For most of my adult life, I measured success in a very traditional business sense. I spent a decade navigating the fast-paced textile manufacturing industry in Israel, and later, nearly two decades in the insurance sector. In insurance, I felt a deep sense of purpose; I was drawn to life, pension, and health coverage because it allowed me the privilege of helping people during their darkest hours by providing a financial lifeline when an urgent surgery or an unexpected crisis threatened to tear their lives apart.
But nothing in my corporate career quite prepared me for the call I answered at age 51. Following the passing of my mother, Dr. Hanita Zimrin, our family gathered to discuss the future of ELI – The Israel Association for Child Protection. My mother had dedicated her life to building ELI into a sanctuary for children suffering from severe abuse and distress. We knew her life’s work was too vital, too deeply woven into the fabric of Israeli society, to let it fade. I stepped into my third career as the President of ELI.
I am not a therapist. I am a business person by trade, but I am a human being guided by a fierce sense of hope and compassion. In my role, I confront the heaviest crises afflicting our society daily. Through this work, I have come to realize a profound truth: we cannot heal our most vulnerable children if we continue to treat mental health in the shadows, and we cannot heal a child if we ignore the ecosystem that surrounds them.
Shattering the Stigma
A major barrier to mental wellness is the persistent, suffocating weight of social stigma. Far too often, mental health struggles are viewed through a lens of shame, weakness, or failure. When a child breaks a bone, we do not hesitate to rush them to an emergency room. We speak openly about their recovery and offer community support. Yet, when a child’s mind and spirit are fractured by trauma, abuse, or severe neglect, a heavy silence frequently descends.
Shame thrives in silence. When families feel stigmatized, they hide their pain. They delay seeking help until a crisis escalates into a tragedy. At ELI, we see the devastating toll of this delay every day. Addressing child abuse and trauma is an urgent mental health imperative.
To dismantle this stigma, we must fundamentally shift our collective mindset. Mental health care must be normalized as an essential component of overall well-being. Seeking psychological support is not an admission of defeat. It should be seen as an act of profound bravery and resilience. By speaking openly about trauma, we create a safe pathway for victims to step forward out of the darkness and into the light of healing.
The Power of Family-Centric Treatment
When a child experiences trauma, the impact is never contained to that child alone. Trauma is like a stone thrown into a still pond and the ripples expand outward, disrupting everything they touch. It reshapes how a child interacts with their parents, how siblings relate to one another, and how the entire household functions.
Therefore, treating only the child is akin to treating a physical wound without removing the object causing the infection. True, lasting recovery requires a holistic, systemic approach: we must treat the entire family.
Family-centric therapy recognizes that the home environment can either inadvertently perpetuate trauma or become the ultimate incubator for healing. When a child has suffered, parents often experience overwhelming guilt, helplessness, or their own secondary trauma. If parents are left to navigate these complex emotions alone, they may lack the emotional vocabulary or stability needed to support their child’s ongoing recovery.
By bringing the family into the therapeutic process, we accomplish several vital goals. First, we break down internal isolation, helping family members communicate honestly about their pain. Second, we equip parents with the specific tools and psychological insights required to rebuild trust, safety, and emotional security at home. Finally, it ensures that when a child leaves a therapy session, they return to an environment that actively reinforces their healing journey rather than triggering old wounds.
A Call for Collective Compassion
Every day at ELI, I am humbled by the extraordinary dedication of our professional team, who guide the most agonizing cases with unparalleled skill and grace. They remind me constantly that while trauma is incredibly powerful, human resilience and love are far more potent.
My transition from the business world to mental health advocacy has taught me that we all have a role to play. You do not need to be a therapist to be a champion for mental wellness. You simply need to be a person who listens without judgment, who offers a hand instead of a pointing finger, and who refuses to look away from another human being’s suffering.
We must build a society where no child or parent feels forced to suffer in secrecy. Let us have the courage to talk about mental health openly, to fund it robustly, and to approach every broken family not with condemnation, but with an unwavering sense of hope and holistic support. Healing a child begins with healing their world.
