For anyone that has lived it, one thing can be said of military life: it’s amazing, and difficult, in ways that are indescribable. Whether we are talking about international deployments, domestic operations, training exercises, or what that all means for the family back home, military life is like nothing else out there. With this incredible and unique experience comes moments of happiness, pride and great camaraderie. But it can also bring struggle, hardship, and a potential for physical and mental health injuries. While those involved often sluff it off as “part of the life,” there is no denying the toll that this life takes on members and families; a toll that can persist after the uniforms and ID cards are returned at the end of service. Sometimes things might get tough…really tough…maybe even dark. You or your loved one might seem different, get angry more often, appear sullen or downtrodden, isolate your/themselves, or any number of other symptoms of an operational stress injury (OSI).
What if, in your darkest hours, your day-to-day struggles, or times when you can’t quite figure out what’s going on with you or your loved ones, you had someone that could stand by your side and help you through? Someone that has been there, done that, and made their way through it? Though times like this are hard, the good news is that such a person exists! In fact, a whole team of them exist, and they’re spread out right across Canada. Moreover, they are specialists in non-clinical assistance to those suffering from an OSI.
Enter OSISS, the Operational Stress Injury Social Support program…your unknown ally. The Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) Program, created in 2001, is a partnership program between the Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs Canada. OSISS continues to exist today because of its ability to deliver exemplary peer support to those in need. It is a network of staff across the country with offices in many CAF Transition Centres, like here in CFB Borden, who are further supported by an even wider network of trained volunteers. Staff and volunteers receive the same training in peer support which leverages and relies on their lived experience, allowing it to become the program’s strongest asset. On the front line of OSISS you will encounter Coordinators and Volunteers that have been there and done that. They know and can appreciate your struggles, they have appropriate resources at the ready, and they have extensive networks throughout their areas. They are highly skilled at peer support, they are mobile, and they are ready to meet you where you’re at both mentally/emotionally and geographically. What’s more, OSISS is a resource that is available during and after service for both member/veterans and their families.
OSISS peers often say that the program is a lifeline they never knew they had. Because of the stigmatized nature of mental health injuries these injuries are often shelved in the interest of other things. OSISS represents a chance for those that are suffering to bring the injury off the shelf, to ask for help, and to get that help in a way that is kind, empathetic, non-clinical, and personal. Regardless of your rank, gender, ethnicity, whether you are serving or retired, or the family of a serving or retired member, OSISS is a place that you’ll be warmly welcomed and assisted in dealing with the complex world of operational stress injuries.
It’s like my RSM used to say to us, “Troops! If you think you need a haircut, you probably do!” If you think OSISS might be for you, or that you or your loved one might have an OSI, you will almost definitely find a place in OSISS.
If you or your family are looking for support or more information on the OSISS program, here is how you can connect with us:
Canada wide toll free: 1-800-883-6094
Website: www.osiss.ca
Email address: osiss-ssbso@forces.ca
