WHAT’S NEW

Opportunities for service providers

NOW AVAILABLE: Needs assessment for service providers who work with Veterans and their Families

For the past four years, the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families has offered live and self-paced evidence-based trainings, resources and other supports for service providers who work with Veterans and their Families.

We need your input to help us understand what mental health service providers need now. Share your perspective on how the Atlas Institute can better support you in your work of providing mental health care to Veterans and their Families in a 10-minute survey.

Revisiting traumatic brain injury with Dr. Lyn Turkstra and Veteran and CFL player Ryan Carey

We’re spotlighting conversations with Dr. Lyn Turkstra and Ryan Carey, a Veteran and former Canadian Football League player, who each joined Brian and Laryssa on Mind Beyond the Mission in 2023 to share their perspectives as a clinician specializing in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and as a person with lived experience of TBI.

Listen to highlights from discussions with Lyn and Ryan and check out the episode page for our resources on TBI for Veterans, Veteran Families and those who work with them including:

• TBI 101: An overview of TBI, including causes, symptoms and treatment
• Practical information and guidance for Veterans and Families on day-to-day care for a TBI
• Information on how TBI and posttraumatic stress disorder can overlap
• A resource for service providers who work with Veterans

From dreams to reality: Reflections from one of the first women in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

When Constable (Ret’d) Debbie McLean joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), she was fulfilling a lifelong dream she had carried since before women were even allowed to serve.

Like many other former-serving RCMP members and Canadian Armed Forces Veterans, Debbie faced several traumatic experiences throughout her career, including the loss of a fellow officer.

In a new Perspectives blog post, Debbie shares about the difficult decision she made to walk away from her dream career and how she has found healing and a renewed sense of belonging.

COMMUNITY CORNER

“In our time in the military, mission is first. If anything came up personally, we always put ourselves on the back burner. Persistent injuries got worse and there is a time when you have to put yourself first to better everyone else around you.”

— Veteran Family Summit panellist Mike Babin on his healing journey through the Invictus Games

Inspired at Invictus Games 2025

The 2025 Invictus Games recently took place in Vancouver and Whistler, BC from February 8 to 16, celebrating the strength, resilience and determination of more than 500 competitors from around the world. While we are always inspired by Veterans, witnessing firsthand the resilience of these athletes was a true honour.

Team Atlas had the pleasure and privilege of connecting with the Veteran and Veteran Family community at the Games and hearing their stories. We hosted a booth in the Invictus Village in the early days of the event, where we shared resources created for and with Veterans. We also had the opportunity to attend panel presentations on how positive risk-taking in challenging environments can be beneficial to recovery, as well as the Veteran Employment Symposium. Of course, we also made sure to attend as many athletic events as we could to cheer on the incredible Team Canada competitors.

The Games also presented an opportunity to meet with colleagues from around the world, including Gwen Cherne, Veteran Family Advocate Commissioner for Australia and Invictus ambassador, and Alison Frame, Secretary, Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Australia. During this meeting, we discussed the importance of focusing on Veteran Families and learned more about Veteran Family advocacy in Australia.

We left the Games with new knowledge, relationships and inspiration to continue forging ahead in our work supporting the mental health and well-being of Veterans and their Families.

EVENTS AND TRAINING

SELF-PACED TRAINING

FEATURED RESOURCE

Guide to moral injury for Veterans and Families

When a person engages in, witnesses or fails to prevent an action or event that conflicts with their own deeply held moral beliefs and values, they can experience moral injury, a type of psychological injury that reflects a deep impact on their self-image and worldview. Family members can also feel distress while trying to support their loved one who is experiencing moral injury, as well as being impacted themselves.

To help Veterans and Families understand what moral injury is, how it is different from posttraumatic stress injury and what you can do if you think you are experiencing moral injury, Atlas offers a downloadable guide with information, tools and strategies for individuals and Family members who are impacted.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Women Veterans research: Recruiting studies and upcoming opportunities

Research on Women Veterans’ health and well-being is underway at Atlas and we are still seeking participants for two studies:

• Examining the association between unmet health and well-being needs and mental health for women Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police
• This study is looking to understand women Veterans’ experiences in service, access to health care and mental health and well-being. Your participation can help advance knowledge in support of the well-being of women Veterans like you.

• Women’s well-being in post-service life: Evaluating the psychological, social, and systematic factors associated with transition from the Canadian military
• Atlas has partnered with the Canadian Legacy Project to conduct a study on the experiences of women Veterans during their transition from the military to post-service life. This study aims to identify some of the critical factors that impact transition and to generate evidence needed to inform how programs and supports are designed.

Share your experiences by completing the online surveys. Participation is voluntary and will take 45 to 90 minutes of your time. If you would like to support in other ways, we encourage you to share this information with your network to get the word out.

Well-being measurement tools directory

PARTNERSHIP AND STAKEHOLDER SPOTLIGHT

Team Atlas and the Mental Health Commission of Canada meet with the Ukrainian Minister of Veteran Affairs

We’re pleased to continue in our knowledge exchange work and international collaboration with leaders in Ukraine to support the mental health of Veterans and their Families in both countries.

Fardous Hosseiny, President and CEO of Atlas, and MaryAnn Notarianni, Deputy CEO and Executive Vice-President, Knowledge Mobilization, and representatives from the Mental Health Commission of Canada met in February with Ukrainian leaders, including:

• Nataliia Kalmykova, Minister of Veterans Affairs
• Yuliia Kovaliv, Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada
• Tetiana Lomakina, Special Advisor to the President of Ukraine — Inclusivity and barrier-free environment

The goal of this meeting was to gain insight into the current challenges faced by Ukraine in Veterans affairs and mental health care. The Atlas team discussed ongoing efforts to support these challenges, including roundtable discussions on the potential for neurofeedback as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the psychiatric management of PTSD and more. Our hope in working together is to contribute to knowledge-sharing initiatives that will improve the mental well-being of Veterans in conflict zones such as Ukraine and create a lasting positive impact internationally on the lives of all who have served.

COMMEMORATIONS CALENDAR

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