This department provides treatment and rehabilitative therapy programs for participants suffering from mental health issues that interfere with their ability to function. The participants, aged 18-23 upon entering the Community, are all highly-motivated to seek treatment. In most cases, these young people were recently hospitalized and require comprehensive treatment that includes housing. The treatment and rehabilitation process is approximately three years.
The rehabilitative therapy program is based on unique in-community treatment methods within groups of similar-aged participants. The participants gradually gain independence and move to transitional apartments while undergoing job training through the Summit Institute’s Rehabilitative Vocational Support Center. The initial framework is similar to an all-inclusive hostel with the final treatment stage taking place in the community’s external apartments. An additional interim stage eases the transition between the two, helping participants move toward greater independence. Each stage offers greater daily independence, both socially and in terms of employment.
The staff includes administrators, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, dieticians, and counselors.
The community is located in a residential building in Jerusalem that includes participant apartments, dining room, lounge, treatment rooms, fitness center, and offices.
The Therapeutic Community
The Summit Institute provides participants with a variety of social and psychological therapies. Each adolescent meets with a psychologist twice a week, who guides the participant throughout all stages of the rehabilitative process and supervises each individual's treatment plan. At the same time, social programming integrates all aspects of daily life within the community.
The community’s management resembles a hostel, with oversight committees comprised of both staff and participants. These include a central management committee as well as maintenance, finance, culture committees, and many more. The staff conducts community-wide meetings to discuss all personal and group aspects of community life. The communal lifestyle is a key treatment tool used to teach coping mechanisms for a variety of issues including difficulties with social absorption or separation anxieties.
Transitional Apartments
Transitional apartments serve as a branch of the treatment community, helping participants gradually adjust to independence and responsibility. The administrative staff gradually transfers authority to participants, encouraging them to take advantage of Jerusalem’s social opportunities. The participants maintain direct connections with the therapeutic community through regular meetings for psychotherapy, vocational support, clubs, and social activities. Relationships with Families We believe in creating an accessible treatment community that interacts openly with its surroundings. All participants visit their parents at home every two weeks and are present at meetings between staff and parents. These meetings are held at the beginning of treatment, at all transition stages, and on an as-needed basis with advanced notice.
Contact with the families
We believe in an open therapeutic community, which is not a total framework. Those recovering go to their parents' house every two weeks. Personal team meetings with the parents are held in the presence of the rehabilitators. The frequency is determined according to need and prior arrangement. The meetings take place in any case both at the entrance stages and at the various transitions.
Eligibility:
- Willingness to integrate into psychological and social rehabilitation and reasonable initial motivation.
- The rehabilitator does not use drugs and/or alcohol.
- Reasonable level of self-control in destructive behavior.
- Intelligence level below average or higher.
- The applicant must have a disability allowance of 40% or more. Applicants without an allowance and those approaching the age of 18 are obliged to start the processes with the National Insurance Institute, before applying to the Institute.
The rehabilitation program is mostly financed by the Ministry of Health (rehabilitation basket). Each rehabilitator participates, from the amount of his disability allowance, cost of living and rent, and all according to the amounts determined by the Ministry of Health, from time to time.
Application and Admission
.
Candidates should send hospitalization and treatment summaries along with any welfare reports to the Summit Institute. After an initial selection process, candidates will be invited for an interview and suitable candidates will be invited for a second interview with the relevant department. The interviews primarily explore each candidate’s motivation to pursue treatment and create lasting changes through rehabilitative treatment. The candidate’s family plays a key role in the treatment and therefore the interview also explores the family’s willingness to support the participant and cooperate with the treatment framework.
The participant, the family, and the referring body all receive the final decision and treatment recommendation along with the Ministry of Health – who is responsible for approving admission.
After receiving Ministry of Health approval and before arriving at Summit, each candidate attends an orientation day. By spending a day in the rehabilitation center and therapeutic community and taking part in activities, candidates become familiar with the framework and ensure they are fully invested.
Admission process: sending appropriate documents to the secretariat via email- tali@summit.org.il
- Medical documents - letter from a psychiatrist, diagnosis, medications, history of hospitalizations/treatments.
- A letter from the candidate detailing after reading the program on the website, what are the reasons for them
Interested in integrating into the community, a letter from supporting factors (caregivers/care coordinators) and me
attachment. - Confirmation of the disability clauses of the unemployment insurance + confirmation of the rehabilitation basket.
- Photocopy of ID card
Adolescent Therapeutic Community:
Email address for sending documents- tali@summit.org.il
Unit's Mail mitbagrim@summit.org.il
Director of the Adolescent Therapeutic Community- Eitan Gafan
Phone: +972-2-5670840 Fax: +972-2-6722141
