Daniel Sundahl

Keynote Presentation:

Post Traumatic Growth: Finding Benefits within Challenges

Post-traumatic growth is more than recovering, it is about reconfiguration and becoming a better person than you were before the injury occurred.  My journey from battling my demons to purging my nightmares in artwork is shared through images based on calls I have attended as a paramedic and firefighter.  I will share how my job nearly destroyed my life and, although this is my story, you may connect with them through your own experiences and realize you are not alone in how you are feeling.   More importantly, I will share what I did, and continue to do, to build resiliency and recover from my mental stresses.  If I can do it, so can you. 

Learn more about Daniel Sundahl in our Journal.

Dr. Belinda Seagram & Joanna Lockhart

The call to serve comes from deep within. Working as a first responder/military member can be an incredibly rewarding profession that comes with inherent risks.

The strategies we employ to manage stress, although effective in the short term can serve as risk factors to subsequent injury; the ability to compartmentalize emotions is both adaptive and essential in high-risk work. Repeated exposure to trauma can create a backlog of unprocessed experiences, evidenced through the emergence of unwelcomed symptoms.

Having tools to gauge the cumulative effects of stress is essential for developing long-term resiliency. Whether at work or in recovery, knowing how to assess our level of central nervous system activation is integral to maintaining long-term health.

Learn more about Dr. Belinda Seagram and Joanna Lockhart in our Journal

Dr. Lisa Couperthwaite, Ph.D., C.Psych.

INDIVIDUALIZED PROACTIVE SELF-CARE WELLNESS AND ACTION PLANNING

A Self-care Wellness and Action Plans (SWAP) is a tool used for prevention of mental health injuries and promotion and maintenance of mental health wellness. Learn about individualized SWAPs for people working in high trauma sectors and view samples with information entered by first responders. Participants will be provided a SWAP template to create their own individualized SWAP.

Participants will also learn about how to prepare oneself in the event of an Occupational Stress Injury (OSI) claim with a Worker’s Compensation Board. Learn how to navigate the claim system to prevent distress and OSI aggravation that can sometimes result from lack of knowledge of the claims process, roles, and available services.

Learn more about Dr. Lisa Couperthwaite in our Journal

Kerry Copeland

Movement builds community. Movement builds resiliency.

The Healthy Tomorrow Foundation believes movement contributes to improved physical and mental health, including resilience. Kerry will share information regarding how the Foundation strives to help Nova Scotians experience the benefits movement can provide, by creating a cultural shift through Make Your Move and Make Your Move at Work.

Kerry will lead delegates through a five-minute movement break. Experience how easy it is to incorporate movement throughout the day and how a simple movement break can make you feel good. 

Learn more about Kerry Copeland in our Journal

Dr. Jason Powell

Nursing: The effects of repetitive traumatic stressors, the current pre-licensure academic preparation, and suggestions for a way forward.

The literature is clear on the effects of repetitive traumatic stressors and frontline emergency responders. Much attention has been devoted to effective strategies for health professionals experiencing psychological trauma, post-traumatic stress, and other sequela as a result of their on-the-job lived experiences. A gap currently exists in the connection between the pre-licensure/registration academic preparation, resiliency, coping, and effective management of on-the-job psychological traumatic experiences. 

Attending this session, you will understand the role of pre-licensure/registration programs in arming future frontline emergency services professionals with the knowledge, skills, abilities and tools to successfully mitigate the effects of the stressors. Dr. Powell will share his lived experience of working in a large, urban emergency department as a Registered Nurse, his academic preparation, and perceived gap between postsecondary preparation and successful transition to frontline emergency services work.

Learn more about Dr. Jason Powell in our Journal

Capt Christopher Rochon, Capt Jon Nicholson & CPO1 Matt Boniface

Capt. Rochon, Capt. Nicholson and CP01 Boniface will discuss how they worked to build resiliency and maintain the mental health of their crew while being deployed on Operation REASSURANCE for standing NATO Maritime Group in Northern Europe. 

Captain Christopher Rochon assumed Command of HMCS HALIFAX in January 2020, and deployed on Operation REASSURANCE as the Flagship Commanding Officer for Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 in northern Europe.

Commander Jon Nicholson assumed duties as the Executive Officer of HMCS Halifax in January 2020, where he completed a full tiered-readiness program leading to a deployment on Operation REASSURANCE in January 2021. 

Upon promotion to Chief Petty Officer 1st Class, Matt Boniface was posted to Director Naval Requirements as a Project Director in the field of Unmanned Aerial Systems, after which he was appointed Coxswain of HMCS Halifax and deployed on Op REASSURANCE in 2021.

Learn more about all three in our Journal

Colleen Kamps, MA, CYC (Registered Psychotherapist)

Crisis & Opportunity

Dealing with a crisis can be challenging, but it can be even more difficult when you are in a crisis yourself. We have to remember that it is okay to take a step back and focus on your own needs during a crisis. Prioritizing your own self-care can help you to manage the crisis more effectively and be a source of support for others.  

This workshop will focus on practical skills and strategies that can help build your capacity to function to your best ability, regardless of what is going on around you. The more proactive we can be at addressing the challenges around us the greater the possibility of harnessing our inner strength that helps ensure resiliency.  

Learn more about Colleen in our Journal

Gary O’Toole - Labour, Skills and Immigration and Shelley Rowan - Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia

In this session Shelley Rowan, Interim CEO, WCB Nova Scotia and Gary O’Toole, Senior Executive Director for the Safety Branch, Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration will talk about how their organizations are supporting psychologically safe workplaces and developing programs, tools and resources to support first responders’ mental health.

Learn more about Gary and Shelley in our Journal

Deborah Norris, PhD

The Families Matter Research Group is the primary pathway for leading research dedicated to improving the health and well-being of those connected to high-risk occupations, with a focus on the families of military, veteran, and public safety personnel. These families are shaped by occupational risks and requirements of those jobs, and they face unique challenges related to logistics, exposure to risk, mobility, and relating to the broader community.

We are building a network to engage with families and organizations to connect them to evidence-based supports and those who study, serve, and support them.

Learn more about Dr. Deborah Norris in our Journal

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