National Roundtable addresses stress in public safety personnel

Posted: January 29, 2016 1:00 p.m.

Participants at the National Roundtable on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. (U of R Photography)

The University of Regina today hosted a National Roundtable on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other operational stress injuries affecting public safety personnel.

The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, provided opening remarks via video recording. 

Michel Picard, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, also spoke about the prevalence of PTSD affecting public safety personnel.

The Roundtable engaged academics across Canada, representatives from various governments and organizations and interested partners, such as the leadership within fire, police and paramedic associations.

Participants discussed working together to develop evidence-based national standards for assessing, treating and preventing PTSD and other operational stress injuries amongst those who are working to help and to protect the Canadian public.

The full-day event featured several presenters, including Dr. Nick Carleton, practicing clinical psychologist and research professor in psychology at the University of Regina.

Carleton’s research focuses on the etiology, assessment, and treatment of pain, anxiety, and trauma.

For the past several years, he has focused on building sustainable evidence-based mechanisms for reducing PTSD and other operational stress injuries in first responders and other public safety personnel.