About Us
About Us
The Barcai Institute
Barcai Institute is an independent Narrative Family Therapy Center, located in Tel Aviv, Israel. The Institute is devoted to the practice and teaching of Couple, Family and Narrative Therapy.
Founded in 1978 by Professor Avner Barcai and Dr. Valery Velkes, the Barcai Institute has been of service to many families, couples, and individuals, in their dealings with various difficulties. The Institute is also training and teaching center for therapists interested in couples and family therapy in general, and in the Narrative Approach in particular.
Over the years, our relationships with the founders of Family Therapy have enriched our understandings and skills.
As of 1990, we joined a group of practitioners from around the world in learning, working , teaching, and developing knowledge and skills in Narrative Therapy.
Narrative Therapy was created by Michael White (Australia) and David Epston (New Zealand), and is influenced by post-modern thinking. Narrative therapists are interested in the ways in which people can expand their life story beyond the limitations of problems. While interested in exploring the effects problems have on people’s lives and the circumstances and social discourses which contribute to problems, Narrative therapists pay close attention to other possibilities in people lives.
These may include actions, thoughts, experiences, feelings, and interactions that are related to people’s hopes, values and commitments in life. Through Narrative conversations, people have an opportunity to explore these possibilities and take actions towards their preferred ways of living. As Narrative therapists, we are committed to collaborative work, both in terms of collaboration between the people who consult us and the significant people in their lives, and in terms of our relationship with our clients. These relationships are based on respect, acknowledgment of people’s knowledge and responsibility towards their own life, and practices that contribute to people’s reconnection with preferred values and beliefs and the history and community that is connected to them.
