News & Events
An event in support of Suicide Awareness Month (September), and World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10)
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
1:30 pm CST | 3:30 pm EDT
This online discussion will examine suicidality among first responders and other public safety personnel (PSP), with an emphasis on the impacts of suicidality on PSP families. We will explore how past organizational and public health responses to suicidality among PSP have, at times, reinforced stigma around mental health challenges and suicide. We will highlight the efforts of families and mental health advocates to challenge these stigmas and to reframe these Line of Duty Deaths. And we will discuss the supports that family members need to assist loved ones, and themselves in proactively managing mental health as well as during and after times of crisis. Participants will:
- Gain insights into the common stigmas and assumptions surrounding PSP mental health and suicidality
- Examine and question harmful narratives related to PSP mental health
- Learn practical strategies and best practices for supporting PSP and their families in mental health and suicide awareness, intervention, and postvention
Presenters
Dilnaz Garda
President, Toronto Beyond the Blue
Vice-President, Canada Beyond The Blue
Dilnaz Garda is dedicated to sharing her personal experience with mental illness in the hopes of encouraging others to share their stories and join in the movement of normalizing discussion around mental health. In 2016, tragedy struck her family when Toronto Police Constable Darius Garda, brother of Dilnaz, died by suicide while dealing with PTSD and other mental health issues. As the current President of Toronto BTB, and Vice-President of Canada BTB, Dilnaz works to make a sustainable cultural shift in the area of mental health and well-being for Toronto Police Service officers/members and their families.
Andrew Ekblad, Ph.D., C.Psych
Founder and Clinical Director, Broadleaf Health
Dr. Andrew Ekblad has over a decade of experience working with PSP and their families. He and his team at Broadleaf Health have helped numerous police services develop programming related to psychological wellness. He has provided clinical services to hundreds of PSP and family members and has provided a range of services including Annual Wellness Checks, early deployment skills training, evidence based treatment of psychological trauma, and suicide prevention. He has over 20 years of clinical and research experience in providing Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), an evidence based practice for treating suicidal behaviour and emotion dysregulation. Dr. Ekblad leads educational seminars and workshops for hospital, university, and community mental health practitioners throughout Canada, and has presented original research at international conferences and published academic articles on DBT, emergency department care of suicidal patients, and professional mentoring. Dr. Ekblad is an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at McMaster University.
Colleen Kamps MA, CYC
Director of Program Development and Advisory Services, Tema Foundation
Colleen is a licensed psychotherapist with a career spanning over four decades, specializing in mental health and wellness, suicidality, trauma, grief, and crisis intervention. She is an impassioned advocate for mental health through The Tema Foundation and is renowned for her expertise in trauma-informed training and therapy. Her compassionate approach and unwavering commitment to those she serves have earned her widespread recognition and respect in the helping field and first responder field. Colleen is deeply dedicated to destigmatizing mental health issues and promoting holistic wellbeing in her community through The Tema Foundation, her counselling practice, workshops, training, and advocacy efforts. Her passion, commitment, and dedication to helping others are what keep her striving forward to make life easier for those who need support.
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/AMYK-8205
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.