Each of the four health funds, Meuchedet, Macabbi, Clalit and Leumit has branches throughout the country. The differences between the health funds lie mainly in the location of their facilities, the types of supplemental policies offered, and additional services offered within the framework of their facilities. Most large cities have a clinic in almost every district. OT/PTs either work in the Kupot or work privately and accept Kupot members and get paid per treatment.

If you are opening a private practice, advertise your services through local email lists and newspapers. It is advisable for new Olim to combine working in private practice with working in the public sector, since it takes time to build up a practice. It is imperative that you acquaint yourself with the relevant laws as related to practicing psychology in Israel, which are listed in their entirety online.

When you have a private practice you can see either see patients on a strictly private basis, or, if you have an agreement with a Kupah, you can receive members of health funds and then be reimbursed by the funds. There are many practices that combine the two.

For new Olim, joining a hospital staff has a number of real advantages. You are working as part of a team of professional colleagues who can assist you while you are learning vocational and technical Hebrew terms, and teach you how to work within the Israeli system. This can be very important at the beginning and creates a much more supportive work environment than Kupot Cholim clinics or private practice settings, where you are working on your own with patients.

Child development centers may be run through Misrad Habriut or private funding. Centers usually offer a range of paramedical, counseling and educational services for children using a multidisciplinary team of speech therapists, physical therapists and occupational therapists; in some places, drama or music therapists and social workers are employed as well. Child development centers typically offer therapy in both individual or group therapy formats.

Schools and special needs institutions employ occupational therapists, speech and language therapists. Speech therapists are particularly required in special needs pre-schools.

It is also possible to turn to the government employment bureau for academics, known as the Bureau for the Placement of Professionals (Lishka Le Ta’asukat Acadama’im). For a full listing of Lishkat Taasuka locations throughout Israel, see Lishkat Taasuka Offices.

Each city employs one or more dietitians who work locally in the public sector in an educational and administrative capacity. Responsibilities include lecturing in local schools, working with girls performing National Service (Sherut Le’umi), visiting hospitals, and in general, ensuring that nutritional guidelines are enforced.