The Institute for Treatment of Eating Disorders

The Institute for Treatment of Eating Disorders at Reuth TLV Rehabilitation Hospital leads multi-professional rehabilitation approach treating all the aspects of the patient’s life with the objective of bringing him to good and healthy functioning.

At the Institute for Treatment of Eating Disorders female specialists and professionals with many years extensive experience are employed in the treatment of the population suffering from eating disorders (such as anorexia and bulimia) including clinical and rehabilitation psychologists, clinical dieticians, group therapists, parent counsellors, family counsellors and a psychiatrist. The team takes an active part in training of professionals, in involvement in projects in the community as well as in research and contact with academia.

Amir Zendakovich, a rehabilitation neuropsychologist, is the Director of the Institute for Treatment of Eating Disorders and the Director of the Psychological Rehabilitation Service in the hospital: “An eating disorder is characterized by the fact that the eating habits are out of control and endanger the health of the individual. The objectives of the rehabilitation treatment are the creation of new eating habits and to help the patients to function in the best way possible. The concept of the work, which has been proven to be successful, combines treatment to improve nutritional, emotional, cognitive and behavioural functioning”.

Patients

The Institute specializes in treatment of various types of eating disorders: anorexia, bulimia and compulsive eating disorder. Furthermore treatment and support is provided for people contending with obesity, pre and post bariatric surgery.

Treatments

Ambulatory treatment for eating disorders

This is a multi-professional framework offering 5 days of treatment a week for 6 hours a day.

The treatments include: nutritional treatment, follow up and support by a nurse throughout the treatment period, psychiatric and psychological therapy, group therapies (art, psychodrama, cognitive-behaviour therapy) and support by a team of coaches.

The treatment includes 2 meals a day. For each patient a varied menu is developed that includes all the food groups and is customized for the process of change of the eating habits. The meals are held together with the treating team.

The treatment is designed for age 18 years and above.

Clinic treatment for eating disorders

A framework that includes 3 group sessions per week: a psychotherapy group, a nutritional therapy group and an art therapy group. There is also an individual monthly nutritional follow-up session, and psychiatric follow-up. This is a framework that allows a combination of care along with maintaining a routine of life – employment, studies, family.
There is also a clinical framework of follow-up treatment for day care, which includes individual psychological treatment, individual nutritional treatment, a psychotherapy group and psychiatric follow-up.

***The treatments are provided to the insured by HMOs, the IDF and the Ministry of Defence.

Family therapy

A framework offering treatment designed for the entire family contending with a family member suffering from an eating disorder, with the support of a professional team of a psychologist and a certified family therapist.

** The treatments are not included in the health basket. Reimbursements may be received from the insurance companies, subject to the terms of the policy.

Additional services: training for parents

Parents contending with a child suffering from an eating disorder (bulimia, anorexia etc) are offered a framework including training and support by a professional team of a psychologist and a psychotherapist.

**The treatments are not included in the health basket. Reimbursements may be received from the insurance companies, subject to the terms of the policy.

The Team

Dr Reuven Lavi – Medical Director

• A psychiatric specialist, graduate of the School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University
  A specialist in general psychiatry and psychotherapy of the child and the adolescent
  A graduate of the School of Psychotherapy at Tel Aviv University
  Has served as the Deputy Director of the Children and Adolescents Clinic at the Nes Ziona Psychiatric Hospital.
  Specializes in combined treatment – dynamic psychotherapy and treatment with medications.
  Dr Lavi brings with him an extraordinary approach of attentiveness and empathy for his patients. Dr Lavi’s rich background in treating eating disorders, amongst children, adolescents and adults, contributes greatly to the success of the treatment at the institute. Dr Lavi serves as the chief psychiatrist and is responsible for the absorption processes, the assessment and matching the patients to the various treatment programs. Dr Lavi works at the institute on most days of the week and responds to urgent cases and acute situations of the patients.

Ruth Stern Certified nurse

Psychologists

• Raya Sarid – Clinical Psychologist
  A clinical psychologist specializing in treatment of eating disorders in adults, adolescents and children.
  Extensive experience in eating disorders and post trauma, individual, family therapy, group counsellor for eating disorders. Raya comes with a rich background of treatment of eating disorders and counsels psycho-dynamic groups at the institute.
• Osnat Shaul – Clinical Psychologist
  An expert clinical psychologist, hold an MA in Clinical Psychology summa cum laude from Bar Ilan University. Osnat has specialized in eating disorders at the Shneider Hospital. She has extensive experience in working with adolescents suffering from eating disorders.
• Tali Milstein – Specialist Rehabilitation Neuropsychologist
  A specialist neuropsychologist, treats individuals and groups, with extensive experience in treating eating disorders. Tali received comprehensive training from the Institute for Treatment of Eating Disorders and the Day Rehabilitation Department, with the emphasis on treating those suffering from pain disorders, and has great experience in supporting disease situations and loss and various situations of stress and crisis.

Clinical dieticians

• Efrat Zuk – Manager of the Nutrition Team
  A certified clinical dietician  and  Family Therapist with a B.Sc. from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the Faculty of Agriculture in Rehovot from 1993.
  She has an M.Sc. from the Tel Aviv University, the Faculty of Medicine.
  Specializes in nutritional treatment for eating disorders, obesity and its complications in children, adolescents and adults.
• Efrat Gafni – Clinical Dietician
  A certified clinical dietician, with an M.Sc in Clinical Nutrition from the Tel Hai Academic College. Specializes in the field of nutritional treatment for eating disorders and geriatrics.
  A graduate of courses: Nutrition and food supplements – Altman
  Development and motivation for change for patients with eating problems – Dr Moshe Mishali
• Sarit Rabinian – Clinical Dietician
  A certified clinical dietician, with a B.Sc. from the Hebrew University Jerusalem, the Faculty of Agriculture in Rehovot.
  Specializes in the field of treating eating disorders and obesity.
• Bat-El Ratzon – Clinical Dietician
  A certified clinical dietician, with a B.Sc. in Clinical Nutrition from the Tel Hai Academic College. Specializes in the field of nutritional treatment of eating disorders, a graduate of the course: The tool box for treatment of obesity – the Hebrew University Jerusalem, the Faculty of Agriculture. Deputy Manager of the Nutrition and Dietary Unit at the Reuth Medical Center
• Yaela Eshhar – Clinical Dietician
  A certified clinical dietician, with a B.Sc. in Clinical Nutrition from the Tel Hai Academic College and a MAN degree in Nutrition, Health and Behaviour from the University of Haifa. Specialises in the field of treatment of eating disorders and obesity. Graduate in a course on bariatrics of the Atid Foundation.
• Carmit Ovadia – Clinical Dietician
  Specialist in treatment of eating disorders.

Group therapists 

• Yehudit Arad – Counsellor for Art Groups
  A specialist therapist in a combination of arts for eating disorders, an MA graduate of the Leslie University extension, specializing in therapy by arts for eating disorders and contending with emotional difficulties at various ages.
  Yehudit often lectures to various populations regarding her therapy models – to art therapists, to students of art therapy in colleges, students of nutrition in the Faculty of Agriculture and the Association of Dieticians “Atid”, in high schools (to the teaching staff and parents), to the Israeli Association for Therapy by Creativity and Expression and recently in a convention “Art as Therapy” which has held at the Tel Aviv University in the School of Social Work.
• Ella Vitman – Drama Psychotherapist, group counsellor, team tutor for mentors for the strategy for treatment by means of art, the Haifa University, a rehabilitation mentor for young girls and women suffering from eating disorders for the past four years. Ella is engaged in mentoring and rehabilitation support within the framework of “Half Way House” rehabilitation project of the Eating Disorders Department at Tel Hashomer.
  As a rehabilitation mentor Ella focuses on supporting the patients in their homes and their natural environments, with the objective of executing the therapeutic objectives that have been determined, such as acquisition of eating habits, creation of social relationships, development of leisure time, support in the fields of employment and housing and so forth.
• Merav Kaner – Psychodrama groups counsellor
  A psychodrama and arts therapist, and a group counsellor who has been working for some ten years with eating disorders and obesity. A group and individual counsellor for parents, women, men and children, has been engaged in group work with parents and older adolescents with eating disorders and in prolonged group therapy work with adolescents in distress and with their parents in long term treatment groups.
  Furthermore she facilitates workshops for women on the issue of body image and female empowerment and motherhood. She has worked at Shneider Hospital with depressed children and with Holocaust survivors.
• Ran Sadan – group counsellor for therapy by movement
  An expert therapist by movement, he has an MA in movement and music from the Lewinsky College, and has worked for over 10 years in mental health. A group and individual therapist for adolescents and adults.

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