Treatment Options

Treatment Options in the Psychological Services Center

The psychological services center offers a variety of treatment options, depending on the needs and difficulties of the individual seeking treatment.

The treatment options at the center include: individual psychological therapy, group psychological therapy, therapy focused on test anxiety (which occurs in the context of a group setting), and psychiatric counseling.

Individual therapy

With the help of the therapist and within the therapeutic process, the patient develops an enhanced ability to listen to his emotional needs, a voice that is sometimes quieted, to get to know and understand himself to a greater extent, and to identify his past and present coping patterns. Once this is established, it is possible to start to build more flexible and effective ways of coping with life’s challenges and the internal and external difficulties that they bring.

Individual therapy at the clinic is, in most cases, short-term and utilizes a dynamic orientation and can last, within the context of the Technion, for up to one year. The sessions are held once a week and are 50 minutes long. In addition, there is an option for individual therapy that uses a cognitive-behavioral orientation (CBT), which is tailored to the unique difficulties of the patient.

.Treatment is partially subsidized by the Technion, through the Office of the Dean of Students

Group Therapy

Group therapy allows each participant to take advantage of the group setting to examine patterns of behavior, coping styles, and interpersonal relations and communication patterns, as they emerge in real-time within the group.

Group work can be a great help and can contribute a lot in regard to issues related to romantic relationships, creating interpersonal connections, as well as any other personal aspect that the individual is interested in exploring in a group setting and within a group process that is led by professionals.

There are three therapy groups in the clinic. Each group has up to 8 participants and is led by two psychologists. The groups take place over several years and are defined as open treatment groups. In this type of method, whenever one group member completes his treatment, a new member is able to join the group.

Group meetings are held once a week for an hour and a half.

Typically, the wait time to join group therapy at the center is shorter than the wait time for individual therapy. In addition, the duration of group therapy is not limited to one year, such that patients can continue in the group for two years or longer.

*If, after the initial introductory sessions at the center, the individual decides that he is interested in group therapy, he will be invited to an introductory meeting with the group facilitators. Among other things, this meeting will allow him to raise and clarify questions, expectations, and concerns regarding his integration into group therapy.

Group Therapy Focused on Test Anxiety

A workshop for coping with test anxiety begins several times a year at the center. Its purpose is to help students who suffer from test anxiety and/or other difficulties related to class assignments and tasks. The workshop is delivered by a psychologist of the center’s staff and includes 6-8 sessions which each last an hour and a half. The work is done in a group setting (up to 8 participants in the group), as it has been found that treating test anxiety is more effective and efficient when it occurs in a group setting.

In general, the sessions are divided into two main phases:

The first phase of the sessions is dedicated to identifying the difficulties and their manifestations: physical manifestations (excessive sweating, rapid heartbeat, dry mouth, body tremors, appetite disturbances, headaches, sleep difficulties, etc.), behavioral manifestations (avoidance of tests or assignment submissions or postponing them, procrastinating studying for a test, studying excessively or not studying at all, poor planning in regard to time or study material, etc.), emotional manifestations (overarousal, stress, anxiety, depression, despair and low self-esteem, indifference or complete dismissal of the meaning of one’s studies, etc.) or cognitive manifestations (lack of concentration, difficulties in reading comprehension, memory difficulties, confusing, misunderstanding of instructions, blacking out, wandering thoughts during an exam, etc.).

In the second phase of the sessions, after each student has identified for himself the specific challenges, behavioral and cognitive strategies for coping with the difficulties are taught. Among the techniques that are taught are: relaxation, guided imagery, suggestions and guidance for proper organization and more efficient allocation of resources and time.

*The referral to the workshop for coping with test anxiety can occur either during the introductory sessions at the center or during individual or group therapy.

Participation in the workshop does not detract from being able to seek help through another type of treatment option at the center, and can occur in parallel.

Psychiatric Counseling

Psychiatric counseling is intended for those who need medication to alleviate their emotional distress, while also receiving psychological therapy and help in parallel. Sometimes it is a vital and important part of the psychological treatment process.

Psychiatric counseling at the center is provided by an expert psychiatrist who comes to the center once a week. The referral to this counseling is through the psychologist who conducted the initial introductory sessions or later through the therapist during the therapy process itself.

*Psychiatric counseling is only provided to students who are engaged in psychological therapy at the center at the same time (or are on the wait list for therapy).

Clarification of several concepts:

Psychodynamic therapy:

Dynamically oriented therapy is based on an in-depth and long-term process that is intended to reveal memories, thoughts, fears, emotions and desires which have been repressed, blocked or could not be expressed due to unconscious conflicts and mental processes. Awareness, understanding, and the ability to feel and express these mental components, free up mental resources and enable people to choose new approaches to coping, due to a greater sense of internal freedom. At the same time, the unique relationship that develops between the therapist and the patient within the context of dynamic therapy allows them to jointly examine and evaluate the perceptions and attitudes that characterize the patient’s inner world through the context of a close and secure interpersonal relationship.

Psychodiagnostic Assessment:

 Psychodiagnostic assessment (also called psychodiagnostic diagnosis) is based on a battery of various psychological assessments which are intended to provide a broad picture of an individual’s abilities, difficulties and strengths across a variety of areas and aspects of his/her personality. This multi-dimensional picture increases the therapist’s understanding of the individual’s world, and can help in planning, formulating and managing therapeutic goals.

Typically, these assessments are spread out over two sessions of 2-3 hours each. The assessments are conducted by one of the psychologists in the center. After the psychologist analyzes and summarizes the information that emerged from the various assessments, he/she invites the patient to a feedback session during which the main findings are shared.

MMPI Questionnaire:

 The MMPI questionnaire is an objective (empirically-constructed) questionnaire designed to assess personality.

The questionnaire is widely used around the world, and it helps us in the initial assessment of the individual seeking treatment, particularly in identifying high-risk situations or acute crises.

The answer booklet, completed by the individual seeking treatment, is anonymous.

Findings are analyzed in a computerized manner by a licensed staff member in the Department of Psychology at the University of Haifa.