This e-book is a roadmap for the psychological well being journey that ought to function a information for different first responder organizations to observe
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It’s superb what might be achieved when lives dangle within the stability.
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And three OPP officers dying by suicide in simply three weeks again in 2018 definitely created a way of urgency that led to the Ontario Provincial Police Association creating Encompas, a “wraparound” psychological well being service, that’s now fairly actually saving lives.
A recently-released e-book written by profession OPP officer Rob Jamieson, with Laurie Stephens, particulars how a group of those that included OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique and Ontario Premier Doug Ford labored collectively to carry his imaginative and prescient to fruition whereas he was serving as OPPA president – a task he held from 2015 to 2022.
However, In Pursuit of Mental Wellness within the First Responder Community isn’t merely a love letter to the revolutionary Encompas program.
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It is handbook that each new recruit, present service member, retiree and their members of the family ought to learn.
It is a roadmap of types for the psychological well being journey.
And it ought to function a information for different first responder organizations to observe.
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As Jamieson writes on the very first web page, “This e-book is about saving lives.”
Interestingly, whereas the connection between police commissioners, or police chiefs, and heads of a police union can typically be adversarial, Jamieson advised the Toronto Sun that Carrique reached out to him instantly after turning into commissioner in 2019 they usually started working collectively to deal with the psychological well being disaster.
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The OPP Commissioner even wrote the ahead in his e-book.
“Rob’s legacy of management is Encompas and the lives modified and saved on account of this visionary and game-changing method to caring for our members and their households,” Carrique writes.
Despite his many accomplishments in life, Jamieson is kind of content material if it seems Encompas is the one he’s in the end remembered for.
Having struggled with occupational stress himself throughout his policing profession, he had skilled the obstacles those that wanted assist needed to overcome. So, he knew folks wanted to have the ability to entry assist instantly, even after they weren’t certain what assist they wanted. They wanted to be put in contact with the appropriate folks and help companies. And they shouldn’t have to fret about the price – to their profession or their funds.
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“People shouldn’t should resolve between groceries and psychological help,” Jamieson mentioned.
His objective on the outset was to “deal with the stigma and the debilitating results of psychological sickness throughout the OPP,” and to “impact change” in order that members – uniformed and civilian – and their family members would have “the intervention and helps they wanted.”
“The fruits of that effort is Encompas, a one-stop method to psychological healthcare that at the moment supplies 16,000 OPPA members and their households with entry to confidential, efficient, and secure psychological well being helps and companies, 24/7, twelve months a yr,” Jamieson explains in his e-book.
He mentioned this system, which supplies limitless protection for counselling and even residential therapy and is continually evolving, is “probably the most complete program in Canada, probably the United States as effectively.”
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The e-book contains hard-hitting private tales from officers and spouses who turned to Encompas in a time of disaster and bought the life-saving assist they wanted.
Jamieson hopes these private tales assist different members, and retirees, to see that’s it’s okay to ask for assist – as a result of psychological well being points include the territory.
It’s additionally why he shares a few of his personal struggles within the e-book and admits the work to carry Encompas on-line took such a toll on him that he as soon as once more wanted to hunt assist.
“I’m in nice form as we speak and I’m shifting ahead mentally – as a result of I used to be capable of entry the help I wanted,” Jamieson mentioned.
He mentioned many members at the moment are additionally turning to Encompas as a safety measure, fairly than ready till they’re in disaster, and they’re receiving ongoing help to take care of their psychological well being – all of which saves the police service cash in the long term.
And not content material to simply speak the speak, Jamieson can be strolling the stroll by donating all proceeds of his e-book to a few first responder help organizations – Boots On The Ground, Canada Beyond The Blue and SOLE (Survivors Of Law Enforcement Ontario).
In Pursuit of Mental Wellness within the First Responder Community is accessible on Amazon.ca at $41.45 for the hardcover, $24.93 for paperback and from $9.99 for Kindle.
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