Supporting Mental Wellness
To be effective, mental health support must be provided in the cultural and linguistic context with which the patient is most comfortable.
To this end, Wuste Tzega has developed unique psychotherapy techniques that combine traditional Ethiopian healing and Western approaches.
Wuste Tzega
Wuste Tzega, the Center for Culturally Adapted Psychotherapy, provides the Ethiopian-Israeli community with culturally sensitive psychotherapy, incorporating Ethiopian healing techniques and Western psychiatry.
"Wuste Tzega" was the name of a spring in Ethiopia where the Jewish community would visit for healing.
It means "grace from within."
Wuste Tzega's work encompasses direct therapy for Ethiopian-Israelis, as well as building the field of culturally adapted psychotherapy in Israel, including:
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Therapeutic approaches that connect people to themselves, their families, their communities, and nature. This therapy can be utilized for people with various degrees of trauma and emotional distress.
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Individual and group therapy at three clinics in Haifa, Hadera, and Lod.
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Academically supervised training courses for aspiring multicultural therapists and healers.
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Annual conferences, attended by a wide range of mental health professionals. Wuste Tzega's 2023 conference, "The Silent Trauma: Second Generation Trauma Among Ethiopian Immigrants who were in Sudan" was attended by over 100 professionals.
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Research on culturally adapted psychotherapy in the context of Ethiopian-Israelis.
Wuste Tzega aims to expand their services and therapy techniques to include Ethiopian arts and crafts, music, traditional ceremonies, and adaptations for additional ethnicities.
Founded in 2017 by Ethiopian-Israeli social worker Yeshitu Shmuel, Wuste Tzega served 150 individuals in 2023, and was one of the first centers to launch a national hotline, in Hebrew and Amharic, after the October 7 attack. Shmuel immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia in 1983, at the age of 11, after having walked on foot through the Sudanese desert. She holds an MA in clinical social work, with a specialization in trauma and stress, from Tel Aviv University. She is assisted by internationally acclaimed teacher of Jewish mysticism, Avraham Leader.
To learn more about Wuste Tzega, read their 2023-24 Annual Report here or reach out to Avraham Leader.
