Meet TimeSlips Certified Facilitator: Helena Ben Yona

June 21, 2019

Helena is the first TimeSlips Certified Facilitator located in Israel! She was born in England, and moved to Israel in 1979. Her studies included Music and Occupational Therapy, and she’s been working with the geriatric population for over 15 years.

In her TimeSlips work, Helena facilitates two very unique groups: one speaks Hebrew, and one speaks Russian. She finds that there are many differences between the groups, which can be challenging. Yet, she’s found that incorporating music and movement into the beginning and end of her sessions creates a common ground for both groups.

Helena uses music to connect with the story prompts that she uses. For instance, when she facilitated a story using the picture with the woman playing the guitar on a bench, the group chose to sing a few songs that they thought she might be singing (in their native languages, of course!)

When we spoke with Helena, she shared, “TimeSlips is just so much fun! I love listening to people talk about things; I love connecting up with people and their inner worlds. It’s just an opportunity to get them to talk about things that they wouldn’t otherwise talk about. I just love getting to know these people. It’s fascinating to me. I connect up where they are, and to what’s still alive inside them.”