P.E.I. first responders start mental health peer support group

As a paramedic, Tara Vasil encounters a lot of tough situations on the job. When she started her career as a paramedic 12 years ago, she said there wasn't much focus on mental health.

"The mentality around the base was to suck it up," said Vasil.

They prepare you for the different calls that you'll go on, but there's really not a lot of preparation for how you deal mentally with those calls.- Tara Vasil

She said it took her several years before she started thinking about how the job affected her mental health, and how to best to cope.

"They prepare you for the different calls that you'll go on, but there's really not a lot of preparation for how you deal mentally with those calls," said Vasil.

She said over the course of her career, the supports available and the mentality in her workplace have improved a lot.

She has also discovered that talking about her experiences have helped her mental health. Now, she wants to encourage others to do the same.

New support group

Vasil is one of two organizers of a new peer support group on P.E.I. The group, called Wings of Change, was started by a paramedic in Ontario in an effort to encourage first responders to talk about their mental health.

Vasil and her fellow paramedic Meghan Colvin-Daley heard about the group, and decided to start a chapter on P.E.I.

The group isn't just for paramedics it's open to all first responders, as well as anyone who could be dealing with mental health issues due to their job. That could include health care workers, or funeral home workers, for example.

"If you come to this, it's a safe spot, you know that nobody's going to be judging you, people kind of understand the journey you're on," said Colvin-Daley.

The group meets once a month at the Canadian Mental Health Association building in Charlottetown. It held its first meeting in November.

Anyone welcome

The meetings are designed to be an opportunity for people to talk openly in an anonymous setting. Participants also discuss positive coping mechanisms for dealing with trauma.

I've lost a lot of coworkers due to occupational stress injuries as well as post traumatic stress.- Tara Vasil

Vasil said she's seen first hand the impacts of not talking about and dealing with mental illnesses.

"During my career as a paramedic, I've seen coworkers as well as supervisors keeping things to themselves, and I've lost a lot of coworkers due to occupational stress injuries as well as post traumatic stress."

Vasil and Colvin-Daley said they hope to encourage more people to come to a meeting, and see if the group is a good fit for them.

People don't need to have a diagnosis to join the group, and the organizers said they welcome anyone looking for a support group, no matter their occupation.

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