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How Psychologists Are Supporting Families of the Soon-To-Be-Released Hostages

Following the announcement of the ceasefire, psychologists from the Hostage Families Forum have told families what to expect when their loved ones finally return

כיכר החטופים (צילום: הדס יום טוב)
Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square. (Photo: Hadas Yom Tov)
By Dafna Eisbruch

Outbursts of rage, troubles with regulation, sleep difficulties, withdrawal, problems with verbal expression or reluctance to speak—these are just some of the phenomena that family members of hostages have been told to expect in their loved ones upon their return. With a ceasefire deal in effect and the first hostages meant to be released today after nearly a year and a half in captivity, the clinical psychologists at the Hostage Families Forum are preparing to support the families and accompany them through the expected complexities.

“There is a lot of pressure and uncertainty among the families,” Dr. Ran Pelled, a clinical psychologist and head of the resilience unit at the Hostage Families Forum, told Davar. “We support and will continue to support those who receive the news that their loved ones are returning and are stressed and uncertain about their condition, as well as those who remain in uncertainty about when their loved ones will return.”

The resilience team has developed a guide that they provide to families who have gotten the news that their loved ones are returning. “We prepare them on how to give them space, what to do when they don’t want to talk, what to do when they do want to talk, how to get help from professionals, how to cope with physical difficulties, and how to deal with sleep issues,” Pelled said. The team has fine-tuned the guide ahead of the current wave of returns.

Family members who want support during this sensitive time can stay in private spaces set up for them in the building of the Hostage Families Forum. “There is a need and desire to stay with a group of peers,” Pelled explained.

Twelve mental health professionals are employed by the forum to help families cope with the situation. “There are panic attacks, there are complex reactions to the absence of people from the list, and we are there with them and accompany them,” he said. Family members can also receive individual therapy in the treatment rooms at the forum’s building or through the dedicated hotline, which has extended its hours of operation to 24 hours a day for the foreseeable future.

In preparation for the current period, the Hostage Families Forum has established a command center of experts from the fields of law, health, mental health, and resilience, who are in contact with the Israeli military’s personnel directorate and the government body devoted to the hostages. “The forum and the state understand that the two bodies need to work together because the families trust the personnel at the forum,” Pelled said. The forum’s 12 mental health professionals act as points of contact for families of hostages seeking assistance and guide the rest of the command center regarding the needs of those families.

This article was translated from Hebrew by Leah Schwartz. 

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