Trauma retreat for military sex assault survivors used sex offender as 'peer mentor'

Warning: The following story contains graphic details some readers may find disturbing

Some Canadian Armed Forces veterans and first responders who are sexual assault survivors said they were outraged to learn their peer mentor at a women's trauma retreat was himself a registered sex offender.

Project Trauma Support is a residential treatment program. Its medical director is Dr. Manuela Joannou, a family physician and ER doctor in Perth, Ontario. The program works with military personnel, veterans and first responders who've experiencedpost traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and operational stress injurythrough outdoor group exercises.Some participantshave credited the programwithsavingtheir lives.

Seven female participants who attended one of thesix-day retreats in early July 2018said the program failed to warn them that one of their peer mentors retired army major Jonathan Hamilton, who came home withPTSD from multiple deployments to Afghanistan had a history of sexual assault.

They said the program putHamilton's health and safety ahead of the needs of 12 women traumatized bysexual assault.

"I drove away from the program suicidal," said retired Canadian Forcescorporal Tina Sharp."I wasn't in a good place for a very long time."

Sharp is a former medic with PTSD. She said Joannou failed to tell the group that Hamiltonhadbeen convicted recentlyof fourcountsof sexual assault in two separatecourt cases.

"I'm filled with deep anger," shesaid. "In the process of trying to heal from my military sexual trauma, I was exposed to a sex offender who had already re-offended... He heard me talk about some of my sexual trauma."

Sharp saidshesearched Hamilton's name online during the retreat and learned that he had beenaddedto the sex offender registry for life in 2017. She said sheconfronted Joannouand asked herif she had done a criminal record check on Hamilton.

Sharp said thatJoannouurgedhernot to believe everything she read,suggested Hamilton was falsely accused and said hedeserved compassion too.

"She asked me not to tell anyone," said Sharp."I didn't know what to do at that point.I've been taught that we trust, but I trust medical professionals. I was questioning my own sanity.

"[Hamilton]probably did deserve some care, probably still does deserve some care. But itwas the wrong place,at the wrong time, with the wrong people."

Multiple retreatparticipantscontacted CBC News. Many said they only learned thefull extent of Hamilton's criminal historyafter reading a recentCBC News story about one of his court cases. CBC News spoke to several retreat participants who wanted to share their stories because of what they believe wasa violation of trust.

Participants want more oversight forprogram

Marie-Julie Cosenzo, a Quebec paramedic with PTSDwho took part in the retreat, said she had to get professional help last week because she couldn't sleep and was having nightmares about being kidnapped and assaulted.

"I am hurt that [Joannou] decided to shield us from the truth, judging that we were safe from a sex offender," said Cosenzo. "We were a group of 12 women, raw, vulnerable, battling a variety of demons"

In an email sent May 5, Cosenzoasked Joannouwhy she let Hamilton into the program. In her reply,Joannousaidthatshe couldn't say much because of confidentiality considerations but assuredCosenzothat "no one was ever at risk."

"Not even close,"Joannou wrote in a May 5 email, viewed by CBC News."Jon was very open about what happened and what he was goingthrough. There is no news. This is all old. I'm so sorry you have been negatively impacted by what is being discussed in themedia. There is so much drama, that helps no one."

In a letter to CBC News, Joannou and retired Brig. Gen Paul Rutherford, chair of the Project Trauma Support board, said that it asks programparticipants not toshare details of the work.

"The safety and well-being of our participants and alumni is our first priority," they wrote."We maintain regular and open communication with our alumni and are available to address any alumni concerns directly at any time.

"The truth cannot be realized by listening toone side of the story. A prerequisite for reconciliation is compassion...For any who have been harmed by sexual trauma, we hear you. We know how painful this is. We will devote our efforts to learning more so that we can better support you."

Many of the women who spoke to CBC News said the program itself is valuable but they question Joannou's judgment andwant more oversight and accountability from the organizationsfunding the program.

The Mood Disorder Society of Canada, the True Patriot Love Foundationand the Royal Canadian Legionare among theorganizations that have givenhundreds of thousands of dollars a year in funding to Project Trauma Support, a registered charity.

College of Physicians and Surgeonsinvestigates

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) investigated a complaint about Hamilton's participation in the program. According to a 2019 CPSO report viewed by CBC News,Joannou was aware ofhiscriminal conviction, which was under appeal at the time.

Joannoutold the CPSO she had permission from the Crown attorney's office and thecourt to allowHamilton to participate inProject Trauma Support, according to the report. Joannoualso said she put safeguards in place including a male peer mentor with a policing backgroundsupervising Hamilton at all times and that he did not stay overnight at the property where the women stayed, the reportsaid.

The committee reported thatJoannou did not show appropriate judgment in this case and advised her to be mindful of her hiring practices in the future.

"Ultimately, the Committee is of the view that it was inappropriate to have someone with [Hamilton's] history at this particular (female) cohort, given his background of conviction as a male sex offender," says the Dec. 12,2019report.

The CPSO said Joannou did not notexpose her patients to undue risk and, since she did not have a significant history with the college, she was notdisciplined.

Joannou told the CPSO Hamiltontook part in other Project TraumaSupportgroupswith men before and after the women's retreat, the document said.

Hamilton sentenced to jail time a month before retreat

In 2017, a justice found Hamilton guilty of unlawfully entering a Kingston home and sexually assaulting retired Capt.Annalise Schamuhn on two different occasions. Hamilton also wasconvicted of twicephysically assaulting Schamuhn's husband, retired major Kevin Schamuhn.

Hamilton was sentenced to three years parole as a result, according to the attorney general's office.

In a second, unrelated case,Hamiltonwas sentenced to three years in custody onApril 20, 2018after a jury found him guilty of two counts of sexual assault.

Both cases were under appeal at the time of the retreat. One of Hamilton's appeals waslater dismissed and the other wasabandoned in 2020, according to court documents.

The Correctional Service of Canada confirms Hamilton is under its jurisdictionbutwon't say if he'sincarcerated or beingsupervised in the community, citingprivacy reasons. He was eligible for full parole in the fall of 2020 and his sentence is expected to be complete in February 2022.

Hamilton's lawyer told CBC News he and his client would not offer a comment for this story.

A 'cloak and dagger surprise'

Retired Armed Forces master corporal Tara Kochietook part in the retreat. Shesaid she was in a "very dark" place at the time and neverwould have attended the program had she known a convicted sex offender was there.

Kochie said the experience was a betrayal anditstill comes up regularly during her therapy sessions.

"I already had such strong distrust and disdain for the medical field coming out of the military,"shesaid. "I wasn't handled with love and care. And that's what I went to Manuela for, love and care, not some cloak-and-dagger surprise.

"She chose one man over [12] women. She needs to apologized to us and explain why she made that decision."

'She violated our trust'

Krissy Johnston, a volunteer firefighter on sick leavewith PTSD, said she left Project Trauma Supportafter the first day because Joannou didn't check on her when she was having suicidal thoughts.

Johnston said that after shelearnedabout Hamilton's criminal past, sheand her psychoanalyst filed a complaintto CPSO about Hamilton and a number of other issues related to her care.

WATCH / Firefighter Krissy Johnston on Project Trauma:

I feel kind of violated first responder talks about Project Trauma Support

3 years ago

Duration 2:01

Krissy Johnston talks about her experience at Project Trauma Support and why she says she left the program.

"[Joannou]violated our trust and I can't really trust anymore," said Johnston. "For months, I basically locked myself in my house. I wouldn't go anywhere. I was always looking over my shoulder and it just threw my anxiety sideways again."

Julie Lalonde, a public educator and women rights advocate, said CPSO should have taken further action after learning about what she calls a "deplorable" case.

"I've worked in this sector for almost 20 years," said Lalonde. "I don't know a single professional mental health worker who would have approved this decision, let alone endorsed it and doubled down and maintained the decision was appropriate."

The CPSO said in a media statement that thesafety of patients is always its primary concern.

Lalonde is now calling for Project TraumaSupport to be put on hold until the agencies funding it conduct an in-depthreview.

"I know in my sector, if a decision like this happened, we absolutely would have our funding put into question," she said. "We would absolutely have the public asking questions. And the same should happen here."

Some donors now cancelling funding

True Patriot Love said it learned about Hamilton's involvement in the program in 2019and froze funding for Project TraumaSupportpending an investigation. InApril 2020, following a third-party review, True Patriot Loveresumed funding but decreased the amount from $76,000 in 2018 to $25,000 in 2020.

The organization saidProject TraumaSupport assured it thatit would pay closer attention tohiring practices,governance and oversight.True Patriot Love said it is treating this matter "extremely seriously and regards the safety of everyone who serves, or has served, in the Canadian Armed Forces as an absolute priority."

The office of Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulaytold CBC News that between2018 and2021, it provided hundreds of thousands of dollarsto the Mood Disorder Society of Canada,which was passed onto Project Trauma Support. That funding ended on March 31.

The office said Veterans Affairsis not funding Project TraumaSupportand it "will not receive any future support."

"It is absolutely unacceptable that the organization allowed this individual to serve as a peer mentor to veterans and first responders with PTSD," wrote the minister's press secretary Cameron McNeillin a media statement.

The Mood Disorder Society of Canada (MDSC) said it was"shocked" to learn about the case and has now severed ties.

The organization's national executive director, Dave Gallson, said he alerted Project Trauma Supportyesterday in writing thatit "would sever all working relationship with the program immediately." The organization said it donated almost $250,000 per fiscal year and has paid for 96 veterans to attend the program. The MDSCalso sent$40,000 per fiscal yearto the University of Alberta toresearchthe program's effectiveness.

"Your email yesterday offered me my real first concrete written details of what has transpired," wrote Gallson."I can assure you, this is taking us completely by surprise and it is very unsettling to myself and our organization."

The Royal Canadian Legion said it committed$300,000 to Project Trauma Support over three years. A Legion spokesperson told CBC News Tuesday evening that it will no longer fund the program.

"The Royal Canadian Legion was astounded today to learn previously unknown and distressing details about this situation and how it was managed by PTS leadership,"said spokespersonNujma Bond in an email to CBC News.

"Given the new information, the Legion will no longer consider future funding for PTS. We remain committed to supporting veterans living with operational stress injuries only through programs that are both well-led and effective."