Photo of Elana Godley
Elana Godley , MA
Psychotherapist
Telehealth Available
Elana Godley
Credentials
Type of Therapist:
Psychotherapist
Primary Degree(s):
MA
Finances
Average Cost Per Session:
350-500 NIS
Insurance Accepted:
Private Insurance
Discounts Available:
| Soldiers, miluim, wives and mothers of soldiers and miluim
Office 1
  • 32 hertzl street
  • Raanana
Office 2
  • 12 Levontine street
  • Tel Aviv
Office 3
  • 13 Shalom Aleichem
  • Tel Aviv
Telehealth Available
Elana Godley Verified
Credentials
Type of Therapist:

Psychotherapist

Primary Degree(s):

MA

Finances
Average Cost Per Session:

350-500 NIS

Insurance Accepted:

Private Insurance

Discounts Available:


Soldiers, miluim, wives and mothers of soldiers and miluim

Office 1
  • 32 hertzl street
  • Raanana
Office 2
  • 12 Levontine street
  • Tel Aviv
Office 3
  • 13 Shalom Aleichem
  • Tel Aviv

ABOUT THE THERAPIST

You may not yet have words for what is changing — only a sense of feeling less connected, less certain, or less yourself, and a curiosity about what is asking for your attention and what might become possible if you understood it more deeply.

 

My Approach to Helping:

My approach begins with curiosity. We look together at what is happening, what keeps repeating, and what may become clearer when you can understand yourself with less judgement and greater depth.

I bring more than 31 years of experience across psychology, psychotherapy, relationships, leadership, change and mind–body work, together with ongoing learning and research. I don’t work from one model or fit people into a method. I draw on that depth and range to understand what may be most useful for the person in front of me.

Insight matters, but insight alone does not always change how we live. For me, the value of understanding is the greater freedom it can create — more room for choice in how you respond, relate and live.

The destination for good therapy is your life.

 

Specific Issues I'm Skilled at Helping With:

Much of my work is with people whose lives have become narrowed by anxiety, depression, complex trauma or patterns they can no longer find their way out of — and with people who are questioning who they are, how they are living, or what they want from the next part of their lives.

I have worked extensively with soldiers and reservists, including people diagnosed with PTSD. That work is about more than managing symptoms: it is about understanding what trauma has done, rebuilding a sense of agency, and helping life become larger than the loops of fear, vigilance or survival.

I particularly enjoy working with people in midlife and later life. And because my background spans both psychotherapy and organisational psychology, I can also work with the very human impact of leadership, professional pressure and major career change.

 

 

My Role as a Therapist:

 Compassionate, but not passive. I want you to feel deeply heard and understood, but I will also be present and engaged in the work with you — asking questions, noticing what may be difficult to see on your own, offering another perspective, and gently challenging where that may be useful.

I bring warmth, steadiness and honesty to the relationship. I will meet you where you are without assuming that I know better than you what your life should look like. My role is to help create the safety and space for you to explore, reflect and discover what is true for you — while supporting you to trust your own capacity to find your way forward.

 

Additional Information About my Practice:

I offer in-person sessions in Raanana and Tel Aviv, as well as online therapy for clients in Israel and internationally.

I have been working with people for more than 31 years and continue to invest deeply in learning, supervision and current research across psychotherapy, trauma, resilience and mind–body approaches.

If you are wondering whether working together might be right for you, you are welcome to get in touch for a brief initial conversation.

Click here to schedule a free consultation with Elana Godley

QUALIFICATIONS

Degree
Education
Year of Graduation

MA

University of South Africa

1994

Degree
MA

Education
University of South Africa

Year of Graduation
1994
Years in Practice

31

Learn more about GHI's verification of therapists here.

ADDITIONAL CREDENTIALS

Honors Degree - Rand Afrikaans University - 1985

BA - University of the Witwatesrand - 1985

EmotionAid 2021- Trauma informed emotional self regulation

ORSC Relational systems Integration 2013

Resilience informed therapy 2024

Trauma informed stabilisation treatment 2025

DISTANCE COUNSELING

Online Therapy

PRIMARY SPECIALTIES

Anxiety / Panic

Executive / Career / Life Coaching

Life Transitions

Parenting Issues / Training

Trauma / Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD

ADDITIONAL SPECIALTIES

Codependency

Depression

Grief

Stress Management

Nonviolent Communication, emotional first aid and somatic therapy training

CLIENT FOCUS

Population

Adults
Men
Women

Languages Spoken

English

Native Language

English

TREATMENT APPROACH

Body-Mind PsychotherapyBody-mind psychotherapy is an integrative approach to psychological treatment that draws from both psychotherapeutic and somatic/body-based approaches. It emphasizes the interconnection between physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual aspects of being. This approach seeks to help individuals explore how physical sensations, emotions, thoughts and beliefs influence their behavior and well-being. Through this exploration, individuals can gain insight into how the body and mind interact to create patterns of behavior, and how those patterns can be changed to promote healing and wellness.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on how one's thoughts, feelings and behaviors are connected and can be changed. It is based on the idea that how we think (cognition) and how we feel (emotion) can influence how we behave. CBT helps people identify and challenge distorted thinking and replace it with more balanced thinking, leading to improved mood and behavior. ‘Homework’, usually containing practical writing exercises, is often completed by the client between sessions to reinforce the therapy. Examples of tools that practitioners often use are journaling, challenging beliefs, and mindfulness.

Person-Centered Therapy (Rogerian Therapy)Person-centered therapy, or Rogerian therapy, was developed by Carl Rogers in the 1940’s. It is a form of talk therapy that emphasizes the importance of providing psychological safety, unconditional positive regard, and empathic understanding to clients. This type of therapy is based on the belief that individuals have an innate capacity for self-actualization and self-understanding and that the therapist's role is to provide a supportive environment in which this process can take place. Through the use of active listening, open-ended questions, and non-judgmental reflection, the therapist helps the client to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a safe and accepting environment. By doing so, clients are able to gain insight into their issues, develop a greater understanding of themselves, and work towards personal growth.

Psychodynamic TherapyPsychodynamic therapy is a form of therapy that focuses on the unconscious mind and how it affects behavior. It works to help people understand and work through past experiences and feelings that may be causing difficulties in the present. This type of therapy encourages individuals to explore their emotions, relationships, and behaviors in order to gain insight into their current difficulties. It can help individuals better understand themselves and their motivations, and gain insight into how past events have impacted their current lives. People tend to develop defense mechanisms when faced with challenges in life. Defense mechanisms may keep painful feelings, memories, and experiences in the unconscious. A few common defense mechanisms include: denial, repression, and rationalization. Psychodynamic therapists encourage people to speak freely about their emotions, desires, and fears. Being open may help uncover vulnerable feelings that have been pushed out of conscious awareness. According to psychodynamic theory, behavior is influenced by unconscious thought. Once painful feelings are brought forth and processed, the defense mechanisms are no longer needed and a person in treatment can start changing unhelpful patterns when coping with life’s challenges.

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)Solution-focused therapy is a type of therapy that focuses on what is going right in a person’s life, as opposed to what is going wrong. It is based on the premise that when a person can identify what is working, they can build on it and make positive changes to the areas of their life that need improvement. A therapist using this approach will often ask questions designed to bring out a person’s strengths and resources, rather than focusing on problems or past issues. The aim of this type of therapy is to help people find solutions to their current problems, in order to build a better future. A solution-focused therapist encourages those in treatment to develop a vision of the future and offers support and guidance as they determine the skills, resources, and abilities needed to achieve that vision successfully.

Somatic Experiencing (SE)Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-oriented approach to the healing of trauma and other physical and psychological stresses. It is based on the idea that the body is a powerful source of healing and that unresolved trauma can be resolved through the process of bringing awareness and attention to the physical sensations of the body. By gradually and gently guiding individuals through the sensations associated with their traumatic experience, SE can help to restore balance and well-being more quickly and effectively than traditional psychotherapy. SE utilizes the body’s natural ability to regulate and heal itself and supports individuals in developing more resilience and self-regulation. Somatic Experiencing aims to help people move past the place where they might be “stuck” in processing a traumatic event. SE is often used to treat symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.

Systems Theory / TherapySystems therapy is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on understanding how people's behavior is affected by their relationships with others. This form of therapy is based on the idea that the individual is embedded within a larger system, such as a family unit or work environment, and that changes to that system can cause changes in an individual's behavior. Systems therapy emphasizes the importance of understanding how these systems interact and how they can be changed to improve the individual's mental health. The therapist works to identify patterns of behavior in the system, identify areas of conflict or stress, and help the individuals develop strategies to make changes within the system that will lead to healthier outcomes.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is an evidence-based practice used to help children, adolescents and their parents who have experienced a single or multiple traumatic events. This type of therapy combines cognitive and behavioral strategies to help people process their traumatic experiences, manage their distress, develop coping skills, and restore their sense of safety and well-being. TF-CBT focuses on education and skill-building, creating an environment of safety and trust, and using therapeutic activities to help people understand their responses and control their symptoms. Children are shown how perceptions may be distorted and are given the tools to redesign those perceptions. TF-CBT is a skills-based model, and it requires the child and parent to practice its components in order to be optimally effective. Parents and children are commonly asked to practice skills at home.

Emotionaid

SERVICES OFFERED

Individual Therapy
Coaching
Consultation
Couples Therapy
Workshops/Educating

PROUD PARTICIPANT