The prevalence of avoidance, social anxiety, withdrawal, and low motivation is on the rise globally. While professionals frequently attribute these behaviors in young individuals to depression and/or anxiety, it's important to recognize that avoidance often features prominently in various disorders. Contactivity was developed specifically to address these challenges. This model assists the avoidant young person, his parents as well as teachers and educational teams.
Individuals who gravitate towards avoidance and withdrawal tend to opt for avoidance rather than confronting the source of threat. This avoidance offers temporary relief from unpleasant feelings but ultimately undermines their capacity to tackle challenges effectively. Over time, their sanctuary – home, once a source of security, morphs into a confining trap, hindering their ability to engage fully with life.
The root of avoidance and diminished motivation lies in disconnection—both from oneself and others. To counteract these detrimental effects, we facilitate a series of connection experiences encompassing self-awareness, interpersonal connections, engagement with nature, and embodiment. These experiences enable individuals to confront their strengths and vulnerabilities, fostering self-acceptance, enhancing self-worth, and reigniting motivation.
The transformative process unfolds across five central domains, each reinforcing, empowering, and instilling hope:
A strong and stable sense of self is rooted in genuine and healthy connections, to others and to oneself. Such connections foster vitality, motivation to work, emotional resilience, and compassion towards oneself, even in the face of failure.
Navigating the complexities of belonging can be increasingly challenging in today’s world, leading many individuals to feel isolated and without a community where they truly feel "at home."
This module is dedicated to helping young people develop a sense of belonging—within their families, friend circles, schools, and the broader community. Our goal is to explore the various experiences that foster belonging and to develop strategies that nurture these experiences across different social settings.
A practical day working on cases (from both participants and from our team) implementing the different interventions to specific situations
Contactivity is an innovative therapeutic approach aimed at helping individuals of all ages overcome avoidance tendencies. We specialize in addressing the primary challenges associated with avoidant behaviors, including disconnection and self-isolation, school refusal, lack of motivation, excessive screen use, social anxieties, coping difficulties, and substance overuse. Our therapeutic process involves unique conversations designed to regulate shame and anxiety, along with empowering activities that inspire change.
Contactivity is an extension of the original NVR (New Authority) approach, which was initially focused on assisting parents of young people exhibiting disruptive or aggressive behavior. Our objective is to broaden the application of NVR therapy to effectively support avoidant individuals and their families. Central to our approach is the belief that we must first deeply understand the needs of disconnected young people, accurately assess their capabilities, comprehend the rationale behind avoidance in our modern world, acknowledge its allure, and recognize its potential benefits. Only then can we establish connections that foster self-acceptance, motivation, and resilience in addressing today's challenges.
Dr. Uri Weinblatt
I am a clinical psychologist and the developer of Contactivity. My career began with a close collaboration with Professor Haim Omer, leading to the development of NVR (New Authority). I specialize in parent training and treating children and adolescents with avoidance and withdrawal issues. In 2023, I authored the manual on implementing Contactivity. I am frequently invited to conduct workshops and lectures at leading family therapy centers in Europe. My publications include Shame Regulation for Families: A Systemic Mirroring Approach, published in English (2018) and in German (2016) under the title Die Nähe ist ganz nah!: Scham und Verletzungen in Beziehungen überwinden, and my book about treating disconnected boys: Unbeteiligt, gelangweilt, unmotiviert: Mit Jungs wieder in Kontakt kommen, was published in German in 2022. I have also participated as a psychologist in the Docu Reality TV show "Parent Therapy".
Kfir Hadar
I am a therapist with extensive experience in working with parents, children, adolescents, and young adults. I head the “Boys Therapy” and “Systemic Mirroring” Centers in Ramat-Gan. My specialties include treating behavioral problems, social anxiety, depression, avoidance, and disconnection. As a former Israeli youth Judo Champion, I integrate physical and body-oriented interventions into my work and have incorporated these interventions into the Contactivity approach.
