Veteran Family Summit 2026

Tabitha Beynen served for 10 years in the Canadian Armed Forces as a Medical Technician. Her story of her experience with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) highlights the unique struggles related to women’s mental health, being in survival mode and learning to live again with feelings and emotions. She also focuses on the unique needs and experiences of single parents struggling with PTSD. She currently serves as Lived Expertise Lead, Veterans at the Atlas Institute.

Dr. Tim Black is the National Clinical Director at Wounded Warriors Canada (WWC). A clinician, researcher and program developer, he has been working with trauma-exposed professionals (TExP) and their trauma-exposed Families (TExF) for his entire career. After more than 20 years as a tenured Associate Professor of Counselling Psychology at one of the top graduate programs in Canada, he left the academic world in 2024 to join WWC as National Clinical Director, where he currently oversees and supervises WWC’s education, training and treatment programs for traumatized TExP and their Families across Canada. Tim co-developed the WWC Trauma Resiliency programs (TRP1 and TRP2), Couples Overcoming PTSD Every Day (COPE) program, the Trauma Resiliency Training (TRT) and TRT for Leaders (TRT-L) programs, which have grown and expanded nationally and are now being delivered in multiple provinces in both official languages.

Jill Carleton is a retired Regular Force Naval Veteran, military spouse and military parent. She has volunteered with multiple non-profit and charitable organizations, mentored through the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s (MHCC) SPARK program and is a trained peer supporter through Mental Health Innovations and through the Mood Disorders Society of Ontario.

Jill is one of the founders of the Royal Canadian Legion’s Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Special Section and currently serves as the Dominion Treasurer of the Legion, as well as Secretary of the Navalis Foundation (formerly known as the Royal Canadian Naval Benevolent Fund).

Jill is an ardent believer in peer support and its role within the military and Veteran Family community.

Susan Clarke-Tizzard grew up in the military and then joined it. She served from 1983 until 1994 in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Long after leaving the CAF, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Management, Teaching English as a Second Language I & II from Crandall University and International Community Development from Mount Royal University.

She views the military as her culture and society. She never believed for a moment that she would ever leave the military environment, but ended up leaving on a medical release. In 2012, she had back and spinal surgery due to military injuries and just to make it more interesting, broke her hip while doing canicross with her dogs in 2017. As a Veteran consultant for research projects, living with chronic pain, she is able to educate researchers, clinicians and others regarding the Veteran mindset and the stoicism that is displayed in regards to chronic pain.

Susan is a volunteer who is dedicated to trying to make a difference for Veterans. Her strength is in communicating the uniqueness of military life as a military child and as a military member herself. As a woman Veteran, she is also able to discuss the unique issues that some women Veterans have faced in the military, and what they face as they attempt to transition to a life outside of the CAF.

She is an “et al” co-author, published in the Journal of Cancer Education and the Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health.

Ronessa Dass (she/her) is a joint rehabilitation sciences and occupational therapy student at McMaster University, supervised by Dr. Tara Packham. Both Ronessa’s master’s and PhD thesis were supported by a Capacity Building Initiative from the Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans. Ronessa is passionate about improving the accessibility of pain services.

Natacha Dupuis is a retired Master Corporal of the Canadian Armed Forces, with more than 16 years of service that include key missions such as the ice storm crisis, a tour in Bosnia and two deployments to Afghanistan. During her second tour, she faced the devastating loss of comrades, leading to a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Committed to her recovery, Natacha turned to physical fitness as a vital component of her healing journey. With the support of her loved ones and initiatives such as the Soldier On program, she regained strength and resilience through sport, rediscovering both purpose and a sense of community.

Her athletic journey took centre stage at the Invictus Games. In 2016, she earned two gold medals in track (100m, 200m) and a bronze in powerlifting. The following year in Toronto, she served as Co-Captain, winning three gold medals (100m, 200m, 400m) and a silver in indoor rowing.

Originally from Montreal’s south side, she now resides in the National Capital Region, where she serves the public in a new civilian role and advocates as a mental health ambassador through public speaking engagements. Her story is one of courage, transformation and perseverance, an inspiration for others to rise beyond adversity and pursue their dreams.

Gary Hollender started his service in uniform as a Cadet with the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada at age 12. He went on to serve in the Reserves before becoming a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Auxiliary Constable in 1988.

After Language Training and Depot, his first posting took him and his wife and three daughters from British Columbia to Peace River, AB. a wonderful community that accepted him and his Family as one of their own. It was also the first place someone shot at him.

After postings at Hobbema, AB, Cross Lake, MB, and again across Alberta in Leduc, Assumption, Thorsby, Breton, Maskwacis, Edmonton, and finally at the Edmonton Airport, he retired in July 2021. In addition to his normal duties, Gary volunteered with the Special Tactical Operations Team, then as a tactical medic with the RCMP Emergency Response Team and finally on the Comunity Liaison Team (dealing with protests and other major events).

The highlight of his career was as an Operational Trainer/Mentor to the Afghan National Police, in Kandahar, from March to December of 2009 while seconded to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and United States Army.

In his spare time, he volunteered as a firefighter / Lieutenant from 1998 to 2013 in the communities where he lived, as well as a CAF Cadet Instructor training Cadets in Alberta and Manitoba since 2006.

He now works as a labour relations officer with the National Police Federation.

He has been married for 40 years, He has three daughters, six grandchildren, one dog and two cows.

Fardous Hosseiny is the President and CEO at the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families. Before coming to Atlas, he was most recently the interim National Chief Executive Officer and the National Director of Research and Public Policy at the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Fardous hopes that Atlas embodies “serving those who have served” as we continue to work hand in hand with Veterans and their Families. His goal is for the Atlas Institute’s work, research and outreach to be imbued with the voices of Veterans and their Families, as he believes change will come through this kind of meaningful engagement.

Gordon Hurley (he/him) is a Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Veteran who served 15 years as a light infantry airborne reconnaissance patrolman in the 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR), and later as a special operator and Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) within Canadian Special Operations Command (CANSOFCOM).

Following his medical release, Gordon shifted his focus from military operations to creative and advocacy work. He co-founded All The Way Factory, a Veteran-led creative agency that uses storytelling, design and media to bridge the gap between lived experience and public understanding.

As the Producer and Creative Lead of the Advance Force Operations documentary series, Gordon brings a Veteran lens to conversations about trauma, transition and recovery. The series focuses on evidence-based, medically supervised therapies for posttraumatic stress and related injuries, beginning with ketamine-assisted therapy.

Gordon’s advocacy is rooted in collaboration with clinicians, researchers and Veteran-serving organizations across Canada. He has briefed government and community leaders on topics including operator syndrome and alternative therapies, to improve access, reduce stigma and encourage data-informed dialogue.

He continues to volunteer across multiple Veteran organizations and boards that focus on mental health, transition and community leadership. His work emphasizes honesty, inclusion and the belief that the people most affected by trauma should be part of shaping how we understand and address it.

Howie Johnson served in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) for 28 years, retiring in 2009. After transitioning from military service, he dedicates his time and efforts to peer support work, focusing on Veterans and first responders — groups whose sacrifices and challenges he deeply understands.

Howie continues to serve his community through volunteerism with Boots on the Ground and Heroes Mending on the Fly, ensuring that those who serve others are themselves acknowledged and supported.

Danielle Kelly has been a Family Peer Support Coordinator for over 17 years, supporting the Families of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and Veterans. Danielle’s connection to the military community runs deep. She is the daughter of a now-retired military member and has been posted across Canada and had three postings to Germany. She is a daughter, mother of two amazing adults and grandmother to three grandchildren.

She is passionate and dedicated to supporting Families on their journeys of wellness with compassion, empathy and understanding. A strong advocate for helping Families learn to make their own well-being a priority while continuing to care for those they love, Danielle brings both lived experience and heartfelt commitment to her work.

She believes it is a privilege and honour to walk beside Families on their incredible journeys of healing and posttraumatic growth. She understands the impacts and challenges of operational stress injuries and reminds Families that they are never alone — that healing happens together, in community.

Laryssa Lamrock is the National Strategic Advisor, Families at the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families. She has a personal understanding of the many challenges facing Veteran Families as the spouse of a Canadian Armed Forces Veteran who was medically released with posttraumatic stress disorder and depression, and as a mother supporting four children impacted by the operational stress injury of their loved one. Laryssa draws from these experiences as she advocates passionately for and represents the voices of military and Veteran Family members.

With more than 18 years of experience in the field of addiction, Donna Low has been a driving force behind the development and facilitation of some of Canada’s leading Family and children’s programs. Her work is grounded in a strong academic foundation in child and youth care and complex Family systems, further enriched by mentorship under Neal Berger, a renowned expert in substance use and mental health treatment across North America.

Donna’s approach is deeply compassionate and rooted in both professional expertise and personal experience. Having navigated the challenges of generational substance use disorder within her own Family, she brings a rare authenticity and empathy to her work. Her ability to create safe, supportive spaces allows individuals and Families to explore their healing journey with courage and hope.

Known for her down-to-earth style and genuine connection with others, Donna delivers recovery tools in a way that is both accessible and impactful. Through her work, she has inspired countless individuals, Families, communities and workplaces to believe in the possibility of recovery and lasting change.

Sheri Lux is the author of Finding My Fire, a heartfelt memoir that chronicles her journey through grief, healing and self-discovery. In its pages, she vulnerably shares her experience navigating the quiet weight of codependency, the heartbreak of loss, overcoming transformative surgeries and the courage it takes to reclaim one’s voice.

She is a former teacher who earned her BA and B.Ed. from the University of Saskatchewan. She was married to a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer, who tragically lost his battle with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). After his passing, she left her teaching career to dedicate herself to her grieving children while also building her company, Karys Layne Candles. Through her scented woodwork candles and crystal-infused art, she creates pieces that embody transformation and healing — each one inviting you to slow down, reconnect and remember the light within.

As a mother, author, teacher, artist and entrepreneur, she embodies resilience in everything she does. Through her writing and public speaking, she inspires others to turn their deepest pain into power and to rebuild lives rooted in authenticity, strength and purpose. Sheri’s work serves as a reminder that even in our darkest moments, healing is possible — and that the life we’re meant to live awaits us on the other side of our willingness to rise, shine a light on the shadows and reveal the pattens which no longer serve us.

Sheri currently lives in Calgary, AB and finds her inspiration in the breathtaking views of the Rocky Mountains.

Dr. Kate Hill MacEachern is a Senior Research Associate at the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families. Her work is anchored in social determinants of health with a particular interest in how sex- and gender-specific issues relate to mental health and well-being. She is a co-founder of the Athena Project, a community-engaged research initiative dedicated to conducting applied research in support of the mental health and well-being of women Veterans. She received a PhD in psychology from Carleton University.

Polliann Maher is the Lived Expertise Lead, Families at the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families. She is the spouse of a Veteran with posttraumatic stress disorder and brings to her role more than 20 years of lived experience in navigating the mental health system. Polliann is passionate about educating the Veteran community and sharing her knowledge of the resources that are available to them. She is a strong advocate around changes that encompass the Family, which are many times an afterthought or forgotten.

Brian McKenna served for 19 years in the Canadian Army, retiring as a Warrant Officer. In that time, he served in Bosnia twice, both as a signaller and then a section commander. He then deployed to Afghanistan twice, once with the Canadian Army and once again as a NATO counter-improvised explosive device instructor. While seeking medical treatment post-release, he joined with other Veterans in petitioning the government for the creation of a centre focused on Veteran and Family mental health issues, resulting in the establishment of the Atlas Institute. Brian has incorporated both evidence-based and non-evidence based practices in his recovery and currently serves as National Strategic Advisor, Veterans, for the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families.

Candice is a Professor of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University and Founder and CEO of Nellie Health. She is one of the foremost experts on traumatic stress, and specifically individual and conjoint therapies for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the interpersonal aspects of traumatization and recovery. She has received numerous awards for her clinical, teaching and research contributions, including Fellow status in the Canadian and American psychological associations, Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies and Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies. In 2025, she won the Canadian Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology as a Science. She has published more than 200 publications and co-authored eight books, including the treatment manuals Cognitive Processing Therapy: A Comprehensive Manual and Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD. She is also well-known for her clinical training and therapy dissemination efforts.

Sophie Richard is a registered social worker with more than 25 years of experience in the fields of bereavement and mental health within the Department of National Defence (DND). For more than 20 years, she has served as the National Program Bereavement Peer Support Manager for the HOPE (Helping Our Peers by Providing Empathy) program, a role through which she and her team has profoundly supported Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and their Families.

In 2006, Sophie developed the HOPE program, which provides peer support and education on grief. Through this program, she and her team have helped members and Families understand that grief is more than “just” sadness — it impacts one’s actions, emotions, thoughts, spirituality and both physical and mental health. Her compassionate approach and expertise have guided many through the most difficult moments of loss.

Throughout her career, Sophie’s passion for helping others navigate grief has remained steadfast. Her work continues to make a lasting impact on the lives of those she serves and on the culture of care within the CAF community.

Dr. J Don Richardson is a psychiatrist at the Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Clinic, Professor and Tanna Schulich Chair in Neuroscience at Western University and Director of the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre. He also serves as Medical Advisor to the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families and is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR). With more than 25 years of experience as a clinician-researcher and more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, he is dedicated to advancing mental health care for military personnel and Veterans.

Sonja Riddle is a highly skilled clinician with more than a decade of both personal and professional experience in the field of addiction. Her work spans the full continuum of care, with a strong focus on developing and facilitating Family and children’s programming at some of Canada’s leading treatment centres.

Throughout her career, Sonja has been dedicated to transforming how substance use disorder is understood and approached. Her ability to communicate complex concepts with clarity and compassion offers meaningful relief and insight to the individuals and families she supports. She creates a space where people feel seen, heard and empowered to heal.

Sonja’s teaching style is both inspirational and grounded, helping Families make sense of their experiences while fostering connection and hope. Her work continues to make a lasting impact on those navigating the challenges of addiction and recovery.

Dr. Thomas Wasiuta is a psychiatrist primarily treating active-duty members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Veterans and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) personnel. He has an undergraduate degree in neuroscience from the University of Toronto and completed his medical doctorate at Western University. Following residency training in psychiatry, he pursued additional fellowship training at the Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Clinic in London, ON, treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other OSIs. He has experience in novel therapeutic approaches to PTSD treatment, having recently incorporated ketamine treatment into his work with CAF Veterans.

Grant Winfield is a military child and the son of two Veterans and has experienced first-hand what it is like to live with a parent with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While he and his parents are now each other’s closest supporters, they struggled through many of the trials of PTSD in isolation — away from relatives and other military Families. As an adult, Grant has found his place in the military Family community as a mentor, helping other military children understand mental health and not owning your parent’s trauma.

Grant has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Drama from the University of Alberta. He has volunteered for four years as a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters and for two years with Wounded Warriors Canada (WWC). As a facilitator with the WWC Warrior Kids Camps, Grant guided the children of first responders and Veterans through discussions of mental health and operational stress injuries. Grant also works with a Veterans advocacy group, helping Veterans, Royal Canadian Mounted Police members, and their Families overturn unfavourable disability benefit decisions from Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC).

This is Grant’s second project with Atlas. In 2025, he participated in a digital storytelling workshop where he made a short film about his Family’s story titled Finding my role. He hopes that by sharing his experiences, other Veteran Family members will see the importance of peer support, not just for the health of the Veteran, but for themselves as well.