Recognizing Trauma Before It Takes Root: Watch the Webinar Replay
Updated: 1 minute ago
Nearly three years after October 7, the psychological impact of war continues to shape the lives of children, families, educators, soldiers, and communities across Israel. But according to clinical psychologist Dr. Michael Band, understanding what Israel is experiencing requires an important distinction: experiencing trauma does not necessarily mean developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
During a recent Israel Magen Fund of Canada (IMFoC) webinar, “Israel’s Children After October 7: Recognizing Trauma Before It Takes Root,” Dr. Band, co-founder of the Arbel Institute, shared lessons from nearly three years of working with communities affected by the war.
His central message was both serious and hopeful: trauma is a natural response to extraordinary events, but early intervention can help prevent those experiences from developing into more persistent psychological conditions.
October 8: When the Response Began
Dr. Band took the audience back to October 8, 2023. As his sons left for military service, he received a message that survivors from Kibbutz Be’eri were being evacuated to a hotel near the Dead Sea. He immediately drove approximately four hours to join psychologists responding to the crisis.
Despite more than 30 years of clinical experience and extensive work in trauma, Dr. Band recalled how quickly he and his colleagues realized that conventional approaches were not enough for what they were encountering.
Many survivors did not want to speak with psychologists they had never met. In those first days, clinicians had to reconsider how to deliver psychological support in the middle of an unprecedented national crisis.
That experience led to an insight that would shape the Arbel Institute’s work in the years that followed.
“The rehabilitation of the country and of these people was going to actually work via the schools, via the school system.” — Dr. Michael Band
Why Schools Became Central to Recovery
Dr. Band and his colleagues recognized that children were often the most effective way to reach entire families. Parents who were reluctant to seek psychological support for themselves were deeply concerned about their children. When Dr. Band told parents that their own willingness to engage could influence whether their children would also accept help, attitudes began to change.
The experience also reinforced something he had learned through earlier work in suicide prevention: children are more likely to speak with people they already know and trust.
Instead of relying primarily on outside psychologists entering communities after a traumatic event, the Arbel Institute began focusing on the adults already present in children’s everyday lives—teachers, school counsellors, principals, and educators.
By training these professionals to recognize distress, communicate with children, and understand when specialized care may be required, psychological support can become part of the community itself rather than something imposed from outside.
This school-based approach remains at the heart of the Arbel Institute’s work.
Trauma Is Not the Same as PTSD
One of Dr. Band’s most important points during the webinar was the need to distinguish trauma from PTSD. October 7 and the years that followed exposed Israeli society to extraordinary levels of trauma. Dr. Band explained, however, that traumatic reactions themselves can be natural psychological and physiological responses to extreme circumstances.
The concern is when individuals move from those responses into persistent post-traumatic difficulties.
That is why early intervention matters.
Dr. Band said the extensive efforts undertaken across Israel by mental-health professionals, public institutions, NGOs, schools, and communities have helped many people cope rather than progress toward chronic PTSD.
He was particularly cautious about portraying an entire generation of Israeli children as permanently traumatized. While serious challenges remain, he told the audience that most Israeli children have not developed PTSD.
Where the Challenges Remain
The overall picture may offer reason for hope, but Dr. Band emphasized that some communities continue to require significant attention.
He highlighted Sderot and Kiryat Shmona, where children and schools continue to show signs of persistent distress. In these communities, he sees children experiencing hypervigilance—reacting strongly to sudden noises or perceived threats—and avoidance. Some children, for example, may resist attending school because home feels safer.
Dr. Band explained that a community’s circumstances before a traumatic event can also influence its ability to recover afterward. Communities already facing social or systemic challenges may therefore require more sustained intervention and support.
His concerns also extend beyond children.
After years of combat and reserve duty, military personnel—including senior officers—are increasingly seeking psychological support. Dr. Band described working with officers struggling not simply with memories of personal danger, but with the deaths of soldiers who served under their command.
The consequences can reach entire families. He described increasing family tension among those dealing with PTSD and emphasized that spouses and children can also experience the consequences when someone close to them is struggling with post-traumatic stress.
From Avoidance to Coping
During the webinar’s Q&A, Dr. Band returned repeatedly to one of the most important concepts in trauma recovery: avoidance. Avoiding places, experiences, conversations, or memories associated with trauma can initially be a natural response. But when avoidance becomes persistent, it can interfere with recovery.
For Dr. Band, effective intervention requires helping people gradually move toward active coping.
“At some stage you have to go from avoidance to coping. And the coping stage is critical in the rehabilitation from post-trauma.” — Dr. Michael Band
He also discussed increased alcohol and substance use among some people diagnosed with PTSD, describing these behaviours as attempts at self-treatment that do not address the underlying condition.
His message was clear: serious psychological distress requires appropriate professional support. Recovery from PTSD is not simply a matter of waiting for symptoms to disappear.
Supporting the Adults Who Support Children
Perhaps one of the most important lessons from Dr. Band’s presentation is that protecting children’s mental health cannot focus exclusively on children. Teachers, counsellors, principals, parents, and community leaders are part of the psychological environment in which children recover.
When those adults are equipped to recognize signs of distress and respond appropriately, they can become an important first line of support. When schools receive sustained psychological guidance, entire communities can strengthen their capacity to cope with trauma.
That principle is central to the work IMFoC is undertaking with the Arbel Institute.
Through IMFoC’s Israel Rehabilitation & Resilience Fund (IRRF), IMFoC is working in partnership with the Arbel Institute to strengthen emotional resilience among educators, children, families, and communities across Israel.
The initiative includes trauma-informed training for educators, principals, and community leaders; trauma-processing groups for adults and educators; year-long psychological support for high-risk schools; and rapid-response assistance for communities following traumatic events.
By strengthening the people children already know and trust, the initiative helps schools and communities recognize distress earlier, respond more effectively, and connect those who need additional assistance with professional care.
The goal is not to erase what happened. It is to help ensure that trauma does not define what comes next.
IMFoC is proud to work in partnership with the Arbel Institute to strengthen the support systems surrounding Israel’s children and help communities build the knowledge, tools, and resilience needed for long-term recovery.
