Israel & Palestine

20 November 2023

Following on from our previous statement about the traumatic events unfolding in Israel and Palestine, we are increasingly concerned about the ongoing events and their impact. We deeply care for the lives of all of those affected in Israel and Palestine, and indeed about victims of other ongoing conflicts and unfolding atrocities around the world. 

We are all too aware of the impact of these events in disrupting community harmony and impacting on people's mental health. Whilst as an organisation we are unable to influence events in Palestine and Israel and the longstanding issues there, we can be sensitive to the effects of this in our own communities. We would encourage clinicians, especially those directly affected, to be aware of the potential effects of antisemitism and islamophobia on themselves and the people they work with. What we do have within our gift is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as a way of facilitating healing and recovery. 

We would sincerely hope that those in decision-making roles will make greater efforts to strive for peaceful resolution. We hope the mental health needs of those affected will not be overlooked once the physical threat of warfare is reduced. The psychological harm will often outlive the physical wounds.

Finally, we want to acknowledge any words we say will fall short of people's expectations. We do want to affirm that we believe all individuals have the right to feel safe in their homes; live, eat, move and breathe freely; and to access medical care and psychological support. These are basic human rights that people from any part of the world are entitled to. As we see traumatic events unfolding in different parts of the world including Palestine and Israel, we encourage all to actively work towards peace and harmony, in our own countries and abroad.

Humanitarian Crisis resources:

European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies

Supporting people dealing with the trauma of war:

War Trauma Foundation

World Health Organisation

Beck Institute

Supporting people who have fled their homes and are seeking asylum:

World Health Organisation

British Medical Association

Also with a disturbing rise in incidents of antisemitism and islamophobia in recent weeks, the following resources about reporting hate crime may also be useful:

Stop Hate UK

Crown Prosecution Service

Police

Crimestoppers

Tell Mama

True Vision

The BABCP abhors all forms of violence and oppression. Our members work hard to support people equitably, whatever their background or personal history. We know this can have an impact on therapists. Please reach out to us if you would like us to signpost to other sources of support.