Preventive psychological services in time of war: controlled coping to foster resilience

The sudden onset of war results in considerable psychological challenges as well as physical danger for populations under attack. While all civilian-directed violence carries common elements of fear and threat, unexpected consequences of war often require coping strategies to be adaptive, flexible, and effective. The Hezbollah-Israel confrontation of 2006 created such unanticipated consequences for many residents of northern Israel. Although the population was experienced in dealing with years of terror and war extended stays in bomb shelters and the intensity of the attacks created additional stressors that were out of the ordinary for most residents of the war zone. We describe an intervention technique, "controlled coping, "that is designed as a first aid mechanism for such populations in similar conditions.