WHAT’S NEW

Community voice, national impact: Bringing Canada’s Veteran and Family community together

“With each passing year we are reminded that Canada’s Veteran and Family community has sacrificed to the greatest degree and, because of that, deserves the support of Canadians in return.”

Over this past year, we’ve had the privilege of hearing valuable insights and stories of lived experience shared by Veterans and Families from all across the country. What has been shared by the community has directly shaped the research studies we’ve undertaken, resources developed to support the well-being needs of Veterans and their Families, and training opportunities for the service providers who work with them.

Explore how community voices continue to inform meaningful outcomes in our 2025–2026 impact report, Community voice, national impact: Bringing Canada’s Veteran and Family community together.

Narratives, truth and safety

“If we invite stories, we also have an inherent duty to protect the people behind them, to set clear expectations for respectful engagement and to ensure the space around those stories is as safe as the stories are brave.”

When someone chooses to share their personal stories of lived experience with us, they are trusting us with their vulnerability. In a new Perspectives blog post, Joy Pavelich, Executive Vice-President of Communications and Public Affairs at the Atlas Institute, reflects on the profound responsibility that comes with providing platforms for the voices of community members to share their stories — and Atlas’s commitment to upholding a culture of respect, validation and safety for every community member who bravely chooses to share their voice.

COMMUNITY CORNER

Digital stories screening: Giving a voice to the Veteran and Family community, one story at a time

On June 25, Atlas hosted a live screening of six new digital stories created with and told by members of the Veteran and Family community. The event brought together storytellers, community members and supporters to explore powerful journeys of resilience, self-discovery and healing.

These stories reflect the diverse experience of Canada’s Veteran and Family community and underscore the value of sharing lived experiences to foster understanding, connection and hope.

If you were unable to attend the live event, we invite you to visit our Stories page to watch the videos.

2026 Women Veterans Forum

It was a privilege to listen to and learn from the voices of women Veterans at the 2026 Women Veterans Forum, hosted by Veterans Affairs Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces and the Women Veterans Council in Ottawa, ON. Community members expressed interest in research on women Veterans’ health and well-being, with the conversations at our booth including topics such as menopause and sexual and reproductive health.

Dedicated avenues like these to talk about women’s experiences are a vital opportunity to deepen our understanding and learn about what matters to the community, and we are thankful to have been able to take part.

EVENTS AND TRAINING

SELF-PACED TRAINING

FEATURED RESOURCE

Study Notes: Highlights and takeaways of research projects at Atlas, in plain language

Research can help deepen understanding of the needs and experiences of Veterans and Families. It can also drive meaningful change by providing evidence to inform new services and supports and policy decisions.

To help make the key insights and implications from these research studies more accessible for Veterans, Families and the people who work with them, the Study Notes series provides plain-language summaries of research projects at Atlas. Topics that have been covered include:

• Emerging and complementary treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder
• Factors influencing access to mental health care
• How transition to post-service life can impact long-term mental health

and more.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Reproductive and mental health of women Veterans in Canada and the United Kingdom

Military and policing service can have unique impacts on women’s health, including their mental and reproductive health. Sharing your experience will help to generate long-awaited evidence on this topic in Canada and the United Kingdom.

The Atlas Institute has partnered with the Centre for Military Women’s Research at Anglia Ruskin University to explore and compare the mental and reproductive health of women Veterans of the Canadian and UK militaries, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and UK police. Participation involves filling out a one-time online survey that allows completion in multiple sessions. The survey will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

To participate, you must be:

• A woman (female sex at birth) Veteran of the Canadian or UK military, or former uniformed member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or UK police
• Aged 18+
• Comfortable reading and writing in either English or French
• Living in Canada or the UK

You will be asked questions on reproductive health touching on topics such as fertility, contraceptive use, menopause, sexual health and mental health. Participate to help us better understand this important issue affecting women Veterans and to support recommendations for further research or health care practice and policy! We also encourage you to share this study with your fellow women Veterans.

Longitudinal mapping of a randomized controlled trial of EEG neurofeedback in PTSD: Early symptom stabilization and implications for adjunctive therapeutic potential

A research article titled Longitudinal mapping of a randomized controlled trial of EEG neurofeedback in PTSD: Early symptom stabilization and implications for adjunctive therapeutic potential, co-authored by Dr. Andrew Nicholson, Vice-President, Research at Atlas, was recently published in Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging. This research explored whether EEG neurofeedback can help people with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and how symptom changes unfold over time, rather than comparing before-and-after treatment results.

Key findings highlighted that:

• People receiving active neurofeedback improved earlier and more consistently than those in the control group
• People showed improvement with symptoms stabilizing around week 11 of the 20-week program
• Participants with better neurofeedback performance demonstrated greater restoration of brainwave activity, which was associated with greater improvements in PTSD symptoms.

These findings may have implications for how EEG neurofeedback can be used as an adjunctive treatment alongside a primary treatment for PTSD.

PARTNERSHIP AND STAKEHOLDER SPOTLIGHT

Strengthening connections to support Veterans and Families

Meaningful connections and conversations took place in Ottawa, ON at the end of May with people and organizations working together to better support the mental health and well-being of Veterans and Families.

Annual Strategic Reference Group meeting: The Strategic Reference Group brings together Veterans, Family members, researchers and service providers who help to guide the Atlas Institute’s vision, mission and priorities throughout the year. Through their lived experience, expertise and diverse perspectives, members help shape the work we do in support of the mental health and well-being of Veterans and Families. This year’s conversations reinforced something we know to be true: Meaningful change happens through collaboration, shared knowledge and listening to the experiences of those who have lived it.

Reception for Bill S-246: The Atlas Institute’s Fardous Hosseiny, President and CEO, Joy Pavelich, Executive Vice-President, Communications and Public Affairs and Brian McKenna, National Strategic Advisor, Veterans, were honoured to attend a reception in support of Bill S-246, the Wartime Service Recognition Act, which seeks to expand the definition of war service to better recognize the realities and impacts of modern military missions — including psychological harm and exposure to hostile environments.

Meeting with the Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group: Fardous Hosseiny, President and CEO, Atlas Institute, and MaryAnn Notarianni, Deputy CEO and Executive Vice-President, Knowledge Mobilization, Atlas Institute, met with Brigadier-General Serge Ménard, Commander of the Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group (CAF TG), to continue strengthening collaboration and support for Canadian Armed Forces members, Veterans and Families during transition. The conversation focused on the recognition that support and connection should begin long before release from the military. Together, we discussed opportunities to continue building relationships, sharing resources and supporting the mental health and well-being of Veterans and Families.

We’re grateful to everyone who continues to partner, collaborate and share their expertise with us. The work moves forward because of people who care deeply about improving the lives of Veterans and Families.

Connecting with clinicians at the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association Annual Conference

Making clinical spaces more trauma-informed, expanding care networks and ensuring clients are seen in the fullness of their humanity were all topics of discussion at the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) Annual Conference in Halifax, NS.

Members of the Atlas team connected with more than 100 counsellors and psychotherapists, including several who were Veterans or Family members and many who were interested in working with the community.

Thank you to everyone who shared their insights and stories at our booth, and to all the service providers dedicated to advancing trauma-informed care for Veterans and Families.

COMMEMORATIONS CALENDAR

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