Psychiatric and psychological difficulties rarely fit neatly into a single category — and their treatment rarely requires only one approach. An integrative approach acknowledges this clinical reality: that the most effective treatment is often one that combines two or more evidence-based modalities, each addressing a different dimension of the patient's presentation, at the appropriate stage of treatment.
At IsraClinic, integrative and combined therapeutic programmes are not exceptions — they are the clinical norm. The Psychoergonomic Method, which underpins all clinical work at the clinic, is itself an integrative framework: it begins with comprehensive multi-dimensional assessment and builds a treatment plan that brings together the components most appropriate for this specific patient's diagnosis, psychological structure, and clinical needs.
An integrative approach does not mean applying multiple therapies simultaneously without clinical logic. It means building a treatment plan in which different modalities are combined according to a coherent clinical rationale — where each component has a specific purpose, the components work together, and the plan is reviewed and adjusted as progress evolves.
Stabilisation followed by depth work. For patients with acute emotional dysregulation, self-harm, or psychiatric instability, treatment typically begins with a stabilising modality — DBT or supportive psychotherapy — before moving to deeper exploratory work such as schema therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, or EMDR. This sequencing ensures the patient has the psychological resources needed for the more intensive work that follows.
Concurrent pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. For most moderate-to-severe psychiatric presentations, the combination produces better outcomes than either alone. At IsraClinic, the psychiatrist and psychotherapist work in close coordination — sharing clinical observations and ensuring the pharmacological and psychotherapeutic components are mutually supportive rather than parallel but disconnected.
Combining modalities within psychotherapy. Some presentations benefit from two or more psychotherapeutic approaches within the treatment itself. Psychodrama and schema therapy can be combined to access early relational material through both experiential enactment and cognitive-emotional schema work. EMDR and CBT can be combined for trauma presentations where both memory processing and cognitive restructuring are indicated. EFT and art therapy — developed at IsraClinic as an integrated modality — is particularly effective in individual and couples work where verbal communication reaches its limits.
Complementary modalities within a psychiatric treatment plan. Biofeedback, art therapy, music therapy, sports therapy, hydrotherapy, or hippotherapy may be integrated as specific components — each with a defined purpose: physiological regulation, non-verbal emotional processing, physical activation, social engagement, or sensorimotor integration.
Each treatment programme is developed following a comprehensive initial assessment — psychiatric, neurological, psychological, and where relevant physical. On this basis, the clinical team — working collegially — proposes an individual programme specifying the primary therapeutic modalities, their sequence, the role of pharmacotherapy if indicated, and the complementary components included.
The programme is presented to the patient with full explanation of the rationale, discussed openly, and agreed before treatment begins. It is reviewed at regular intervals and adjusted as clinical progress evolves.
An integrative approach is indicated when a single modality is insufficient to address the full complexity of the patient's presentation; when different dimensions of the difficulty — cognitive, emotional, physiological, relational, biographical — require different therapeutic instruments; and when the sequencing of different approaches over the course of treatment is clinically important.
This is the case for the majority of patients seen at IsraClinic — which is why integrative treatment planning is the standard framework for all clinical work at the clinic.
IsraClinic accepts patients for in-person consultation in Tel Aviv and online, in English, Russian and Hebrew. No referral is required.
Clinical Programme Curator: Valery Kravitz | IsraClinic | Last reviewed: 2026
The most effective treatment is often one that combines the right tools at the right time. Our team is available to discuss the approach that fits your situation, in English, Russian and Hebrew.