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Mental health services available to RCMP employees

Videos

• Assistant Commissioner Gilles Moreau's Story
• Cst. Peter Neily's Story

On May 1, 2014, the RCMP launched its five-year mental health strategy for all employees. In doing so, the RCMP Commissioner committed to following the Mental Health Commission of Canada's voluntary standards for psychological health and safety in the workplace.
The first year of the strategy is focused on education and awareness. The RCMP already has a number of health programs and services available for its employees, and ensuring that they know how to access these services is critical. So too is breaking down stigmas associated with mental health, which is why the strategy will also help build awareness and knowledge of mental health issues. The goal is to ensure that employees are able to recognize symptoms in themselves or others early on and are comfortable coming forward to seek help.
In addition to improving employee awareness, knowledge and understanding of psychological health problems impacting the RCMP, the mental health strategy focuses on several other key objectives, including:

• strengthening our commitment to maintain an inclusive, healthy and respectful workplace;
• improving employee understanding of their respective roles in the prevention, early detection and intervention of psychological health problems;
• where possible, reducing the presence and/or impact of psychological risks, and enhancing employees' capacity to manage remaining risks;
• ensuring that those in leadership positions within the RCMP are responsible and accountable for providing employees with available support services as early as possible; and
• measuring our psychological health and safety performance as part of the organization's annual management review process.

RCMP Health Services and Benefits

ALL employees

Road to Mental Readiness (R2MR)

October 2015 marked the national launch of the RCMP's Road to Mental Readiness (R2MR) workshops, which are mandatory for all employees and supervisors.
Originally developed by the Department of National Defence, R2MR is an evidence-based course coordinated by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. The premise behind R2MR training is that employees who understand normal reactions to stress, and how to manage their reactions to it, are more resilient in the workplace.
To foster leadership engagement on mental health, there is also an R2MR workshop specially designed to help managers and supervisors support the needs of staff with mental health issues.
You can learn more about the positive impact of the R2MR course in the RCMP by visiting our Gazette magazine.

Employee Assistance Services

All RCMP employees and their dependents* can access the Employee Assistance Services (EAS) offered by Health Canada. EAS is a provider of free, confidential, short term counselling, assessment and referral services. The service is paid for by your employer.
A user can receive up to a maximum of eight (8) counselling hours per issue (issue expected to be resolved within the EAP short-term mandate) as assessed by the mental health professional. The actual number of sessions will vary depending on the nature, the severity and urgency of the problem, whether it is a short-term or long-term issue, and will be determined in consultation with the Case Management Team.
All RCMP employees and their dependents can call 1-800-268-7708 or 1-800-567-5803 for persons with a hearing impairment) to access the EAS program
*Dependents are defined as: a spouse (including a common-law spouse), unmarried children (including an adopted child, step-child or foster-child) who are 21 years of age or under, OR over 21 up to and including 25 years of age and in full-time attendance at school, OR who are wholly dependent because of physical or mental impairment, if such impairment existed prior to the child's reaching age 21, or commenced while the child was covered as a student over the age of 21.

LifeSpeak

There are times we could all use extra advice, support, information or inspiration.
Health Canada’s Employee Assistance Services has partnered with LifeSpeak Inc. to offer you hundreds of short training videos. Watch leading experts provide information on the issues that matter to you – from depression and nutrition to financial health and parenting – anywhere, anytime. You can also download tip sheets and participate in “ask the expert” sessions in real time.  You and your family may access these services from any computer, tablet or personal smartphone
LifeSpeak is 100% confidential; to access the service:

• visit Lifespeak;
• enter the corporate ID “canada”; and
• Type “Royal Canadian Mounted Police” in the text box and click submit.

To provide feedback on LifeSpeak, please contact us at:
mentalhealth-santementale@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Peer to Peer Program

To supplement EAS and offer extensive consultation, the RCMP has launched a new internal peer to peer system.
It provides all categories of RCMP employees with access to internal Peer to Peer Coordinators. Whether it's a work related or personal issue, the Coordinators provide information on the services offered through Health Canada's Employee Assistance Services (EAS), and serve as a point of contact in accessing resources within the RCMP that could help.

RCMP Members (Regular and Civilian)

Occupational Health and Safety Services Offices*

The RCMP currently has 11 Occupational Health and Safety Services (OHSS) offices across Canada available to our members to support their health, safety and fitness for duty. Each of these offices are represented by a multidisciplinary team of health care experts. The number of professional health care resources within these teams ranges from 26 to 4, depending on member population.
Services provided through the RCMP's health services teams to members who are suffering from a psychological health problem include:

• medical doctors;
• psychologists;
• occupational health nurses;
• occupational safety officers;
• disability management advisors

If an RCMP member is showing signs of, or is diagnosed with, a mental health condition, they are screened for risk of impaired responses or sudden deterioration in their capabilities. Their operational responsibilities would then be adjusted in accordance with their limitations and restrictions while, at the same time, supporting their treatment.
High-risk duty areas receive increased focus and monitoring to ensure members are being assessed on an ongoing basis. Work-related health issues -- whether physical or mental -- are taken very seriously.
*Civilian Members have access to these services when their psychological health problem is work related

Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Clinics*

Active members and their families may receive treatment at a Veterans Affairs Canada or Canadian Forces OSI Clinics when referred by their treating physician and approved by their Health Services Officer. For retired members and their families, OSI Clinics are administered through Veterans Affairs Canada.
The program relies on trained peer-support coordinators who themselves have been injured by an operational stress injury such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder. They offer support by listening to those who are suffering, drawing on similar experiences, and providing guidance on resources available in DND, VAC and their own community. The program also provides support to family members.

RCMP's Health Care Entitlements and Benefits Program – Psychotherapeutic Services

RCMP members have access to Canadian medical and psychological practitioners who are licensed by a provincial or territorial regulatory authority; inclusive of general physicians, psychiatrists, and community-based psychologists. The RCMP's Supplemental Health Care benefits allow coverage for the following:

• An eligible member is covered for personal or group counseling by an approved psychologist without a referral or authorization for a maximum of six hours followed by a further six hours when preauthorized by the divisional psychologist per calendar year.
• An eligible member is covered for couple or family counseling by an approved psychologist without a referral or authorization for a maximum of six hours followed by a further six hours when pre-authorized by the regional or divisional psychologist per calendar year.
• An eligible member and his/her dependants may receive further couple or family treatments if preauthorized under the occupational health care level for work-related factors such as when the member is diagnosed with an OSI.
• Eligible members may also receive further personal psychological treatment if preauthorized under the occupational health care program.

*Civilian Members have access to these services when their psychological health problem is work related

Periodic Health Assessments

Periodic Health Assessments (PHAs) are mandatory every three years for all Regular Members*. These assessments help ensure that a member is fit to perform their assigned duties and it helps identify if the member's occupation is having a harmful effect on their health. If a member performs high–risk duties, assessments may occur more frequently.
* in unique circumstances, Civilian Members may be required to have PHAs as well.

RCMP Members in receipt of VAC Pension Award

Both civilian members and retired RCMP members, when in receipt of Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) disability pension award, may be eligible to receive additional services from VAC. These include disability and treatment benefits as well as access to Operational Stress Injury clinics. In addition, eligible RCMP civilian and retired members, and their families, may access VAC case management services, such as:

• counselling;
• screening;
• referral;
• advocacy support; and
• assistance in accessing programs from VAC or other community agencies.

VAC provides these services through their respective multidisciplinary team of health care experts. All RCMP members being released from the RCMP have access to a transition interview provided by VAC. This interview will ensure the members have knowledge of the benefits available through VAC and will assist with further referrals to services if felt needed.

RCMP’s Disability Management and Accommodation Program

All RCMP members have access to the Disability Management and Accommodation Program, regardless of the nature or cause of their illness, injury or disability. For more information, please see Disability Management and Accommodation for RCMP Members.

Public service employees and civilian members

Public Service Health Care Plan

The Public Service Health Care Plan is designed to supplement care provided by employees' provincial health care plan and is administered by the Treasury Board. It is available to:

• civilian members and their dependents;
• public service employees and their dependents; and
• the dependents of regular members

From a mental health benefits perspective, the Public Service Health Care Plan allows for services by a psychologist when prescribed by a physician.

Public service employees

Public Service Disability Insurance Plan

The Public Service Disability Insurance Plan provides for a monthly income benefit for public service employees who are unable to work for a lengthy period of time because of a totally disabling illness or injury, including when related to a mental health condition.

Provincial Workers Compensation Board Benefits

In cases where the public service employee's mental health condition is determined, by the respective Provincial Workers Compensation Board, to be as a result of the employee's work, the employee would be eligible for benefits from the Workers Compensation Board in the Province that they work.

The way forward

The RCMP knows that there is always more that we can do to help our employees in times of crisis or following a major critical incident. We are constantly learning from past experiences and looking to the future to find ways to make improvements.