The Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CoE-PTSD), from its inception, has been steadfastly committed to representing Veterans who have experienced individual and multiple pathways to PTSD and complex trauma. These include but are not limited to combat-stress-related PTSD, moral injury, the LGBT purge, and Military Sexual Trauma (MST).
The Centre uses the term “military sexual trauma” instead of “military sexual misconduct” purposefully. It centres the impacts of the act(s) on the person who experienced it, rather than on the behaviour, and overtly identifies that the trauma occurred within a military context.
Throughout the history of CAF, while there have been multiple disclosures, many others have not reported these incidents. They have feared reprisals, damage to their careers, being blamed for having caused the trauma, and not being taken seriously. The Centre of Excellence on PTSD supports those who have come forward as well as the choice of those who are keeping their experiences private.
Experiencing military sexual trauma can result in feelings of shame, self-blame, and anger. Those who have experienced it are at greater risk for developing PTSD, depression, problematic substance use, reproductive and sexual health issues, and chronic pain. Many of these impacts can extend throughout a lifetime, and result not only in loss of health and well-being, but also of a valued career. The process of reporting and/or filing claims to get access to services and supports can be re-traumatizing.
Research and clinical data shows that women and men appear to be disclosing MST in similar numbers. However, this can paint an inaccurate picture. Even though there are significantly fewer women in CAF than men, proportionally women experience far more military sexual trauma than do men. The experiences of men and 2SLGBTQ+ people are increasingly coming to the fore, as are the specific challenges that they face when reporting and seeking treatment.
The Centre of Excellence on PTSD believes that widespread cultural and systemic change must take place within CAF, with the active involvement of CAF leadership at all levels and ranks, so that the issue can be properly addressed from an intersectional perspective and further instances of abuse prevented. The Canadian Armed Forces has recognized this need in the culture-change strategy, The Path to Dignity and Respect, released in 2020. This strategy identifies a three-pronged approach. First, it includes the aspects of CAF culture that must be either eliminated, changed, or strengthened for real and sustaining change to occur. Secondly, it identifies the changes needed to support those who do report so that unintended secondary trauma doesn’t occur whether through reprisals or accommodations that can feel punitive. Thirdly, it acknowledges that for those who have experienced military sexual trauma, the appropriate targeted services, supports, and treatments need to be available.
The CoE-PTSD is committed to raising awareness about MST, and to improving the well-being of those impacted by it, through:
- Research into peer support services and programs,
- Identification of the specialized needs of, and training options for, service providers,
- Participation in the Canadian Military Sexual Trauma Community of Practice, and co-hosting a three-session Symposium (along with McMaster University) on MST that will be presented from June to September 2021,
- Ongoing research and education on the direct links between MST and the pervasive impacts of PTSD,
- Enhanced and improved compassionate responses to disclosure to minimize the potential of secondary trauma,
- Working with stakeholders to advance specialized treatment options for those who have experienced MST, and
- Ensuring that those with lived experience of MST are heard, and that their wisdom informs and guides our work.
We remain hopeful that real change is possible and that the Canadian Armed Forces can be a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all of its members. We are open to working with CAF and Veterans Affairs Canada to support the effective implementation of the goals and objectives of Path to Dignity and Respect. Those who have experienced military sexual trauma deserve access to high quality services and supports whether still a serving member or as a Veteran.
For further information, contact:
Joy Pavelich
Vice President
Strategy & Operations
Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
joy.pavelich@theroyal.ca
The Centre of Excellence on PTSD acknowledges the findings and recommendations in the report issued on 19 January by the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman, Mental Health Treatment Benefits for Family Members, in their Own Right, for Conditions Related to Military Service. The report’s findings are consistent with those of the Centre of Excellence, based on our own research and consultations with Veterans and Veteran Families.
At present, Veteran Family members will receive their own VAC mental health supports only if these supports will also have a positive impact on the Veteran’s mental health, is part of the Veteran’s treatment or rehabilitation plan, and if the professional treating the Veteran determines the family needs mental health supports. This puts family members, particularly spouses, in a vulnerable position where their access to care is not based on their own needs but rather on the needs of another. Given that 87% of military and Veteran spouses are female, this exposes these individuals to additional burdens of paternalism and sexism.
Current research clearly shows that military and Veteran families have life experiences distinct from those of the general population, experiences which present unique challenges. They live with frequent disruptions in their social networks, housing, schooling, and employment as a result of frequent postings. Parental absence while on deployment along with anxiety due to the risk of injury to or the death of the deployed person create stressors for family members. These are in addition to the challenges of living with and caring for a member or Veteran experiencing PTSD.
Spouses of military members and Veterans are the primary caregivers. As the report indicates, families are “ground zero” for transition challenges, including the effects of PTSD. Families are critical to Veteran well-being and if the family is not functioning well, this could have a significant impact on the well-being and prognosis of the Veteran.
“What each of us needs to remember is that every single person who has served our country in the Canadian Armed Forces is also someone’s son/daughter, parent, spouse, partner, sibling, or friend. They are part of a family unit. Their families love them, rely on them and support them and we would be naïve to believe that the impact of military service, especially PTSD, does not resonate and change family functioning. There are unique and significant stressors on Military and Veteran families and it is likely that any veteran who has moved to recovery with PTSD didn’t do it alone. These families have earned support in their own right and we owe it to them to provide it. The family unit is the nucleus of each of our Canadian communities.”
Laryssa Lamrock, Strategic Advisor, Families
Centre of Excellence – PTSD
The Centre of Excellence hopes to work with Veterans, Families, Veterans Affairs Canada, provincial health authorities, and other leaders in the mental health sector to build the most effective and efficient system for Veterans and their families.
Some countries achieve optimal service provision through their Veteran-specific administration while others operationalize service through regional health bodies. However it is accomplished, lived expertise tells us this system needs to have a holistic approach to wellbeing, which includes the support of families in their own right.
By: Dr. Patrick Smith, President & CEO of the Centre of Excellence on PTSD
With respect to the decision by Whole Foods to disallow Canadian employees from showing their respect for Canadian Veterans by wearing poppies while at work, the Centre of Excellence on PTSD for Veterans and first responders and their families takes an official position that Remembrance Day, celebrated annually on November 11 since the end of the First World War, is not a cause, but a time set aside across the Commonwealth to honour members of the Armed Forces who have served their nation.
These selfless heroes are responsible for the freedom and liberties we enjoy as Canadians, and it is important they know their service is recognized, appreciated and respected. Remembrance Day is a day which unites all Canadians in active solidarity to recognize the significant contribution of generations of heroes who have sacrificed and served. It is a day to honour their families who have also sacrificed and shown great strength and resilience. For the more than 700,000 Canadian Veterans and their families representing a rich and diverse portrait of this Nation from cultural, religious, and geographic backgrounds, the decision by Whole Foods is one which offends the very core of what it means to be a proud Canadian. This blatant lack of respect and appreciation can also have a significant negative impact on Veterans and their families who are still struggling with the challenges that can too often linger after service. To understand that Canadians honour their sacrifices is what can often ease the challenges they are faced with upon return to civilian life. In addition to honouring Veterans with profile, poppies serve as an important fundraiser for Legions who provide financial assistance and support to Veterans, including Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP, and their families who are in need.
In response to Whole Foods, our official position is that no one should take for granted their rights and freedoms to do business in Canada.
We will be reaching out to Whole Foods to offer training and support for their leadership in Canada to educate and raise awareness of the meaning of Remembrance Day in Canada and how best to support their employees in Canada and our Canadian Veterans and their families.
Contact:
Centre of Excellence on PTSD
Media spokesperson
