Canada Suicide Prevention Service Call 1-833-456-4566 Available 24/7
For residents of Quebec, call 1 866 APPELLE (1.866.277.3553)
The Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Related Mental Health Conditions builds strong community networks to create a system of the best possible supports and services for Veterans, first responders, and their families.
We bring people together, collect what we know related to mental health conditions and how to treat them. We widely share that information and ensure our collective knowledge is reflected in the research and practical work we do as a network.
The Centre gathers and generates knowledge on military and Veteran mental health by conducting and facilitating applied research in PTSD and related mental health conditions.
The Centre brings together partners and transforms knowledge into training and resources to ensure Veterans and their families are receiving the best possible supports and services.
The Centre co-creates and shares standards for emerging and best practices with policy makers, mental health professionals, the Veteran Affairs Canada network of Operational Stress Injury Clinics, and Canadian Forces Health Services.
The Centre functions as a “Network of Networks” which values lived and living experience and expertise equally with technical expertise. Our work is only as strong as the network that helps us guide and co-create our efforts.
An independent intermediary organization, we are hosted within The Royal Ottawa Health Care Group and funded by Veterans Affairs Canada.
Like many health and wellbeing systems, Veterans and their families face a complex system of services and supports to address posttraumatic mental health needs. The system is often difficult to navigate and has a wide a range of players performing a number of roles.
It is true that patches of good services and supports exist for Veterans and their families. That said, there is consensus across Canada and around the world, that existing systems of care for Veterans and their families do not adequately meet their needs across all areas.
Veterans and their families tell us there are clear opportunities for positive change.
Together, we envision a future system built on the following seven principles:
A broad range of stakeholders are able to influence the design of the system – Veterans, their families, healthcare providers, peer support organizations, intermediary organizations, policy makers, and more.
The active involvement of all these stakeholder groups is crucial – no single organization can deliver this new, integrated system alone.
You can find our vision for the future in our new Conceptual Framework to guide the implementation of best and next practice in services and supports for Veterans and Veteran Families. developed in partnership with Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health.
It’s an important first step in creating a new support system for Veterans and their families.
An intermediary is created to fill an implementation gap, by supporting it at a systemic level. In the area of Veteran mental health, there is currently a gap between knowledge and practice.
Our mission is to fill that gap through research, knowledge mobilization, coaching and training, and bringing together stakeholders across Canada and the world to make a real, positive impact on the lives of Veterans and their families.
Typically intermediaries:
Our role as an intermediary is outlined in our new Guide for Intermediaries (PDF, 14.7 MB), developed in partnership with Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health.
