Playback Theater for self-expression, release, broadening perspectives and meaning, while fostering a sense of shared experience and togetherness

Workshop led by Efrat Asheri

This workshop will present a protocol that makes the “Playback Theater” toolkit accessible for group work aimed at strengthening personal and community resilience. It will feature activities that are liberating, generate positive energy, and foster a sense of visibility in a spirit of support. The exercises and theatrical forms presented support the transition from “closed” to “open” and foster connection to others and to the forces of life in a gentle, accepting, and nurturing way. After warming up with exercises that promote release and empowerment, we will engage in a theatrical creation that invites participants to retell their life stories with empathy, weaving in a gentle narrative that strengthens the heart and soul. This protocol is suitable for use with children from preschool age through seniors, in both small and large groups.

Efrat Asheri

A founding member of the Israeli Playback Theater, she holds a master’s degree in theater arts and is a theater teacher. She is an individual and family therapist and uses community theater and Playback Theater as tools for community empowerment, as a means of fostering dialogue between communities, and as a vehicle for personal growth. She has led the “Shiluvim Ensemble in the Galilee” and its affiliated theater school for approximately fifteen years. She facilitates professional development workshops for teachers and therapists at the Pesagah and Mati’a centers. For the past decade, she has facilitated performance groups and process-oriented groups in the field of “Playback” theater within the ultra-Orthodox community. She has been facilitating theater groups for about thirty years, focusing on Jewish-Arab dialogue within Israeli society in the spirit of peace, including about twenty years with an emphasis on dialogue through “Playback” theater.

Efrat Asheri playbackgalil@walla.com

Parent-Child Intervention to Strengthen Attachment and a Sense of Security

With Preschoolers in Times of Crisis

Workshop led by Irit Baliti

This workshop will present a protocol for creative and play-based interventions with a group of parents and young children (ages 2–6). Participants will engage in parent-child simulations and creative and play-based activities designed to introduce them to ways of relieving stress, strengthening the parent-child bond, sharing enjoyment, and harnessing playfulness and creativity as sources of strength and resilience. This protocol is based on a combination of different approaches to intervention in crisis situations involving young children and their parents. It allows for flexibility and adaptation to the participants’ ages and circumstances.

The protocol is suitable for parents and young children (ages 2–6) in individual, group, and community settings. It incorporates simple experiences involving movement, play, and creative activities in face-to-face sessions (not via Zoom). 

Irit Baliti M.A.

Art therapist, senior instructor, and lecturer at the University of Haifa and the Kibbutzim College of Education. Facilitates workshops on working with parents in therapy and dyadic therapy. Lectures and leads workshops at conferences in Israel and abroad; has published several articles in Israel and internationally. She trains therapeutic teams at special education schools and practices in private practice.

Crocheted Mandala – Lace Embroidery 

Workshop led by Geula Gal and Dr. Dina Cohen-Or

In this workshop, we’ll experiment with a protocol that offers a simple framework for a creative game set in an abstract, neutral space that fosters a sense of competence, belonging, and calm. Immersing ourselves in this creative play creates a space where we can simply be, rest, and take a breather from our crisis-ridden reality; it helps relieve tension and recharge our spirits with vitality within a safe and structured environment. Crocheted Mandala – Lace embroidery designed to enhance resilience, flexibility, and inner and interpersonal awareness, while fostering a sense of acceptance and connection to beauty and imagination.
The protocol is suitable for use with individuals aged five and older, in both individual and group settings. 

Geula Gal
Clinical social worker, expert therapist, lecturer, and instructor in the Color Psychotherapy approach. Geula is one of the pioneers of this approach and a student of Dr. George Stern, its founder.

Dr. Dina Cohen-Or
is a bibliotherapist and specialist in color psychotherapy, a speech-language pathologist and supervisor, and a lecturer at the Levinsky-Wingate Academic Center and Ono Academic College. Dina is one of the pioneers of this approach and a student of Geula Gal, Rachel Shamir, and the late Vitka Kovner, who was a student of Dr. George Stern.

Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Combined with Art for Relaxation

And to help you connect to the present moment

Workshop led by Grace Shoshner

This workshop will present a protocol that offers simple and practical ways to cultivate a sense of security, relieve stress, and develop self-compassion through breathing and mindfulness exercises. It will focus on the concept of self-compassion, which is linked to and contributes to emotional well-being and supports processes of growth and change.

Grace Shoshner

Actress, drama therapist, and certified teacher of mindfulness and self-compassion (MSC), as well as a certified teacher of mindfulness and compassion (MMTCP). Over 15 years of experience in lecturing, developing curricula and courses, and participating in plays and performances. A pioneer in the field of drama therapy in South American countries. Initiator and developer of training programs. Developer of the Grace Shoshner Method—a combination of drama therapy, mindfulness, and compassion.

Stress Relief, Discovering Resources, and Connecting to Hope
Through the Seven Elements and the Visual Journal

A workshop led by Daniela Shaham Sharig, based on a protocol by Rakfat Hadar

The workshop will demonstrate how the process of creating a page in a visual journal—by combining a variety of styles and techniques—can help people relieve stress, tap into their inner strengths, and broaden their perspective.

The workshop will demonstrate how applying the principles of the Seven Elements—from the “Pages of the Soul” approach developed by Rakfat Hadar—can engage even people who feel they lack creative ability in the creative process, thereby connecting them to resources for coping and hope.  

Daniela Shaham Sharig

She holds a master’s degree in group facilitation incorporating the arts and is a “Pages of the Soul” method facilitator.
The visual journal serves as her primary tool in workshops with seniors, which focus on processing the challenges that life presents. 

From Imagination to Creation: Building Resilience and Calm

Workshop led by Chana Sharbrin

Loss and grief have always been a part of us. During wartime, these personal experiences intensify, stirring up emotions and feelings from past events that can lead to a sense of helplessness and ongoing stress. In this workshop, we’ll use guided imagery, collage, and writing to create a personal space where we can always go to find peace. The model is based on principles of neuroscience, as we experience a reality created by the imagination—as a physical reality. Through breathing exercises and mindfulness, we will calm ourselves and ground ourselves. A central focus is placed on personal choice in the creative process, which connects us to our inner strength and spurs action rather than stagnation and helplessness.
We’ll work with scraps of paper, colored pencils, markers, and chalk, as well as photography and writing. 

Hanna Sherbrin

Senior instructor and art therapist specializing in the treatment of trauma and dissociation in adults and adolescents, through individual and group therapy. She leads workshops in Israel and abroad, lectures and moderates at international conferences, and has authored chapters in five books and numerous articles. She participated in the development of “The Safe Studio” in Israel and trained therapists in Ukraine to use the model. She taught a course for therapists in Ukraine on treating trauma during wartime and continues to provide supervision. Despite being 82 years old, she continues to learn, sing, act, create with clay, and dream.

Group drumming to foster a sense of unity, joy, belonging, and hope

Workshop led by Omri Lapidot

In this workshop, we’ll learn how to use rhythmic drumming to transform feelings of stress and anxiety into joy and relief, and to create space for personal and group expression. We’ll experience the unifying and empowering sense of belonging that the drum circle creates, and we’ll connect with our inner strength and hope.

The workshop will provide basic knowledge that can be applied when working with groups and communities in the field.

Omri Lapidot

A therapist, drummer, and facilitator of drumming and rhythm workshops since 2001, working primarily with special populations and specializing in drumming with people living with Parkinson’s disease—as a treatment for movement and rhythm disorders. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Medical Sciences (B.Sc.) from the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Master of Science in Neurophysiology and Brain Sciences (M.Sc.) from Tel Aviv University. He is a practitioner of Chinese medicine, Shiatsu, and Qigong. He has been teaching the course “Drumming as a Therapeutic Tool for Therapists” at the Broshim Campus since 2011.

You, Me, and a Basket of Feelings

Workshop led by Mona Jaber

The workshop will present a creative approach that uses the well-known children's story "The Soul Bird" and simple creative processes to help participants express their emotions, connect with their inner strength, and find hope.

The protocol is suitable for use with both children and adults.

Mona Jaber

Drama therapist, senior instructor, lecturer, and Ph.D. candidate at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Employed by the Ministry of Education as a drama therapist; formerly a preschool teacher and preschool teacher trainer.

Connecting to One’s Strengths and Sense of Capability Through Creativity, Movement, and Writing

Workshop led by Shira Sternfeld

This workshop will present a protocol that will help us connect with our inner strengths through movement, play, writing, and creativity, both individually and in groups.

The protocol is suitable for use with people aged eight and older in group settings.

Shira Sternfeld M.A.

Art, movement, and dance therapist. Therapist and instructor for individuals and groups. Teaches and trains students in the field at the university level. Facilitates workshops and conferences in Israel and abroad.  She works in the field of mental health rehabilitation, heads the outreach division in the Department for People with Disabilities, and directs the “Amitim for Youth” program at the Association of Community Centers. She is one of the founders of “Naim L’Tikva.”

A Two-Stage Intervention Protocol in Drama Therapy
for Establishing a Connection to Resources and a Positive Vision of the Future

Workshop led by Tamar Borer

In moments of stress and fear, we struggle to connect with our inner strengths and sometimes lose faith in our ability to cope. Dramatic distancing and projecting onto external characters can help us reconnect with our inner strengths and remind us of coping mechanisms we may have abandoned in light of the emergency. In this workshop, we’ll play the roles of characters from stories and practice playfulness, creativity, and group dynamics—activities that foster a deeper connection to both our inner and outer strengths and remind us of resources we may have forgotten. Furthermore, the stories allow for an external perspective on a distant reality, offering insight into how a fictional character copes with a crisis or difficulty, and into the character’s ability to overcome that difficulty and conclude the story on a solid footing.
If the character can do it, maybe I can, too?

In this workshop, we will try out the first part of the protocol and present the second part.

Tamar Borer, M.A.  
Drama therapist and parenting coach; practices in a private clinic; supervises drama therapy students; facilitates drama-based mixed groups; actress and facilitator at Playback Theater.

Workshop led by Tamar Hazut

This workshop will present an effective method for reducing stress and promoting emotional regulation through doodling. The technique is simple to use and suitable for people of all ages, whether in individual or group sessions, with the individual working within the context of the group. The process involves several steps that should be adapted to the participants’ ages and circumstances.

Tamar Hazut

Art therapist and instructor. She is among the pioneers of this field in Israel. Together with the late Peretz Hassa, she founded Israel’s first training program for art therapists at the University of Haifa in 1981 and served as its director from 1985 to 2008. She taught for many years at Oranim College. She is active in promoting the profession within the association and on government committees. She works with children, adolescents, and adults, focusing on coping with trauma, illness, and bereavement. She mentors, teaches, and trains therapists in Israel and abroad and provides assistance to countries dealing with trauma. She publishes articles, lectures, and moderates conferences in Israel and around the world.
Since October 7, 2023, she has been actively involved in providing assistance and guidance for various projects.