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Webinar: Exploring evidence-informed peer support guidelines for Veterans, military, public safety personnel, and their Families

Date: September 17, 2025
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. EDT | 11:00 – 12:30 CST
Location: Zoom

Peer support is an important resource in the Veteran, military and public safety community. However, it is crucial for peer support organizations to use best/promising practices that take into consideration the needs of both the person receiving the peer support and the peer supporter. The Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families collaborated with the Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) and the national Peer Support Community Network to develop new peer support guidelines for Veterans, military, public safety personnel, and their Families, incorporating evidence-informed practices.

Join a panel of experts and people with lived experience for an enriching conversation about the peer support guidelines, why they are important, how they were created, implementation strategies and related findings, including a question-and-answer portion.

This event will be presented in English with simultaneous translation in French.

Register now

Registration deadline: September 16, 2025

 

Presenters

Nicholas Carleton, PhD

R. Nicholas Carleton is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Regina, Director of the Psychological Trauma and Stress Systems Lab (ptsslab.ca), and a registered clinical psychologist in Saskatchewan. He is active with several national and international professional associations, and volunteers as a research advisor for numerous organizations. He focuses on the mental health of first responders and other public safety personnel. He has published 280+ peer-reviewed works, completed 500+ national and international conference presentations, and been awarded $108M+ in competitive funding. He has received numerous prestigious recognitions, including induction to the Royal Society of Canada’s College and as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. He is principal investigator for the RCMP Longitudinal PTSD Study (rcmpstudy.ca) and extension studies.

Sylvio (Syd) A. Gravel, M.O.M.

Syd Gravel, a retired Staff Sergeant of the Ottawa Police Service, is a founding father of Robin’s Blue Circle, a post-shooting trauma team established and functioning since 1988. He is also a co-founder of Badge of Life Canada, and the Peer and Trauma Support Systems (PATSS) Team proudly affiliated with the Mood Disorders Society of Canada and Canada’s first Director of the Global Mental Health Peer Network. Syd is a Member of the Order of Merit in Canada (M.O.M.) and recipient of the Exemplary Medal and Bar and the Order of Ottawa. He has authored and co-authored 6 books, including, 56 Seconds; Workplace DiversityHow to Survive PTSD and Build Peer Support; Walk the Talk; Slay the Toxic Dragon; and Testimony After Trauma.

Laryssa Lamrock

Laryssa Lamrock has worked with military, Veteran and public safety personnel Families in different capacities over the last 20 years, including extensive experience in the field of Family peer support with operational stress injuries (OSIs) such as anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. Today, she is the National Strategic Advisor — Families at the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families. Along with her professional experience, Laryssa is truly a military Family member as she is the daughter, spouse and mother of formerly or currently serving Canadian Armed Forces members. Her personal experiences in supporting loved one with an OSI and her own journey with depression drives her passion for representing and advocating for Families. She believes strongly not only in the importance of Family involvement in the recovery process of their loved ones mental health injuries but also in the necessity of Family being supported in their own experiences.

Staff Sergeant Beth Milliard, PhD

Dr. Beth Milliard is a police officer with York Regional Police. In her 23rd year she is currently a Uniform Staff Sergeant overseeing a platoon. She was a post-doctoral fellow with CIPSRT and an adjunct professor with Georgian College, Simon Fraser University and the University of Regina. As a subject matter expert in Project Safeguard and Peer Support, she has had the opportunity to speak at venues internationally on her work as a leader in police wellness. She has been the author and peer reviewer of many articles and book chapters related to first responder mental health and wellness. She has completed her master’s in leadership and has her PhD in criminal justice/law and public policy with an emphasis in mental health.

Nicole Sherren, PhD

Dr. Nicole Sherren has a PhD in neuroscience and has spent the past 18 years helping professionals across the health, education, justice and non-profit sectors turn “what we know” from research and evaluation into “what we do” in public policy and professional practice. Using an organizational change management approach, Nicole helps her clients integrate best-practice research into all aspects of their work, with the ultimate goal of improving health and social outcomes for all. Her key areas of expertise include operationalizing the science of early brain development, adverse childhood experiences, and resilience into policy and professional practice; research and evaluation; knowledge translation and mobilization; strategy/project design and execution; community development and system change; professional development; and substance use and mental health.

Questions for our presenters?

You can submit questions for our presenters in advance by emailing: CIPSRT.KT@uregina.ca. We’ll do our best to address as many as possible during the presentation.

Garnet Families Interactive Series: The Tired Side of Service

Wednesday, September 24, 2025.
10:00 am – 11:00 am CST | 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT

We invite you to join Marilyn Cox, Dr. Heidi Cramm, and Dr. Linna Tam-Seto as they broaden focus on the often-overlooked connection between sleep in public safety personnel (PSP) and their families. From shift work to trauma exposure, the demands of these high-stress jobs can lead to significant sleep disturbances, affecting both the serving member and their loved ones. Understanding these impacts lays the foundation for the development of tailored interventions and policies that support the sleep health and well-being of PSP and their families.

While this is an open event and all are welcome, please note, registration is required. Information gathered from this event will play a vital role in growing a community that will serve and support Garnet families across Canada. Following the event, attendees will be asked to complete a survey to inform the format, frequency, and themes of future Garnet Families activities. This event is presented in English with the option of French subtitles.

We would like to acknowledge the support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant (What about the families? Strengthening a family’s research ecosystem for defence and public safety sectors) and the Medavie Foundation.

Language translation

This event will be presented in English with the option of simultaneous captions or audio translation in French.  

If you wish to make use of this translation service during the webinar: after joining the meeting, please open a browser window (on your desktop, phone, or other device) and use the following link:  

https://attend.wordly.ai/join/ESSG-9221

This will enable you to log in to Wordly, our simultaneous translation platform. Be sure to select ‘French’ in the top right corner and keep this window open throughout the meeting.  

Online workshop: Conditioned responses – Somatic body-based approaches 

Wednesday, November 5, 2025
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm EST  |  11:00 am – 1:00 pm CST 

Somatic therapy is a body-centered psychotherapy approach that focuses on how trauma and stress are held in the body, using mind-body exercises to release physical tension and restore balance to the nervous system. It works with bodily sensations, gestures, and posture to help individuals process emotions and “stuck” survival energy from traumatic experiences. By connecting to the physical sensations of an experience, somatic therapy allows for a “bottom-up” approach to healing, complementing traditional “top-down” talk therapies by directly addressing the body’s role in emotional wellbeing. 

Suggested audience: Public safety personnel (PSP) and PSP spouses 

Objectives: 

Recognize the Physiological Impact of Stress and Trauma  

  • Participants will be able to identify how acute and chronic stress responses manifest in the body (e.g., tension, hypervigilance, dysregulation) and understand the science behind the nervous system’s role in trauma. 

Develop Body-Based Awareness and Regulation Skills 

  • Participants will learn and practice somatic techniques to enhance self-awareness, interrupt stress cycles, and promote nervous system regulation. 

Integrate Somatic Practices into Daily Routines and Peer Support 

  • Participants will explore ways to apply somatic tools in personal and operational settings, supporting both personal resilience and the mental health of colleagues. 

Register here

Presenter

Shaylee Spencer, MSW, RSW
Clinical Operations Manager, PSPNET
Canadian Institue for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT)

Language translation

This event will be presented in English with the option of simultaneous captions or audio translation in French.  

If you wish to make use of this translation service during the webinar: after joining the meeting, please open a browser window (on your desktop, phone, or other device) and use the following link:  

https://attend.wordly.ai/join/CTGK-0386

This will enable you to log in to Wordly, our simultaneous translation platform. Be sure to select ‘French’ in the top right corner and keep this window open throughout the meeting.  

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