Mental health services available to RCMP employees

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• RCMP Health Services and Benefits
  • ALL employees
    • Road to Mental Readiness (R2MR) Updated
    • Employee Assistance Services
    • LifeSpeak
    • Peer to Peer Program
    • Support for Operational Stress Injury Program
  • RCMP Members (Regular and Civilian)
    • Occupational Health and Safety Services Offices*
    • Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Clinics*
    • RCMP's Health Care Entitlements and Benefits Program - Psychotherapeutic Services
    • Periodic Health Assessments
    • RCMP Members in receipt of VAC Pension Award
    • RCMP’s Disability Management and Accommodation Program
  • Public service employees and civilian members
    • Public Service Health Care Plan
  • Public service employees and civilian members
    • Public Service Disability Insurance Plan
    • Provincial Workers Compensation Board Benefits
• The way forward
• RCMP family programs

Introduction

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) Updated

Road to Mental Readiness (R2MR) training is mandatory for all RCMP employees. The Department of National Defence (DND) created this training to show how common mental illness is and its impact in the workplace, while reducing the stigma. It also teaches you how to maintain mental resilience in a healthy and positive way. The Mental Health Continuum, which is covered in detail in the training, shows how your mental health can change daily based on a spectrum.

To compliment classroom learning, DND created the R2MR app. It helps improve short-term performance and long-term mental health outcomes. It also has tools to improve the skills learned from the training and lists RCMP resources for all employees, former members and families. It's free and available for everyone from Google Play (Android) or the App Store (Apple). Start exploring today!

Employee Assistance Services

RCMP employees and their dependents who are going through a difficult time can reach out to Employee Assistance Services (EAS) for support. EAS provides free and confidential short-term counselling services. You do not have to access your health benefits to use this service. EAS is available 24/7. EAS counsellors may refer you to other services as well.

Dependents includes:

• a spouse, including a common-law spouse
• unmarried children, including adopted children, step-children and foster-children who meet at least one of the following criteria:
  • 21 years of age or under
  • 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 the impairment existed before the child reached age 21, or started while the child was covered as a student over the age of 21

Call Employee Assistance Services at:

• 1-800-268-7708
• 1-800-567-5803 (TTY)

What happens when you call Employee Assistance Services?

When you call EAS, you will be greeted with a voice recording providing options to direct your call. After selecting your preferred language, you can:

• speak immediately to a mental health professional if you are in immediate distress, or
• speak to someone to get a referral to a mental health professional in your area

When you meet with a mental health professional, they will assess your counselling needs. You can get up to eight hours of counselling per issue. The number of sessions varies based on:

• the nature and urgency of the problem
• whether it is a short-term or long-term issue
• consultation with the EAS Case Management Team

Three ways you can get counselling

You can choose what counselling method works best for you:

• in person
• over the phone
• via e-mail (e-counselling)

We encourage employees and their dependents to use this service when needed.

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 (canada.lifespeak.com)
• select "Access Through Group Account"
• enter the group account password "canada" and click "sign in"
• type "Royal Canadian Mounted Police" in the text box and click "submit"

For the latest information and reminders about upcoming expert webchats and more, follow the Facebook page (@LifeSpeakInc).

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

Peer to Peer Program

All categories of RCMP employees have access to internal Peer to Peer Coordinators. They can help you with work related or personal issues. The coordinators provide information and help you access services. These include Health Canada's Employee Assistance Services (EAS) and RCMP resources.

To be put in touch with your peer to peer coordinator in your division, please contact P2P-SPP@rcmp-grc.gc.ca with your:

• name
• phone number
• division

Please do not include any detailed information.

Support for Operational Stress Injury Program

The Support for Operational Stress Injury (SOSI) program connects both current employees and former RCMP members with a peer support network - a supportive community of people who have experienced an operational stress injury.

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.

Each OSI clinic has a team of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, mental health nurses, and other specialized clinicians who understand the experience and needs of Veterans. The team provides personalized assistance and also works closely with resources in the community to help ensure follow-up is available when needed. Family members may also receive or participate in some of the services provided through the clinic.

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.

RCMP family programs

As a family member of current or former members, you can email family_famille@rcmp-grc.gc.ca with questions about benefits and/or supports available to you.