The term trauma-informed appears frequently in mental health services. Psychotherapists, counsellors, community organizations, and peer support programs use it to describe their approach to working with people who have experienced trauma. For someone seeking treatment for PTSD, however, the term doesn’t necessarily tell them whether the clinician is qualified to treat the symptoms they’re experiencing....

A sudden loud noise can produce an immediate physical response. Heart rate changes, the body’s sweat response increases, and attention shifts toward the source of the sound. For someone experiencing PTSD, these responses may be particularly pronounced. Hyperarousal can involve heightened vigilance, exaggerated startle responses, and difficulty returning to a calmer physiological state. Veterans with...

Protective Factors for Veterans and First Responders Mental Health | Fire Team K9 Sleep is an essential part of physical and psychological health. For veterans and first responders, shift work, irregular schedules, operational demands, and exposure to stressful events can interfere with sleep and recovery. For people experiencing PTSD, nightmares, hyperarousal, and difficulty settling at...

A police officer may know that their department has an employee assistance program, understand that counselling is available, and still have little interest in approaching the service. There are many reasons for that. Previous experiences, concerns about confidentiality, workplace culture, and uncertainty about the people delivering support can all influence whether someone chooses to participate....

Protective Factors for Veterans and First Responder Mental Health| Fire Team K9 Military service and first responder careers can shape far more than someone’s working life. They influence routines, friendships, values, responsibilities, and how people understand themselves. For many, service becomes a central part of personal identity. That sense of identity can be meaningful and...

You’ve been attending therapy for several weeks. You like your therapist, feel comfortable during appointments, and usually leave feeling that the conversation was worthwhile. But the nightmares haven’t changed. You’re still avoiding certain places, and your family says you’ve become increasingly withdrawn. At what point should you expect something to change? It’s a reasonable question...