ICTP has been active in its present form since 1989, but draws on a history of 115-years from the days when Herzog Hospital treated women suffering from Post Natal Depression and then developed programs dealing with veterans of the two world wars.
Today the ICTP deals with children, families, victims of terrorism, IDF combat soldiers, survivors of illness, together with natural and man-made disasters.
Joining emergency efforts in New York, Chechnya, Turkey, Mexico, Sri Lanka, and most recently Haiti, ICTP's knowledge and expertise has been utilized across the globe.
ICTP has conducted building resilience workshops for policemen, firefighters, paramedics, teachers and bomb squads as part of a "helping the helpers" initiative.
Over ten percent of Israel's population suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a statistic that is three time greater than in the United States.
Cutting edge programs developed by ICTP experts use breakthrough approaches for treating post-traumatic symptoms and reinforcing natural coping mechanisms.
[3] The Resilience Unit was established to expand the organization's focus on the needs of the community at large and provide resources to the professional and lay public who have been exposed to trauma and long term stress.
[4] The Resilience Unit has developed innovative programs for First Responders in the Israel Police, Firefighters, and Magen David Adom(paramedics) to help these professionals deal with the high levels of exposure to trauma they experience in their workplace.
ICTP has found that one of the most tragic effects of the immigration process has been the breakdown of the family unit in addition to high rates of domestic violence, suicide, unemployment and poverty.