National collaborative on PTSD and related mental health conditions
The Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families has partnered with the Canadian Institute on Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) to convene the National Collaborative on PTSD and Related Mental Health Conditions. Launched in April 2022, the Collaborative serves to enhance our collective understanding of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related mental health conditions, making use of the extensive expertise available across Canada.
What does the Collaborative do?
The Collaborative aims to create a national forum for knowledge exchange that will increase understanding about and improve the mental health sector’s capacity to support the well-being of active military, Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), serving Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) members and RCMP Veterans, as well as other serving and retired public safety personnel (PSP), and all of their leaders and their Families.
Why was the Collaborative established?
- To identify and partner with peer organizations focused on PTSD within the broader mental health landscape.
- To foster collaboration and break down organizational silos by supporting cross-sector initiatives on PTSD and related mental health conditions.
- To serve as a catalyst for conversation related to emerging issues that affect military, Veterans, serving and retired PSP, and their Families.
- To broaden member organizations’ reach among and strengthen their connections with the communities they support.
What we hope to achieve
To facilitate the sharing of knowledge about PTSD and related mental health conditions between organizations working to serve the military, Veteran, and PSP communities and their Families, the Collaborative is designed to:
- Provide a dedicated space for knowledge exchange and meaningful dialogue to enhance our collective understanding of PTSD and the associate impacts.
- Bring together and encourage collaboration among organizations with diverse expertise and experiences related to military, Veteran, serving and retired PSP, and family well-being, mental health promotion, research, practice, and policy.
Member organizations
The Collaborative’s member organizations have a national mandate and are engaged in efforts to improve PTSD supports for the military, Veteran, serving and retired PSP, and family communities, both at a federal level and within the mental health system.
- Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families (co-chair)
- Canadian Alliance for Mental Illness and Mental Health
- Canadian Association of Social Workers
- Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
- Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research
- Canadian Institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) (co-chair)
- CIPSRT Public Safety Steering Committee
- Canadian Psychiatric Association
- Canadian Psychological Association
- Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans
- Mental Health Commission of Canada
- Military Family Services
- Mood Disorders Society of Canada
- National Police Federation
- RCMP Veterans’ Association
- The Royal Canadian Legion
- Women in Defence and Security
Learn more
If you have any questions about the Collaborative, please reach out to info-atlas@theroyal.ca.
Acknowledgements
The Atlas Institute would like to acknowledge the Medavie Foundation for its funding support during the Collaborative’s first year in 2022, which was instrumental in its establishment.
