Not everyone can articulate their suffering. Children lack the vocabulary. Elderly survivors may be disoriented. Some trauma is simply too vast for language.
Mental Health First Aid Israel recognizes that silence can be a symptom of distress—not indifference. That's why volunteers are trained in nonverbal communication, expressive arts, and the use of simple, reassuring presence.
For children, this might mean sitting together with crayons, allowing them to draw what they can't say. For the elderly, it might mean familiar rituals—a cup of tea, a familiar song—that restore comfort without demanding words.
MHFA Israel teaches that the goal is not always conversation. Sometimes the goal is simply safety: the reassurance that, even in silence, someone is there.
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