proposal and fulfillment of the studies’ requirements as mentioned above, the student will pass on to the second stage, in which he or she will carry out the research and will write the dissertation. The time limit for the dissertation’s writing is three years.

Students in the direct track for the doctorate will receive a University Masters Degree after having the dissertation’s approval and fulfilling the mandatory courses requirements