The impact of the events of October 7 and the Iron Swords War on the mental well-being of Israeli citizens has created a broad and urgent need to provide the general population, including individuals exposed to extreme trauma, with structured, short-term, and research-based treatment for mental health conditions resulting from traumatic exposure. These include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, prolonged grief, and moral injury. Such conditions may appear independently or as comorbidities.

Since October 7, numerous training programs in a wide range of therapeutic approaches have been conducted for mental health professionals, significantly expanding the pool of therapists in the field. At the same time, the current mental health system faces an acute need for systematic and comprehensive change in the management of care delivery. Accordingly, there is a profound need across multiple levels, including policymakers (Ministry of Health), healthcare providers (health funds, Ministry of Defense, and others), and clinicians to refine and standardize the processes of assessment, treatment, and ongoing monitoring.

As part of the effort to manage care for trauma survivors, we present three concise recommendation documents addressing these areas. The recommendations follow the patient’s care journey: assessment, treatment matching, and monitoring. They are based on up-to-date and central systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses, which provide the research foundation for recommendations regarding the management of post-trauma conditions, as well as on the accumulated clinical experience of experts in the field. The documents were reviewed and refined by specialists in trauma and in managed care. It should be noted that the recommendations reflect the state of knowledge at the time of publication.

We are fully aware of the extensive and ongoing research and clinical work in this domain and acknowledge the time-bound nature of these recommendations. The guidance regarding assessment, treatment matching, and monitoring focuses on post-traumatic conditions (PTSD and trauma-related disorders) and does not apply to complex PTSD, which develops following prolonged or repeated exposure to traumatic events. Differences may exist between the recommendations presented here and those published previously by other bodies. HOMIYAH’s recommendations are intended to sharpen and clarify the understanding of the complexity of post-trauma morbidity in Israel at this time.

It is important to emphasize that these documents are intended to serve as a foundation for recommendations and do not replace clinical judgment or informed risk management. We hope that this framework will support the optimal use of treatment resources and help maximize the effectiveness of mental health care in Israel.