The Israeli Association for Marital and Family Therapy and Family Life Education

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Professionals engaged in family therapy include social workers, psychologists, educational counselors, family doctors, clinical criminologists and art therapists who are specialized in family and couple therapy and qualify for licensure according to the Association's Licensure Council criteria (press here for the licensure criteria).

The Israeli Association for Marital and Family Therapy and Family Life Education was founded in 1977 in order to facilitate progress in the field of family and couple therapy nationally. The Association's Licensure Council designs tools for regulating the training of licentiate family therapists and licentiate family therapy supervisors. The Association is the only Israeli organization authorized to approbate the licensure of family therapists who have undergone specific family therapy training, adapted to the its criteria, and have acquired experience in this field. The Association abides by an ethical code that binds all its members.

The Association reinforces the members' proficiency by holding national and international conferences, seminars and workshops (press here for list of events); it promotes cooperation with academic and social organizations to enrich member training; it publishes a professional periodical in Hebrew and endeavors to enlarge the learning and know-how resources available to its members through its internet site; it offers a platform for senior professionals from Israel and abroad to share their accumulated knowledge and experience with the Association's members.

Legally, The Association is a non-profit organization and its activity is based on volunteer work. Historically, the beginnings of family therapy in Israel can be traced back to the 1960s, when the late Dr. Mordechai Kaffman and the late Dr. Avner Barkai founded therapy centers (Telem and Barkai Institute, respectively) in Tel-Aviv. During the 1970s, Mr. Dror Wertheimer trained social workers as family therapists within the public establishment. Prof. Israel Tcharny started in 1984 the first academic program for family therapists and was elected first chairman of the Association after its foundation in 1977. Subsequent chairmen and chairwomen were the late Dr. Zeev Segal as well as Dr. Cynthia Carel, Dr. Yael Giron, Dr. Suzan Zeidel, Dr. Ruth Malkinson, Dr. Eva Enat and Dr. Daniela Mack, and the present chairwoman is Dr. Aviva Mazor.

The Israeli Association for Marital and Family Therapy and Family Life Education retains regular contacts with corresponding organizations worldwide.

The Association's website posts listings of the Israeli licentiate family therapists classified by location of practice (press here for list of therapists).

The Ethical Code of the Israeli Association for Marital and Family Therapy and Family Life Education

The Association has appointed an ethical committee to supervise member compliance with the norms of ethical conduct and professional confidence. The norms of conduct (professional ethical code) undertaken by the Israeli Association for Marital and Family Therapy and Family Life Education bind all its members as well as candidates for membership. Members are encouraged to inform the supervising organs of the state and the various professional associations of any unethical conduct which is in breach of these norms. The Association's ethical committee should be informed about any violation of the norms.