Veterans Affairs Canada Grief and Trauma Project

Dr. MacKinnon has again partnered with the Canadian Virtual Hospice (CVH), working with Canadian Veterans from the armed forces and from the RCMP, their families, and healthcare professionals to create an online learning series to support Veterans and their families in dealing with the various emotional challenges and operational stress injuries that can arise from service, transition from service, and other changes that are part of military and RCMP life. The modules will help Veterans and their families to gain an increased understanding of their experiences, to learn healthy coping strategies, to recognize signs that more help is needed, and to identify resources for additional support. The learning series will be based on the latest research and will be grounded in the lived experiences of Canadian Veterans and their families. The modules will be freely available. Funding for this initiative has been provided by the Veterans Well-being Fund of Veterans Affairs Canada.

Supportive Care Counselling Program

Palliative care physicians need sound psychosocial skills to navigate the complexities of end-of-life work. For more than 7 years, I have worked closely with Dr. Stefanie Gingras to deliver a novel psycho-educational program associated with the Palliative Care McGill Post-Graduate Medical Education Fellowship. For more details on the program, you can a recent article by Dr. Catherine Courteau here as well as a poster presented at the 2019 Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians Advanced Learned in Palliative Medicine Conference, Calgary, AL. This ongoing psychosocial skills training group aims  to develop the communication skills of fellows by helping them to:

  • Identify psycho-social dilemmas in end-of-life care for patients and families

  • Increase self-awareness and understand the value of a peer-group settings in facilitating learning

  • Identify core communication challenges in order to practice effectively

  • Understand death, dying, and bereavement from multidisciplinary perspectives

  • Examine personal coping patterns, behaviors, and strategies