Alumni

Orny Alon (Rotem)

Lab Alumni

I'm married to Ido and the mother of Amit. I have a BA in Special Education and Counseling and Human Development, as well as an MA in Educational Counseling from Haifa University.

I intend to work as an educational counselor at the Ministry of Education, as I feel particularly connected to adolescents.
My thesis, guided by Dr. Maya Benish-Weisman and Dr. Moti Benita, investigates two types of social behavior: prosocial and aggressive behavior. The purpose is to examine two main constructs, values and emotional regulation, and their interaction in predicting social behavior, by using behavioral and self-report measures to assess social behavior.
Thesis title: Values and social behavior: The moderating role of emotional regulation.

Orly Baumel-Keren

Lab Alumni

I'm married to Shai and am the mother of two young daughters. I have a B.A in Community Theatre and Special Education and a Theatre Teaching Certification from Haifa University.

I am currently working on my Thesis for an M.A in Educational Counseling also at Haifa University
Most of my adult life, I have worked in the non-formal education of adolescents who choose to participate, have a feeling of belonging and are active in their environment. Now I want to introduce elements of non-formal education to the formal sphere. Specifically, I'm interested in finding factors that can make school a place that gives a feeling of belonging and presents opportunities for students to be active in their environment, thus making school a better place for teachers and students.
Thesis Title: School Engagement: promoting and inhibiting factors in the school system.

Tal Barashi

Lab Alumni

I hold a BA in Special Education and Guidance and Human Development and am a licensed Special Education teacher, currently completing, with honors, an MA in Educational Counselling with a specialty in Early Childhood at Haifa University.

I am in the process of submitting my thesis, while working as a guidance counsellor in an elementary school and am finding great satisfaction in my work with children, staff and parents despite facing new challenges daily. In my work at the school, I am experiencing the implications of the present educational policy, its positive and negative aspects. This has led me to question and think, leading to ideas to improve education and socialization in the school.
Thesis topic: Researching the relationship between values and pro-social behavior, with gender as a modifier.

Yaffa Chen

Lab Alumni

I have a BSc in Life Science and Education, a Teaching Certificate in Biology, an MA in Education in Science and Technology, and an MBA in Management from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. I am currently in the midst of my doctoral studies in the Department of Counseling and Human Development at the University of Haifa.
I have worked in formal and informal education frameworks - in teaching, managerial and systemic positions with populations with special needs.
When I was the CEO of AHVA (NGO), I initiated change processes and led educational processes for people with special needs. During my position as AHVA's director, I had the privilege of being part of a civilian leadership program within the framework of the US Embassy. This was an opportunity to learn more about the third sector, its values, and its common principles.
Today, I'm teaching biology in high school and conducting training in a project management organization.
I have seen the power of successful experiences to create a sense of ability, motivation, and a wish to improve the self, to be more self-confident and independent. Therefore, I am interested in investigating the effects of educational practices on expressions of motivational behavior and the connection to internalization of values among learners.
The title of my dissertation: “The role of teachers in shaping students' values and behaviors: examining the relationship between teaching practices, internalization of prosocial values and social behavior in the class”

Publications:

Chen, Y. & Moore, M. (2004). High School Principals' Managerial Perceptions and their Tolerance of Ambiguity. Studies in Educational Administration & Organization, 28, 37-61. (Hebrew).
Chen, Y. (1999). Social Environmental Education. Biology Teachers Professional Bulletin, 159, 45-46.
Chen, Y. (1996). The Sandy Beach Wildlife. Biology Teachers Professional Bulletin, 147, 26-34.
Chen, Y. (1994). Ecological Learning Centers. Biology Teachers Professional Bulletin, 139, 79-81.

Hagit Dinelton

Lab Alumni

I’m a Psychotherapist, with an MEd in Educational Counseling. I am also conducting a preliminary study to become a candidate for doctoral studies, and I am a lecturer on the Michal Daliyot method in a family counseling program on "The Modern Family" at Ohalo College.
My research focuses on the personal experience of teenagers and their families returning to Israel, the emotional process of and transitions involved in returning to a culture that once felt like home.
At a time when globalization and immigration affect a growing number of people across the globe, it is important to look closely at the phenomenon of "reverse culture shock". Returning to one’s country of origin requires a deeper understanding of the challenges facing individuals at various stages of life, especially adolescents.
Thesis title: "'There is no place like home, but I did not feel at home’: The experiences and coping methods of teenagers and their families returning to Israel"

Abeer Halabi

Lab Alumni

I have a B.A in Communication and Educational counseling, a Teaching Certificate in Psychology, and M.A in Educational counseling, from Haifa University. Currently, I am working on my thesis at its final steps.
I've always been interested in working with youth in general and with youth at risk in particular, from different perspectives.
I'm a school counselor at a high school in Daliat El-Carmel, a Druze village near Haifa. My work makes me feel contentment and joyful every single day, despite the complexities involved in dealing with various problems of adolescents during this period.
Thesis title: Ethnic Identity and Self-Esteem among Druze Adolescents

Yasmeen Hijazy

Lab Alumni

I'm married and a mother of two young daughters. I have a dual BA in Special Education and Counseling and Human Development, and hold a teaching diploma from Haifa University.
I'm in my second MA year in Educational Counseling and working on my thesis proposal.
I have worked in two Special Education schools (learning defects and behavioral disorders). This experience sparked my interest in educational counseling. I want to communicate with students and teachers to improve learning conditions and contribute to students’ welfare. I also want to learn more about managing affective conversations. As a teacher and a mother of two daughters, I find this topic very interesting.
Thesis title: Values and pro-social behaviors: The relations between values, the emotion that follows them in a social situation, and pro-social behavior.

Reem Meklada

Lab Alumni

I am a BA student with a double major in education and sociology - anthropology. I volunteer at a youth center and am an active member of the “Maase" organization that aims to develop personal skills and individual empowerment among Druz youth.
In the future, I would like to work in education and consulting for Israeli youths, while working towards a PhD.

Roni Peles

Lab Alumni

I have a B.A. in Psychology and Multidisciplinary Studies (Education and the Arts) from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Currently, I am writing my thesis as a part of my M.A. in Clinical and Educational Psychology in the University of Haifa, and have started my internship in Educational Psychology.
I am very interested in cultural differences and their expressions in psychological and educational processes.
Thesis Title: The Relations between Students’ Peer Relations and School Engagement in Middle Adolescence.
Thesis goal: To investigate, in a multicultural context, adolescent students’ school engagement and its affiliations to two distinct but overlapping aspects of their peer relations: peer acceptance and friendships.
roni.peles@gmail.com

Julia (Ester) Polonsky

Lab Alumni

Julia received a BA in Economics and an MA in Finance at the Faculty of the International Business School at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. She is also a graduate and a member of the European branch of LEAD (Leadership Programs in the Field of Sustainable Development – London, Brussels, Ottawa). Julia currently works as a Student Affairs coordinator at the University of Haifa at the Faculty of Political Science and is a research associate at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She also specializes in the field of Israeli labor law. Julia previously worked in investment companies and charitable environmental foundations as an analyst and project coordinator. In 2013, Julia repatriated from Moscow to Haifa. She is happily married and has two sons. In her free time, she likes to draw, read, dance, and walk with her family in nature.

Moran Ministar

Lab Alumni

I have a BA in Psychology and am currently studying for an MA in Educational Counseling at Haifa University.
Over the past few years I have worked as a group coordinator for children and youth at risk; I am now an instructor at a day care center for teenage girls at risk.

Mirna Safieh

Lab Alumni

I began my studies in biology and psychology but decided to focus on biology and medical sciences, hoping to pursue a graduate research field that combines biology (particularly genetics) with the study of behavior. In addition, I work in and train volunteers at the youth center.

Liraz Segal

Lab Alumni

I am an MA student in Educational Consultancy and have a dual BA in education and sociology and anthropology.
I served in the army for five years (2005-2010) as War Room Officer in Southern Gaza, as Team Commander at the Officers’ Training School in Mitzpe Ramon, and as Coordination Management and Training Officer in a Commanders’ course in the general Branch. My research interests include Matchmaker TV programs, websites, forums and Facebook pages. I believe we should all live according to the motto: "Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst".

Martha Stapura-Ifrah

Lab Alumni

Having been born in the Former Soviet Union, raised in the ethnically diverse city Acre in Israel and immigrated to the USA when I was a teen, cultural identity and immigration have, unsurprisingly, become main fields of interest and inquiry for me.

In 2009 I graduated summa cum laude from the City University of New York majoring in Psychology and minoring in creative writing in English. During my B.A., I had received a grant from the American Federal Research Foundation to conduct an independent research study which concerned the impact of stereotype threat on the performance of immigrants on intelligence tests. I have also taken part in different volunteering projects around the world, including India, Israel and the US.
For the last couple of years I have been involved in a number of research projects concerning immigrants and ethnic minorities in Israel and I am currently working on my thesis for an M.A. degree in Educational Counseling at the Haifa University. I have been very fortunate to join a German-Israeli Young Researchers’ Exchange on Diversity program which gives me the opportunity to learn and widen my understanding of inter-cultural processes and diversity.
Thesis title: Seeking the Help of Educational Counselors: Cross Cultural Differences in Mothers’ Attitudes, Knowledge and Actual Experience.

YFAT GAVISH

Lab Alumni

I am married to Shahaf and a mother to Adar and Evyatar. I have BA in Biochemistry from Technion and an MA in Psychobiology from Tel Aviv University. After receiving these degrees, I changed my career path partly out of interest and partly because of a sense of mission. I now have an MA in Educational Counselling from Haifa University and am a PhD student in that program.
I study the prosocial behavior of adolescents and adults, investigating mechanisms that may explain value-behavior relations and value-change-behavior relations and the role cognitive components play in those relations. I propose an integrative empirical framework for examining how attention and interpretation influence the connection between values and prosocial behavior, following intervention. My vision is to lay the ground for comprehensive educational intervention, one which would promote self-transcendence values, individual well-being, and a healthier society.

Tom Ofek Rytt

Lab Alumni

After receiving my BA in Psychology and Special Education from Tel-Hai College, I decided to start an MA in Educational Counseling and work towards a Teaching Certificate in Special Education at Haifa University.

I have vast experience in education, mostly in youth movement guidance and autism. I am doing my thesis with Dr. Maya Benish-Weisman and Dr. Moti Benita as part of a larger longitudinal study involving 30 teachers and 300 elementary school students in Israel. The focus of our study is to identify if and how the values of teachers are passed to their students and how this influences the students' self-esteem, among other variables. In my research specifically, I focus on how teachers' values, mediated by their teaching practices, affect students' self-esteem.
Thesis Title: Associations between Teacher Values and Wellbeing in Elementary School Children: Mediating Role of Teaching Practices