Warrior Health

Dr. Black has been a trauma and group counselling specialist, educator, clinician, researcher, and program developer for over 20 years. In the first part of his career as a tenured Associate Professor of Counselling Psychology in one of the top counselling psychology graduate programs in Canada, Tim taught, published, and conducted research focused on Trauma Exposed Professionals (TExP).

He has worked as a community-engaged researcher/practitioner beyond the halls of academia with Veteran and First Responder communities, local and national organizations, and has co-developed multiple national programs for TExP’s and their families (TExFam). Tim now serves as Wounded Warriors Canada’s National Clinical Director.

Matt Johnston is the co-founder of First Responder Health, an organization dedicated to enhancing the behavioural health and well-being of first responders through online counselling, training for healthcare professionals and organizational support services. He also serves as the Clinical Director for Wounded Warriors Canada.

A registered mental health professional and full-time firefighter, Matt has mastered the art of closing the gap between service providers and first responders. Matt’s skill set is grounded by twenty years of study in the field of psychology and over ten years in clinical practice. His unique approach to conceptualizing trauma is an introspective blend of academic training, clinical practice and direct experience of attending over 3,000 emergency calls as a firefighter in Metro Vancouver. Through his proactive, strengths-based approach, Matt’s ultimate goal is to alleviate the mental health crisis gripping public safety personnel across North America.

My name is Dr. Megan McElheran and I am a clinical psychologist and CEO of Wayfound. For the past 16 years, I have had the privilege to work almost exclusively with uniformed service personnel and have witnessed the devastating psychological effects operational stress can have on those who serve our communities. I was motivated several years ago to develop the Before Operational Stress (BOS) program out of a desire to provide public safety personnel with an intervention that could support greater psychological protection relative to their occupational roles. I am steadfast in my commitment to finding proactive ways to support public safety personnel and will continue to disseminate and evaluate BOS to ensure its effectiveness and utility for the members it serves.