Dr. Yair Tzivoni is a senior clinical psychologist and an instructor. He provides therapy for adults and adolescents from his clinic in Even Yehuda.
Dr. Tzivoni also works as a psychologist at the Hasharon Soteria House and serves as the professional director for the house's ongoing development programs. Additionally, he is the professional coordinator for the Soteria Israel non-profit organization.
My Path
I completed my B.A. and M.A. in clinical psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I then underwent two years of internship at the university's student counseling services and two more at the Beer Yaakov Mental Health Center.
During my internship, I also studied and practiced group therapy, and later began studying Lacanian psychoanalysis. For many years, I learned, practiced, and taught Lacanian psychoanalysis.
As a certified professional, I worked as a psychologist on a locked ward in Beer Yaakov. I also guided a theoretical seminar for psychology interns, became certified as a supervisor, and supervised other psychologists and group work in various departments.
Alongside my work at Beer Yaakov, I became involved with the ISPS (International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis). I joined the organization, helped organize conferences and activities, and lectured at several of its events.
Since completing my internship, I have worked in a private practice, first in Tel Aviv and later in Even Yehuda. Over the years, I have worked with a very wide range of people and situations, including severe mental health crises and providing support for family members during these crises. I also advise and mentor initiatives in mental health and other fields.
I have long had a strong interest in working with severe mental health crises, which led me to my Ph.D. research at the University of Haifa. My dissertation was titled, "Improving Early Identification of Psychotic Spectrum Disorders from Phenomenological and Lacanian Perspectives."
Over the years, I have conducted seminars and given lectures on treating psychosis and severe crises from a psychoanalytic viewpoint, connecting it to institutional and community work.
In 2018, I helped establish and briefly managed a private balancing house. Later, some of my team and I went on to found a third balancing house for the Soteria Israel non-profit organization, Hasharon Soteria House. I managed the house for some three years and continue to be part of the team, focusing on developing and professionally managing our follow-up programs.
I have learned from various teachers and sources over the years. Psychoanalysis has been a central axis for a long time, both through my own analysis and through extensive reading and learning. Alongside this, I have had vast clinical experience, both privately and in the hospital, gaining a deep understanding of the value of institutional work while also recognizing the profound limitations of the system.
My approach
My Ph.D. work broadened my knowledge of European psychiatry and phenomenological approaches to understanding the human being and the range of human emotional experiences. Through ISPS conferences and meetings, I was exposed to new approaches both in Israel and worldwide that view mental crises as a natural and continuous part of the complexity of the human experience, and far less as a manifestation of a medical problem or illness.
We founded the Hasharon Soteria House as a project with a strong emphasis on collaboration and a diverse, skilled team. For me, this expanded my understanding of treatment and my role as a professional who is not a lone figure, but rather an integral part of a team. This was true for me as the house director and continues to be true as a partner in our ongoing work and project development.
We give great importance to working with family members and people close to the individual, and we see an individual’s ability to find a place in society as a critical component of recovery and progress. A central part of our approach is to allow space for processing the complexity of human relationships, as expressed among our staff members. This has also become a central area of interest for me. It is reflected in the space given to exploring and processing these issues within our team and in my writing, seminars, and lectures. You can read more about this on the Soteria Hasharon blog, where I sometimes write.
Over the years, I have also deepened my understanding of the fundamental connection between body and mind, and I recently completed training in breathwork therapy.
ד"ר יאיר צבעוני, פסיכולוג קליני 