This message from the CDS was sent to all recipients on the DWAN. It is being repeated here due to its importance to all members of the CMEA.
Le texte français suit.
The health and well-being of the Defence Team is always top of mind. Mental health in our community is important and we must keep the conversation about mental health and its effects open and clear. Again this year, we are participating in the national discussion on mental health as part of the Bell Let's Talk Day initiative, which will take place on January 27, 2016. We have done this for three years now, and we encourage each of you to get involved again this year.
By learning more about mental health, we are better able to recognize when our friends, and coworkers, need help. It is important that we work on bringing an end to the stigma around mental health in our workplace, our homes, and our communities.
Through DND/CAF social media, we have asked the Defence Team to ask questions about mental health and suggest ways we can reduce stigma. Today, these questions and ideas will be discussed by a mental health panel in Petawawa as part of Bell Let's Talk Day. The senior leadership within the Defence Team is also well-engaged on the topic. During a Defence Leadership Symposium being held in Ottawa this week, mental health is a discussion item. But the conversation will not stop there. We will also post ideas online, and we encourage members to continue sharing their ideas on mental health and on ways of reducing stigma. We want to hear from you.
We encourage all commanders, managers, and team leaders to have open and honest conversations about mental health in the workplace. Use Bell Let's Talk Day as an opportunity to open the dialogue and encourage frank discussions about how we can reduce stigma. These conversations may change your understanding and attitudes about mental health, and may relate closely to your own lives. Even if you have not experienced mental illness personally, chances are someone close to you has, or will have, a mental illness at some point in their lives.
We also encourage you to participate in the official Bell Let's Talk Day campaign on social media. For every tweet using #BellLetsTalk, and every Facebook share of the Bell Let's Talk Day image at Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk, Bell will donate five cents to programs dedicated to mental health.
We are proud of the progress we have made in knocking down the barriers to seeking care and reducing stigma, but the work isn't done. We need to be aware of and address mental health issues as soon as they arise. As a community and a family, members of the Defence team need to watch out for any changes in behaviour in our coworkers, friends, and family members. Encourage them to seek help.
To all members of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence, if you think that you need help, get it now. See your doctor; talk to your manager, the employee and member assistance programs, and, in an emergency, your local emergency room or call 911. All levels of the Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence leadership support you. We support you. You are not alone.
Visit the Defence Team's Bell Let's Talk webpage (DWAN) to find out more about how you can participate in this important initiative.
| General Jon Vance | John Forster |
| Chief of the Defence Staff | Deputy Minister |
Mental Health Resources
You're Not Alone. Online mental health resources for CAF members and families
Mental Health (The Defence Team Website)(DWAN). Online mental health resources for all members of the Defence Team
CAF Health Services Clinics Your local health services clinic or one of 26 mental health clinics, located at bases and wings throughout Canada, can provide the required assistance or a referral to the most appropriate resource.
CAF Member Assistance Program (CFMAP) The CFMAP is a confidential, 24/7 toll-free telephone advisory and referral service for all CAF personnel and their families. The CFMAP can also provide short-term, confidential, external counselling for those in need. 1-800-268-7708
Employee Assistance Program. The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a voluntary, confidential and short-term solution‑focused service available to civilian employees and their eligible family members who are experiencing personal or professional issues that may have an impact on their personal well‑being and/or their work performance. EAP services are available through two points of contact: Department of National Defence Referral Agents and professional mental health counsellors through Health Canada's Employee Assistance Services.
For immediate assistance, Employee Assistance Services can be accessed 24/7 at:
- 1-800-268-7708
- 1-800-567-5803 (for the hearing impaired).
The Family Information Line (FIL). The FIL is a toll-free bilingual telephone service for families of Canadian military personnel, intended to provide timely and accurate information as well as reassurance, support and referrals to other resources as needed. FIL counsellors are available to handle calls in confidence 24‑hours a day, seven days a week.
- 1-800-866-4546 (Toll-free in North America)
- 1-613-995-5234 (Collect calls accepted)
Military Family Resource Centres (MFRCs). MFRCs provide information on subjects of interest to military families, including mental health. They can also provide psychological support through counselling and referral services to complementary programs in the larger, local community.
Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS). OSISS is a peer-based support program for CAF members, veterans, and their families who are coping with an operational stress injury. The OSISS vision is "to be an exemplary model of standardized peer support to CAF personnel, veterans and their families."
Operational Trauma and Stress Support Centres (OTSSCs). OTSCCs provide assessment, individual and group treatment for personnel experiencing difficulties that result from operational duties. OTSSCs are located in Edmonton, Esquimalt, Gagetown, Halifax, Ottawa, Petawawa and Valcartier.
The Road to Mental Readiness (R2MR). The R2MR web portal is designed to provide more information about the types of R2MR training provided to CAF personnel throughout their career, during deployment, and to CAF families.
Strengthening the Forces. Strengthening the Forces is the CAF's health promotion program and includes awareness and prevention initiatives in areas such as suicide, anger and stress management, healthy relationships, family violence, and addictions.
Integrated Personnel Support Centers (IPSC). The 24 Integrated Personnel Support Centres across Canada provide support to CAF ill and injured personnel, veterans and their families, with a focus on the following core functions: return to work program coordination; casualty support outreach delivery; casualty tracking; casualty administrative and advocacy services; support platoon structure to provide military leadership, supervision, and administrative support; a liaison for Military Family Resource Centers, with local base support representatives and local unit commanding officers.
