Prof. Rachel Dekel
Trauma; Post Trauma; Domestic Violence
CV
Education
| 1999 | Ph.D. | Tel-Aviv University, School of Social Work |
| 1993 | M.A. | Hebrew University, School of Social Work (Graduated Cum Laude) |
| 1990 | B.A. | Hebrew University, School of Social Work (Graduated Cum Laude) |
Research Grants
| 2016-2018 | The Israeli Ministry of Welfare (Co-PI with Dr. Ben-Porat, A.): The role of complex PTSD and it’s contribution to family violence |
| 2016-2018 | The Israeli ministry of defense: the families wing (Co-PI with Nuttman-Shwartz, O.): The re-instatement of government benefits to widows of military veterans: characterizations and implications |
| 2016 | European Association of School of Social Work (EASSW) (Co-PI with Nuttman-Shwartz, O. college and 4 partners from School of Social Work in Europe): Challenges for the social work profession at a time of a global migration crisis: Is a new social work curriculum needed? |
| 2015 | WIZO (Co-PI with Dr. Ben-Porat): The experience of men who turn for assistance to Violence Prevention Centers in Israel |
| 2013 | Israel Science Foundation: Research workshop grant: Trauma and the family: a life span perspective |
| 2012 | I- CORE: Israeli Centers of Research Excellence: Mass Trauma |
| 2012 | The Israeli Ministry of Defense, The Rehabilitation Wing: Implementation of the evaluation report on the unique needs of IDF disabled women |
| 2011 | The Rehabilitation Wing, The Israeli Ministry of Defense: Evaluating the unique needs of women with disabilities. |
| 2011 | The Israeli Ministry of Social Affairs. With Dr. Ben-Porat and Prof. Itzhaky, Bar Ilan University. Research Project: Ministry of Social Affairs - a longitudinal study on battered women in shelters. |
| 2011 | University of Minnesota - Co PI with Prof. Abi Gewirtz. Research Project: The role of parents in Israeli families exposed to political violence. |
| 2011 | Israel Science Foundation - Principal Investigator. Research Project: Couples' adaptation following the Second Lebanon War. |
| 2010 | The Israel Ministry of Immigrant Absorption. With Dr Ben-Porat and Prof Itzhaki, Bar Ilan University. Research Project: A follow-up research on new-immigrant battered women staying in shelters. |
| 2010 | The Israeli Ministry of Health. With Prof. Soskolne, Bar Ilan University. Research Project: The consequences of chronic exposure to security threats on glycemic control in patients with diabetes mellitus. |
| 2006 | Meir General Hospital. Research Project: Follow-up of Lebanon War 2 victims. |
| 2004 | Meir General Hospital. Research Project: Follow-up of terrorist victims. |
| 2004 | The Rachel and J. L. Gewurz Center for Gender Research, the Program in Gender Studies, Bar-Ilan University. Research Project: Motherhood in terror. |
| 2003 | Israel Science Foundation - Co-Principal Investigator with Prof. Solomon, Tel-Aviv University. Research project: Psychological aftermath of being a prisoner of war: A Longitudinal Study of the Yom-Kippur War. |
| 2003 | Rehabilitation Wing, Israel Ministry of Defense - Principal investigator in collaboration with Prof. Solomon and Prof Bleich. Research project: Evaluation of mental disability among veterans with PTSD. |
| 2001 | Internal grant by the Committee for the Promotion of Research, Bar Ilan University. Research project: Psychological aftermath of being a prisoner of war: A Longitudinal Study of the Yom-Kippur War. |
Additional Information
2012-2016: Head of the School of Social Work, Bar-Ilan University.
2012-present: Member of Information Committee: Social Work Council of Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services
2010-2012: Deputy Director and Chair of Bachelor's Degree Program, the School of Social Work, Bar-Ilan Universuty.
2011: Member of Disciplinary Committee (Bar-Ilan University).
2009-present: Member of the Committee for Advanced Graduate Students (The Faculty of Social Sciences).
2004-present: Editorial board: Anxiety, Stress, & Coping.
2004-present: Reviewer of Journals.
2009-present: Reviewer of abstracts for International conferences:
The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies- Program Deputy, Atlanta.
13TH ESTSS Conference (European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies), Bologna.
2009: The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies- Program Deputy, Atlanta.
2004-present: Reviewer of research proposal: Israel Academy of Science and Humanities (ISF); Bi-national Foundation of Science (BSF); The Haruv Institute` Health & Medical Research Fund - The Government of Hong Kong, SAR
2004: Guest editor, Society and Welfare: Special issue: The impact of ongoing terror on the Israeli society (Hebrew).
Organization of Scientific Conferences
2004: "Conservation of Resources Theory: Stress and Trauma” Guest Lecturer: Prof. Steven Hobfoll, University of Kent, in collaboration with the Department of Psychology
2009: Program Deputy: The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Atlanta, U.S.A.
2012: Scientific Committee: From Helplessness to Active Coping Tel- Hai College
2014: Organization of Research Workshop: ISF International Conference on Trauma and the Family: A Life Span Perspective
Voluntary activities
Information Committee, Social Work Council, Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services - operates within the Social Workers' Act - 1991. The Committee is authorized to rule on issues related to providing information by Social Workers.
2016 – On the Board of Directors of The Rackman Center, which works towards the advancement of the status of women, Bar-Ilan University
Publications
www.racheldekel.com/publications.html
Papers Presented at Scientific Conferences
| Year | Subject of Conference | Place | Subject of Presentation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1996
| Second World Conference of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies | Jerusalem, Israel | Posttraumatic residuals of captivity: A follow up of Israeli ex-POWs | |
2000
| PYRGOS International Conference on Violence in the Family | Nicosia, Cyprus | The complex relationship between the private mother and the general mother in shelters for battered women | |
2000
| Personality and Trauma | Warsaw, Poland | Coping with war captivity | |
2000
| The X Annual Conference of the Israel Psychiatric Association | Jerusalem, Israel | The role of social disability in assessing psychological disability among PTSD veterans | |
2001
| Evaluating Shelters for Run-Away Youth | Tel-Aviv, Israel | Evaluation of shelters for homeless youths: Do they meet the youths' needs | |
2001
| Conference of Social Workers in Mental Health Services | Maaela Hamischa, Israel
| The ongoing trauma of the battered women | |
2002
| The X Annual Conference of Gender and Women's Studies | Tel-Aviv, Israel | From front line to home front | |
2003
| Social Workers in General Hospitals | Jerusalem, Israel | Longitudinal follow up of terror victims
| |
2003
| The 8th European Congress of Psychology | Vienna, Austria | The role of personality resources in coping with captivity | |
2004
| 25th International Conference of the Stress and Anxiety Research Society | Amsterdam, Holland | Does acute stress disorder predict PTSD: Longitudinal results from a follow-up study of victims of a terror attack | |
2004
| The international society for traumatic stress studies | New Orleans, U.S.A. | Secondary traumatization among spouses of ex-POWs | |
2005
| Adler research center for child welfare and protection | Tel-Aviv, Israel | Secondary traumatization among children of veterans with PTSD | |
2006
| The IXth European Congress of Psychology | Athens, Greece | PTSD and Post Traumatic Growth Following Qassam Attacks: Correlations and contributing factors among development town and kibbutz residents | |
2008
| School of Social Work, Boston University | Boston, USA | The consequences of captivity on veterans and their spouses: Lessons learned from the Israeli experience | |
2008
| VA National Center for PTSD, Women’s Health Sciences Division | Boston, USA | Trapped in captivity: Secondary traumatization and growth among wives of former prisoners of war | |
2008
| School of Education, Harvard University | Boston, USA | Children in the face of terror | |
2008 | The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
| Chicago, USA | The contribution of ways of coping and sense of belonging in times of ongoing terror
| |
2008 | The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
| Chicago, USA | The adjustment of Israeli young adolescents following the Second Lebanon War
| |
2009 | Ashkelon Academic College | Ashkelon, Israel | Secondary traumatization among workers who intervene with offenders | |
2009 | Sapir Academic College, Israel Trauma Coalition for Response and Preparedness | Sderot, Israel | Traumatizing Shared Reality, the case of the South of Israel | |
2009 | The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies | Atlanta, U.S.A | Trapped in captivity
| |
2010 | Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University | Indianapolis, U.S.A. | Veterans with PTSD and their spouses: chanisms of transmission of distress
| |
2010 | Ashkelon Academic College | Ashkelon, Israel
| The consequences of veterans post-traumatic distress on their spouses | |
2011 | Society for Social Work and Research | Florida, U.S.A. | Secondary Traumatization among adult offspring of male veterans with PTSD: The role of the mother-child relationship | |
2011 | The 5th Scientific Conference in remembrance of Prof` Victor Florian | Ramat-Gan, Israel | Together and alone: Marital relationship in the shade of PTSD
| |
2011 | 25th European Health Psychology Conference | Crete | The contribution of marital satisfaction to depressive symptoms following acute coronary syndrome: Testing dyadic dynamics in a longitudinal design | |
2011 | The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies | Baltimore, U.S.A. | Multiple losses of social resources following collective trauma: The case of the forced relocation from Gush Katif | |
2011 | Public Health School Columbia University | NYC, U.S.A. | Together and alone: The effects of PTSD on marital relations | |
2012 | Trauma through the Life cycle | Hebrew University, Jerusalem Israel | The effects of PTSD: Dyadic perspective | |
2012 | Therapists at the Front: Symposium for Youth Law Officials | Bar-Ilan University, Israel | Developmental trauma in children suffering from violence within the family | |
2012 | The First Annual International Women & War Conference: Building an Interdisciplinary Dialogue | Hydra, Greece | The effects of combat related PTSD on female spouses: Lessons learned from the Israeli experience | |
2013 | 13th ESTSS Conference Trauma and its Clinical Pathways: PTSD and Beyond | Bologna, Italy | Ambiguous loss PTSD and marital relations | |
2014 | International Family Violence and Child Victimization Research Conference | New Hampshire | Posttraumatic symptoms in battered women who seek help in shelters | |
2015 | I-CORE Winter School Workshops | Tel-Aviv | Secondary Traumatization: | |
2015 | ESTSS | Vilnius, Lithuania | The double-sided role of empathy in the emergence of Secondary Traumatization | |
2015 | European Conference Domestic Violence (ECDV) | Ireland | Using an ecological model to predict PTSD and well-being among women entering shelters | |
2016 | University of Haifa | Haifa | You, me, and war: Couples and post trauma | |
2016 | Freie Universität Berlin | Berlin, Germany | Shame, guilt and PTSD in the marital dyad | |
2016 | ISTSS: Listening to Trauma: Insights & Actions | Washington, USA | Shame and guilt in the dyadic context | |
2016 | ISTSS | Dallas, USA | The Interpersonal paradox of trauma: Principles and practice of treating trauma in couple and family systems | |
2016 | Psychology Department, University of British Columbia | Vancouver, Canada | The effects of PTSD on families: | |
2017 | Psychology Department, University of British Columbia | Vancouver, Canada | Traumatic events and their multiple effects | |
Courses
76731201 - Interventions in Crisis and Traumatic events (Seminar)
76731301 - Interventions in Crisis and Traumatic events (Practicum)
7699301 - PhD Seminar
Research
| 1. Coping and adjustment following traumatic events |
| 2. Secondary traumatization: The implications of traumatic events on the family system and on the therapists |
| 3. Domestic violence |
| 4. Gender and disability |
Last Updated Date : 30/09/2025
