Therapy Modalities

Dr. Tzachi Fried is a clinical psychologist based in Jerusalem and the Clinical Director of Machon Dvir, an outpatient mental health clinic providing comprehensive English-speaking care in Israel. He works with adults, adolescents, couples, and gap-year students, both in person and remotely.

In my clinical work, I see people dealing with a wide range of emotional, relational, and behavioral difficulties. I have particular experience with complex or longstanding problems, including treatment-resistant depression and anxiety, complex trauma, self-injury and suicidality, personality disorders, perfectionism, and overcontrol.

The people I work with can look very different on the surface. Some are dealing with acute or highly visible struggles. Others are thoughtful, capable, and high-functioning, but feel stuck, lonely, overwhelmed, ashamed, or disconnected inside. Some have been in therapy before and understand themselves quite well, but still feel that insight has not translated into meaningful change. Often I work with those who have previously been in therapy and are looking for a new direction.

My approach is collaborative, practical, and individualized. I draw from DBT, RO-DBT, CBT, Schema Therapy, psychodynamic approaches, and trauma-informed care, but I do not believe that good therapy is simply a matter of applying the right technique. I try to understand the person in front of me, what is keeping them stuck, and what kind of work is most likely to help them move forward.

Depending on what is needed, therapy may involve learning concrete skills, understanding longstanding emotional and relational patterns, working through difficult experiences, improving relationships, or becoming more flexible in how you respond to yourself and the people around you.

My style is warm, collaborative, and direct. I want clients to feel genuinely understood, and I also believe therapy should help us look honestly at patterns that may no longer be serving you. I try to create a relationship in which there is room for both acceptance and challenge: a place where we can take your pain seriously without allowing it to define what is possible for your life.

The goal is not simply to feel better or understand yourself better. It is to help you develop greater freedom in how you live, relate, make decisions, and respond when life becomes difficult.

In addition to my clinical work, I supervise and train therapists working with complex and high-risk cases. When useful, I also collaborate with families, psychiatrists, schools, rabbis, and other professionals to help create a more coherent and supportive treatment environment.