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The goal of the Veteran Family Virtual Summit was to empower Families with information, tools, and resources about Veteran and Family mental health by exploring topics such as compassion fatigue, impacts on children, and effects on relationships.

This virtual summit brought together speakers from across Canada, where experts in the field shared their knowledge and insights on issues of critical importance to military and RCMP Families.

Keynote Speakers

Guy Dallaire

Breaking the Family mold
Guy Dallaire was born into a multigenerational military family. He enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces in 2005, serving in both the Reserve and Regular Force until a medical release in 2020. In 2021, Veterans Affairs Canada recognized his diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Today, Dallaire continues to work for the Department of National Defence as a public servant. He devotes much of his spare time to researching the impacts of multigenerational trauma on adult children of Veterans and first responders. His findings will be published in an upcoming book.

 

Kathleen Mills

Chasing Freedom, combat injuries don’t just happen on the battlefield

Kathleen Mills is an executive coach and certified yoga teacher. She provides yoga and trauma training that includes Yoga Nidra for Veterans. She also holds a master’s degree in leadership and several fitness and personal training certifications. A proud mother to two grown children, she lives in Cochrane, AB, with  her spouse, Darryl and her dog, Zeus. “Chasing Freedom: My Story of Service, Sacrifice and Redemption” is her first book, but she has also had her poetry published in several sources.

Emcee

Huf Mullick
Lived Expertise Lead, Veterans

Lived Expertise Lead, Veterans – Atlas Institute

Huf Mullick’s interest in the military started as a young boy growing up in Vancouver. He enrolled in the Air Cadet program in the early 1980s and then joined the CAF in 1982 as a Reservist with the Royal Westminster Regiment. His time with the “Westies” was the impetus to join the Regular Force in 1983. Huf served full-time with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry for the next 25 years. His tours of duty included overseas service with North American Treaty Organization and the United Nations. At home, Huf’s various postings included military exercises across Canada, the United States, and numerous postings such as the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec and the Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre in Vancouver. In 2007, Huf transitioned out of full-time service back into the Reserves and his final duty was as the Regimental Sergeant Major of the British Columbia Regiment. Huf retired in May 2021 after receiving his commission and the Order of Military Merit. He joined the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families in November 2021 as the Lived Expertise Lead, Veterans.

Event Recordings

Day 1

Day 2

Agenda

Friday, January 27, 2023 | 11:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET

11:00 a.m. – 11:05 a.m.
Welcome to Family Summit day one and opening remarks

Huf Mullick

Lived Expertise Lead, Veterans

Fardous Hosseiny

President and CEO – Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families

11:05 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.
Welcome from the summit hosts

Polliann Maher

Lived Expertise Lead, Families – Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families

Laryssa Lamrock

National Strategic Advisor, Families – Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families

11:10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Keynote presentation: Breaking the Family mold

Guy Dallaire

Veteran & Multi-generational military Family member

 

Raising awareness on intergenerational trauma within the military and first responder communities


12:00 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.
Presentation: Families matter – a Family-centred perspective

Dr. Heidi Cramm, PhD, OT Reg (Ont)

Associate Professor, School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen’s University

 

When we think about Families and PTSD, the conversation often focuses on caregiving. While this can be an important role, families are more than the support systems to the person living with an operational stress injury. Families matter, in their own right, independent of the individual with the mental health issue. Families incur their own issues and needs through service. Families need support in their caregiving roles but also for their direct needs, not just as an extension of the organization or health care team.The presentation discussed a Family-centred approach to dealing with operational stress injuries.

12:55 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Health break

1:15 p.m. – 2:05 p.m.
Presentation: When compassion is exhausting

Maude Arsenault

Valcartier Military Family Resource Centre

 

This presentation covered the compassion fatigue experienced by a Veteran Family member with an operational stress injury. The goal was to improve understanding and knowledge about compassion fatigue. Attendees learned about signs of compassion fatigue, as well as factors that could lead to it. The content also covered ways to prevent a fatigued state. Additionally, tools and resources were shared during the presentation.


2:05 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Presentation: Couple/Family therapy for trauma recovery

Dr. Candice Monson

Toronto Metropolitan University

 

Although there are excellent individual and group therapies to promote trauma recovery, they do not take into account the larger social environment of the client or address the relationship problems that so often accompany exposure to trauma. This presentation reviewed different evidence-based approaches to couple/Family therapy to promote trauma recovery, with a focus on the treatments presented as created and tested.

3:00 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.
Closing remarks

Fardous Hosseiny

President and CEO – Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families

3:10 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
Day one overview

Polliann Maher

Lived Expertise Lead, Families – Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families

Laryssa Lamrock

National Strategic Advisor, Families – Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families

Saturday, January 28, 2023 | 11:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET

11:00 a.m. – 11:05 a.m.
Welcome to Family Summit day two and opening remarks

Huf Mullick

Lived Expertise Lead, Veterans – Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families

Fardous Hosseiny

President and CEO – Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families

11:05 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.
Welcome from the summit hosts

Polliann Maher

Lived Expertise Lead, Families – Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families

Laryssa Lamrock

National Strategic Advisor, Families – Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families

11:10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Keynote presentation: Chasing freedom – combat injuries don’t just happen on the battlefield

Kathleen Mills

Family member and author
With brutal honesty, grace and a great deal of humour, Kathleen Mills provided a look at what marrying the military means and raised awareness about operational stress injury (OSI) — the psychological difficulty caused by the prolonged high-stress fatigue that can be experienced by those in the military service and their Family members.


12:00 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.
Presentation: Resilience(y) in military-connected families

Dr. Deborah A. Norris, PhD

Professor and Graduate Coordinator
Department of Family Studies and Gerontology, Mount Saint Vincent University

 

The well-being of the Families of military members and Veterans is related to their experiences with the contemporary realities of military service, particularly separation, relocation and risks incurred through combat. While military-connected Families are integral to supporting serving members and Veterans, they also have their own unique needs as they navigate through the challenges and opportunities associated with the military lifestyle. This presentation focused on the reciprocal relationship between military service and the well-being of the Families of military members and Veterans. It explored the practices, processes and contexts that enhance military and Veteran family resilience and resiliency, and related implications for theory, research and practice in the field.

12:55 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Health break


1:15 p.m. – 2:05 p.m.
Presentation: Let’s talk about it – strategies to support young people’s understanding of a parental operational stress injury

Dr. Helena Hawryluk

Associate Clinician, Co-Founder of Shoulder to Shoulder, and Director of Warrior Kids Program with Wounded Warriors Canada

Jerris Popik

Associate Clinician, Co-Founder of Shoulder to Shoulder, and Director of Warrior Kids Program with Wounded Warriors Canada

 

This presentation focused on creating a healthy foundation for military and Veteran parents (together, separated or blended Families) to understand how operational stress injuries (OSIs) can impact children and youth and offer strength-based strategies to open communication on OSIs within the Family.

 

Dr. Helena Hawryluk and Jerris Popik focus on supporting young people’s well-being within the journey of healing from a complex and confusing psychological injury. It can be scary and overwhelming for parents to talk about OSIs with their kids. Knowledge around how and what to say will empower parents to keep the conversation going, and support emotional regulation and coping strategies to ensure everyone in the Family can be resilient.


2:05 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Panel Presentation: Knowledge, community, and hope through the voice of Veteran Family members

Veteran Family members often have a quiet strength and their own brand of courage. This Veteran Family lived experience panel gave voice to that strength and courage by sharing how knowledge, community and hope played a significant role in their journeys.

Moderators

We see you, we are you.
Giving a voice to the Veteran and Family community, one story at a time

Polliann Maher

Veteran Family member
Lived Expertise Lead, Families – Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families

Laryssa Lamrock

Veteran Family member
National Strategic Advisor, Families – Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families

Panelists:

Bethany Easterbrook, Adult Child

Jason Anderson, RCMP Veteran

Tim Jeliff, Spouse

Diane Welburn, CAF Veteran

Lorraine Brown, Veteran Family Member, Sister

3:00 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.
Closing thoughts

Fardous Hosseiny

President and CEO – Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families

3:10 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
Summit closing remarks

Polliann Maher

Lived Expertise Lead, Families – Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families

Laryssa Lamrock

National Strategic Advisor, Families – Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families

 

Sherry Sim
Tel: 1-866-655-8548
Email: sherry@innovative4you.com