Mental Health & Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Joint Speakers Bureau (JSB)
- CDS Video message "Be the Difference"
- Transcript of Video Message
- Backgrounder - Be the Difference : The Canadian Forces Mental Health Awareness Campaign
- News Release - Chief of the Defence Staff launches Canadian Forces Mental Health Awareness Campaign
- JSB Paper - JSB Fostering Growth in Mental Health
- Poster
- Mental Health Pocket card
- Brochure - Fresh approaches to ongoing challenges
- Resources
- Maple Leaf article - 'Be the difference' to the people around you
Mental Health & Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Joint Speakers Bureau (JSB)
The Mental Health & Operational Stress Injury Joint Speakers Bureau (JSB) was created in November 2007 to:
- Deliver formal mental health and OSI education to CF members at CF schools across Canada
- Increase mental health and OSI awareness through professional development briefings at the unit level
- Deliver general mental health and OSI information to CF families
- Assist the Chain of Command in better preparing sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen in building psychological resiliency before and after deployments
- Provide tangible and useful tools for leaders and CF members to assist subordinates and peers who are affected by mental health issues
Speakers
JSB Speakers are trained and accredited:
- Veterans
- Serving members of military operations
- Family members
- Mental Health Professionals
Contact
To book a speaker to present at your next formal training or professional development session, call 1-800-883-6094 or email jsb-bcc@forces.gc.ca. The Joint Speakers Bureau is a fully funded initiative and as such there are no user fees.
JSB Curriculum
The JSB curriculum, based on mental health research and proven best practices, is delivered in non-conventional ways and covers a wide range of topics and information related to mental health including:
- The Mental Health Continuum Model
- Causes of operational stress injuries and their relationship to stress and mental health
- The roles of affected individuals, peers, leaders and families in addressing mental health issues and mental illness
- Stigma and misconceptions
- Warning signs
- Coping and modeling
- Supportive skills
- Enabling action
Educational Events
The JSB offers training to CF members at various stages of their careers and deployment cycle in order to:
- Increase knowledge of mental health issues
- Increase understanding of the signs and symptoms of mental illness and injury
- Address the challenges of stigma
- Promote early intervention
Educational seminars for spouses, parents and other family members are offered to:
- Facilitate a shared understanding of mental health and mental illnesses such as OSIs and the effects these can have on military members, family members and family systems
- Address the challenges of stigma
- Promote early intervention
“Not all wounds are visible, and the invisible wounds of mental illness are no less real, challenging, or potentially life threatening. In fact, sometimes they are more so.”
General R. J. Hillier, Canadian Chief of Defence Staff, 2005 - 2008
