The recent partnership between the Centre for Mental Health Research and the Parkwood Institute's Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Clinic at St. Joseph's Health Care, London has continued to be news in our region.
The partnership was reported in the "Our Stories" section of St. Joseph's web site, where they spoke of the valuable role of the training program developed by OSI psychologist, Dr. Shannon Gifford. As described by Dr. Gifford in the article, "Exposing psychology students and residents to this work gives them a deeper appreciation for the service and sacrifices of our military members and veterans and will give them the capacity to care for these clients in their future practice."
Operational Stress Injury Clinic expands teaching reach <https://www.sjhc.london.on.ca/our-stories/operational-stress-injury-clinic-expands-teaching-reach>
This important initiative was also profiled on the CBC News website for Kitchener-Waterloo. This article, and accompanying segment that aired on "The Morning Edition", emphasized the important role that this partnership plays in providing needed psychological assessments closer to home for many veterans, active military and RCMP personnel. The profile quoted Heather Tales, Director of Veteran's Care at St. Joseph's, as saying that their clinic covers a large geographical area and that they "are always looking for creative ways to extend their services".
PTSD services for veterans to be offered in region<http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/waterloo-region-london-guelph-ptsd-help-veterans-rcmp-1.3548182>
The CMHR was also highlighted in the Spring 2016 issue of "Vet Gazette". In this article, Dr. Gifford highlighted the official opening ceremony of new service in the CMHR. She describes her role in training and supervising at the clinic. She also quotes Brenda Chiang, a senior PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology, who powerfully conveyed to Dr. Gifford what draws her to work with these clients. "Their charm lies in their palpable desire to do good, their profoundly felt duty to help and protect others, their tangible and honourable sense that they are part of something greater and more important than their individual selves, and the raw humanity and heart beneath it all".
Centre for Mental Health Research Tour<https://uwaterloo.ca/psychology/news/vet-gazette-st-josephs-health-care-london-centre-mental>
