Vanguard Magazine

Photos: Wounded Warriors Canada Mental HealtH www.vanguardcanada.com FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020 41 pany and a leading mental health service provider have joined forces. Through the partnership, Vanguard's outreach is in- spiring the military community to help its members receive the psychological support they deserve in their time of need. This is accomplished by spreading the word about mental health and generating funds from subscriptions and sponsorships. A portion of all Vanguard subscription proceeds will be given to help fund Wounded Warriors Canada's life-changing programs. "By subscribing to Vanguard magazine, readers receive a high-quality magazine while extending much-needed help to CAF members, Veterans, First Responders and their families at no additional cost," said Pavelic. "Through this program as well, WWC facilitates the sharing of knowledge and raising awareness to support the grow- ing demand for mental health services." Mental Health Service Wounded Warriors Canada is a national mental health service provider utilizing clinical best practices and evidence-based care to create an environment of compas- sion, resiliency and hope for Canada's Vet- erans, First Responders and their families. Its origin can be traced back to a dreadful incident that occurred on September 18, 2006, in Afghanistan. On that fateful day, a suicide bomber on a bicycle detonated an explosive device killing four Canadian soldiers and leaving more than a dozen soldiers and civilians in- jured – including Sapper Mike McTeague. That incident led to the creation of the Sapper Mike McTeague Wounded Warrior Fund, established to send comfort items to our troops overseas recovering from injury in theatre. As the needs of the fund wound down in 2013, the organization was wit- ness to the emergence of growing demand for mental health support from Veterans at home. This led to the creation of Wound- ed Warriors Canada. Over the years, Canada has lost vet- erans and CAF members to suicide. It is also losing many of its able servicemen to Operational Stress Injury (OSI) or what is termed "invisible injury." OSI includes diagnosed anxiety disorder, depression, PTSD and other mental health conditions that restrict normal life functions of mili- tary professionals as a result of their expo- sure to many unfortunate situations. Mental Health Programs The need for mental health support is growing. Each year, one-third of the 1,600 men and women being released from the CAF due to medical reasons have difficulty making the transition to civilian life. Based on data available, between 10 per cent and 35 per cent of first responders will develop PTSD. In Ontario alone, 40 per cent of police calls involve people with mental health issues. So, the need for mental health programs is crucial. According to Scott Maxwell, Executive Director of Wounded Warriors Canada, their innovative mental health services include: • Trauma Resiliency Program (TRP) - Clinically facilitated group-based train- ing program that combines the power of a team approach with effective, trauma- resilient skill development • COPE (Couples Overcoming PTSD Ev- ery day) - Canada's leading clinically fa- cilitated couples-based trauma program • PTSD Service Dog Program - Properly trained PTSD service dogs change lives. This program provides funding to sup- port the training of approximately 100 dogs per year • Couples Based Equine Therapy - A com- bination of Equine Assisted Learning, Psychological intervention, combined with tools to reduce conflict, manage anger and improve communication • Before Operational Stress (BOS) - A group-based intervention program pro- viding participants the opportunity to re- ceive and offer support in a group context with issues related to operational stress WWC has nearly100 therapists and psy- chologists who are trained to deliver their programs across the country. The orga- nization is looking to expand its services with initiatives like The Supporting He- roes Campaign to help those suffering from mental health issues. "When a Veteran or First Responder is injured, it doesn't matter where, when or how their injury occurred. What mat- ters is that member and their family know that we, as a country and community, are in this together – working to ensure they receive the help they so rightly deserve. We are grateful for the support of Vanguard and look forward to engaging further with the security and defense community in the months ahead," said Maxwell. How You Can Participate This type of collaboration between Van- guard and WWC is a great example of how communities can work together for the greater good of the men and women who are risking their lives to keep Canada safe day after day. To help support Canada's ill and injured CAF members, Veterans, First Responders and their families, subscribe to Vanguard. You'll receive a high-quality magazine and in turn assist those that are suffering through mental health issues. Visit http://www.vanguardcanada.com/ subscription for more details or check out the podcast with Scott Maxwell and Terri Pavelic, who shared more about this partnership: https://vanguardcana- da.com/2019/12/16/wounded-warriors- canada-and-vanguard-supporting- wounded-heroes/.

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