They need training.
Evidence of meeting #30 for Veterans Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was help.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #30 for Veterans Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was help.
A recording is available from Parliament.
November 23rd, 2010 / 4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Director, Assessment-Treatment Services, Whelan Psychological Services Inc.
Really, it is the same issue. It is the shortage of trained personnel. We need training, training, training, and qualifications beyond just showing up with my degree and saying that I'm now a Blue Cross provider to veterans. I need expertise and training, overseen throughout the veterans system, for any provider coming into that system to provide care for veterans.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
Okay.
The next round will be a three-minute round.
We'll start with Ms. Duncan.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'm going to be very quick.
Thank you to all. We appreciate this tremendously.
I am concerned, and I'm wondering what you think about screening for currently serving members of the forces. They could do their own screening, as they do at the U.S. Department of Defense health services during their time. When they leave the military, should they be offered self-screening as well? If they are going to be offered screening, this should be seen as only a first step to treatment, and it has to be linked to effective and timely treatment.
The other point is about the need for medical transitional services, set up across the country, that are designed to deal with both regular and reserve forces members.
I know that you have no time to address traumatic brain injury, PTSD, and dementia.
Representative, Whelan Psychological Services Inc.
Screening is an important issue. Knowing how to screen and when to screen is really an important issue.
“Adjustment disorder” is the catch-all phrase for people during the period when they first come out. The proper diagnosis for people when they first have a problem is “adjustment”. But if you check the DSM-IV, it's a six-month period, and that's it. A lot of people would say that almost everyone has some version of adjustment disorder. It's whether you return to your normal functioning.
So the testing and the screening should be periodic and should be done for people when other people in their lives are noticing a change in their personality and a change in their background. In those cases, those people should be targeted for screening at those points. You would not be screening every living soul but would target the screening so that it's more cost-effective.
Director, Assessment-Treatment Services, Whelan Psychological Services Inc.
To answer your second point about medical transitional services, I absolutely agree. The question becomes how we create a structure that follows a person as they transition “out of uniform”, to use that phrase, into civilian life, while dealing with an operational stress injury. Also, adjusting to civilian life is another component that I think often gets lost. So I'd absolutely agree. Create those facilities, structures, and processes. That's the problem.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Schellenberger
We have to go on. I have to be fair.
We'll go to Mr. Lobb and then to Mr. Vincent.
Conservative
Ben Lobb Conservative Huron—Bruce, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The first question is for Mr. Maguire.
I wonder if you could tell the committee when you first felt that you started to turn the corner in dealing with your post-traumatic stress disorder. What were the series of things that you thought started to get you to round the corner?
As an Individual
I don't follow the question. When did I start feeling the effects?
Conservative
As an Individual
When did I start feeling improvement? It was after meeting these two gentlemen here, and Dr. Heather McKinnon.
At that point of the game, I was ready to blow my brains out.
Conservative
Ben Lobb Conservative Huron—Bruce, ON
This question is to all of our guests. At our last meeting, General Dallaire was here, and he made two points that I certainly took home. One was about his tremendous support for the OSISS networks, the peer support networks. The second was about the need for more psychologists who are specialized in dealing with this.
Do you have any comments on those two points that he made?
Director, Assessment-Treatment Services, Whelan Psychological Services Inc.
On the second issue, I agree. We need psychologists, psychiatrists, physicians who have training, and other mental health folks who have training. This is not part-time kind of moonlight work. Often people do, of course as part of their practice, take on and see some veterans as well. It needs to be dedicated.
Conservative
Ben Lobb Conservative Huron—Bruce, ON
Can I ask a quick question? Where do you get the knowledge to actually treat combat disorders? Where did you get your expertise in dealing with this?
Director, Assessment-Treatment Services, Whelan Psychological Services Inc.
Certainly it was through working within the military system and conferencing. Part of my own academic training would have provided it in a general way. It's ongoing education.
Representative, Whelan Psychological Services Inc.
Over the last three years, and we're about to go to the fourth year, we have gone to the annual conferences that are held here, mostly in the United States. But we try to stay up to date with what's going on with people in the research and the practice end as best we can. Every year we attend a conference associated with PTSD. And you have to do that. You have to stay on top of it.
