Prof. Uri Aviram
Academic Profile:
Ph.D. 1972, Univ.of California, Berkeley; Lect. 1972; Sen. Lect. 1977; Assoc. Prof. 1982; Prof. 1990, Emeritus 2004.
Research Interests:
Mental health and social policy. Mental health services research. Community care and rehabilitation for persons with psychiatric disabilities. Mental health and social policy reforms. Psychiatry and law. Involuntary commitment of mentally ill persons. Social work education and career patterns of social workers.
Research Projects:
Mental health policy trends in Israel: factors facilitating and hindering reforms towards community mental health service system.
Severely mentally ill persons in Israel: Scope and nature of the problem.
The mental health Rehabilitation Reform in Israel
Israel mental health (insurance) reform (2015)
The changing role of the social worker within the mental health system.
Abstracts of Research:
Mental health policy trends in Israel: Factors facilitating and hindering reforms towards community mental health service system: The objective of this study has been to assess mental health policy in Israel. Using a comparative approach, it evaluates what where the factors that hindered attempts to reform the system towards community mental health services and what might have been the factors that could have facilitated the transformation of the system.
Severely mentally ill persons in Israel. Scope and nature of the problem: The objective of this research has been to define the population of chronically mentally ill persons in Israel, assess its major characteristics and estimate the size of this population in the country. Two major criteria have been used for defining the population: hospitalization history and functional disability. In addition, chronic mentally ill persons who had not been hospitalized or received disability pensions were defined and their number in the country was estimated.
Mental health rehabilitation reform in Israel (2000). The objectives of this study have been to study the outcome of the implementation of the Rehabilitation in the Community of the mentally Disabled Persons Law, enacted in 2000, and its impact on the mental health service system in the country.
Israel mental health (insurance) reform (2015). The aim of the study has been to examine the advantages and risks associated with the transfer of responsibility for mental health services to the health funds (HMOs) and their integration into the general medical service system. The project analyzes the issues confronting those in charge of its implementation and the regulators, and recommends the appropriate modifications or ways of dealing with the issues and problems that may arise in the course of the reform’s implementation.
The changing role of the social worker in the mental health service system/ This study surveys the social workers employed in the mental health service system with respect to their assignments and how they view their current and desired role.
Recent Publications (From 2000):
Lightman, E. and Aviram, U. (2000). Too much too late: The Advocacy Act in Ontario. Law and Policy, 22, 25-48.
Aviram, U., Admon, Z., Ajzenstadt, M. and Kanter, I. (2000) Change and preservation in mental health legislation in Israel: The legislative process of Israel's new mental health law. Mishpatim: Students' Law Review. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 31,145-191 (Hebrew).
Ajzenstads, M., Aviram, U., Kalian, M. Kanter, A. (2001). Involuntary outpatient commitment in Israel: Treatment or control. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 24, 637-657.
Aviram, U. (2001). Social integration of chronically mentally ill persons: An old problem in a new context. Social Security, 61, 42-61 (Hebrew).
Shera, W. Aviram, U., Healy, B., Ramon, S. (2002). Mental health system reform. Social Work in Health Care, 35, 547-575.
Aviram U. (2002). The changing role of the social worker in the mental health system. Social Work in Health Care, 35, 615-632.
Aviram, U. & Rosenne, H. (2002). Estimating the number of chronically mentally ill persons in Israel: Children, the elderly and the total population. Research report submitted to the Israel (Research Report) National Institute for Health Policy and Health Services Research, Tel Hashomer, Israel. January), 62pp. (Hebrew).
Aviram, U. & Dehan, N. (2002). Intercultural exchange: An experimental program of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for education and training ultra-orthodox women for social work. (Research report submitted to the Israel Ministry of Science, Culture and Sport. Jerusalem, Israel, November), 138pp. (Hebrew).
Aviram, U. (Ed.) (2003). Academic social work education in Israel: Past, present and future. Tel Aviv: Cherikover, 186 pp. (Hebrew)
Aviram, U. (2003). Social work role in mental health: Does the profession meet the challenge. In U. Aviram (Ed.) (2003).Academic social work education in Israel: Past present and future (pp. 133-158). Tel Aviv: Cherikover, 412 pp. (Hebrew).
Aviram, U. & Korin-Langer, N. (2004). Resilience among families of the mentally disabled. (Research report submitted to the Israel National Institute for Health Policy and Health Services Research, Tel Hashomer, Israel, June), 42 pp. (Hebrew).
Aviram, U., Guy, D., Sykes, I. (2006). A missed opportunity in mental health reform in Israel (1995-1997). Social Security, 71, 53-83 (Hebrew).
Aviram, U. and Ginath, Y. (Eds.) (2006). Mental health services in Israel: Trends and issues. Tel-Aviv: Cherikover, pp. 412 (Hebrew).
Aviram, U., Gal, J. & Katan, Y. (Eds.) (2007). Social policy development in Israel. Jerusalem: Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel (Hebrew).
Aviram, U. (2007). Stumbling reform of mental health services in Israel: Factors hindering the transformation of the locus of services to the community. Society and Welfare, 27, 127-155 (Hebrew).
Aviram, U. & Dehan, N. (2007). The reorganization plan of mental health services in Israel, 1972: Factors facilitating and blocking mental health reform toward community mental health services. In U. Aviram, J. Gal & Y. Katan (Eds.) Social policy development in Israel. Jerusalem: Taub Center for the Study of Social Policy in Israel, 193-238 (Hebrew)
Aviram, U. (2007). From the hospital to the community: Issues and challenges in transferring the locus of mental health services from the psychiatric hospitals to community mental health services. In N. Hadas-Lidor & M. Lachman (Eds.) (2007). Recovery and rehabilitation readings in the mental health field: Practice, policy and research. K'far Yona, Israel: Litam. pp. 195-202 (Hebrew).
Aviram, U. (2010). Promises and pitfalls on the road to a mental health reform in Israel. Israel Journal of Psychiatry, 3. 171-194.
Dehan, N, & Aviram, U. (2010). Making training in social work accessible for the Israeli ultra-orthodox (Haredi) community- An experimental program of the Hebrew University for training haredi women in social work. Social Security, 82, 113-143 (Hebrew).
Aviram, U. (2010). The Rehabilitation in Community of Persons with Mental Disabilities Law: Intermediate assessment and preparing for the future. Medicine, Psychiatry, 14, 14-23 (Hebrew).
Aviram, U. (2010). Changes in the "back-yard" of the healthcare system in Israel: Promises and perils on the road toward mental health services reform. In Ch. Katz and E. Tzfadia (Eds.) Surveillance state – abandoning state: Social policy in Israel, 1985-2008, Tel Aviv: Resling. pp. 309-334 (Hebrew).
Aviram, U. (2011).The rehabilitation in the community of persons with mental disabilities law of Israel: Challenge and opportunity in a changing mental health service system. In U. Aviram (Ed.) Rehabilitation and community integration of persons with psychiatric disabilities: The first ten years and beyond. International workshop's report Tel Hashomer, Israel: Israel. National Institute for Health Policy Research
Aviram, U., Ginath, Y. & Roe, D. (2012). A Decade to the Rehabilitation in the Community of Persons with Mental Disabilities Law of Israel: Challenges and Opportunities. Psychiatric Services. 63, 110-112
Aviram, U. (2012). Toward the second decade of implementing the law of the Rehabilitation in the community of persons with Mental Disabilities: Challenges and opportunity for a change in the mental health service system in Israel. Social Security, 90, 155-188 (Hebrew).
Aviram, U. (2013). The law for rehabilitation in the community of persons with mental disabilities: An interim assessment. In D. Ben-David (Ed.) The state of the nation report-Society, economy, and policy in Israel. Jerusalem: Taub Center for Social Policy Studies (pp.383-407)
Korin-Langer, N., Aviram, U., & Leichtentrit, R. (2014). Resilience among family members of persons with psychiatric disabilities. Society and Welfare, 34, 513-545. (Hebrew).
Aviram, U. & Sagit Azari-Viesel (2015). Mental health reform in Israel: Challenge and opportunity. Policy paper 2015.02. . Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel, Jerusalem, Israel. 48 pp. (Hebrew and English).
Aviram, U. (2017).The reform of rehabilitation in the community of persons with psychiatric disabilities: Lessons from the Israeli experience. Community Mental Health Journal, 53, 550-559.
Pertz- Veisvidovsky, N. & Aviram, U. (2017). The rehabilitation of psychiatrically disabled persons' law: Policy reform within changing environments. Social Security, 101, 141-167. (Hebrew)
Aviram, U. & Azary-Viesel, S. (2018). Mental health reform in Israel: challenge and opportunity. Part I: Fundamentals of the reform and the mental health service system on the eve of the reform. Israel Journal of Psychiatry. 55 (3), 45-54
Aviram, U. & Azary-Viesel, S. (2018). Mental health reform in Israel: Challenge and opportunity. Part II: Implementation of the Reform – Issues and Problems. Israel Journal of Psychiatry, 55 (3), 55-64.
Aviram, U. (2018). The rehabilitation in the community of persons with mental disabilities Act: An interim assessment. In N. Hadas Lidor and M. Lachman (Eds.) Against all odds: From rehabilitation and recovery to community inclusion in mental health. Kiryat Ono: Ono Academic College. (pp.47-60) (Hebrew)
Aviram, U. (2019). Mental health policy and services in Israel: Between progress and preservation. Tel Aviv: Resling, 264 pp. (Hebrew).
Aviram, U., Lachman, M. & Ifargan, A. (2023). The Israeli Law for the Rehabilitation in the Community of Persons With Psychiatric Disabilities: Achievements and Challenges. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal. 46 (3), 185-195.