Connecting for veteran wellness toolkit
Our toolkit for Service Dog Organizations informs service dog trainers about recovery from substance use health problems and the important role of peer support and connection for the wellness of their Veteran dog handlers diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The toolkit includes:
- an online certificate course made up of nine modules, a completion certificate, and should take between two to three hours to complete, and
- access to substance use recovery and peer support resources.
This project initiated in 2016 as a research partnership between the University of Saskatchewan and a service dog organization in Canada.
PROJECT SUMMARY | Résumé du projet
A PAWSitive Support Project for Veterans with PTSD and Substance Use Health Concerns
The goal of this patient-oriented project is to inform Canadian service dog organizations working with veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) about recovery from problematic substance use for inclusion in their training programs. The information shared is based on the latest evidence and specific attention is paid to the role of distance peer support in recovery. Our multidisciplinary team recognizes that recovery is variously defined and that common elements include seeking a life worth living, optimism that recovery is possible, recognition that it is a process, and that there is always hope. Our team identifies problematic substance use as involving veterans’ disconnection from other humans, as well as animals and the environment. Combining these areas is an innovative and inclusive approach to recovery. In a stepped process over three years, we worked alongside a dozen service dog programs working with veterans medically diagnosed with PTSD, to understand if and how substance use and peer support is incorporated into their programs. We developed (theory focused) and applied (practice focused) an evidence-informed substance use recovery toolkit with these service dog organizations and mentored its implementation. An external contractor to the project, Proactive Information Services Inc., evaluated the outcomes.
Un projet de soutien éPATTant pour les anciens combattants souffrant du syndrome de stress post-traumatique et les questions de santé concernant la consommation de substances
Le but de ce projet axé sur le patient est d’informer les organismes canadiens de chiens d’assistance, qui travaillent avec des anciens combattants diagnostiqués du syndrome de stress post-traumatique (SSPT), sur le rétablissement d'une consommation problématique de substances pour les inclure dans leurs programmes de formation. Les informations partagées sont basées sur les dernières données probantes et une attention particulière est accordée au rôle du soutien à distance par des pairs en voie de rétablissement. Notre équipe multidisciplinaire reconnaît qu’il existe plusieurs définitions du rétablissement et que les éléments communs comprennent la recherche d’une vie digne d’être vécue, l’optimisme que le rétablissement est possible, la reconnaissance que c’est un processus et qu’il y a toujours de l’espoir. Notre équipe identifie la consommation problématique de substances comme une déconnexion des anciens combattants des autres humains, ainsi que des animaux et de l’environnement. La combinaison de ces domaines constitue une approche novatrice et inclusive pour le rétablissement. Dans le cadre d’un processus échelonné sur trois ans, nous collaborerons avec plus d’une douzaine de programmes de chiens d’assistance œuvrant auprès des anciens combattants diagnostiqués de SSPT par un médecin afin de comprendre si la toxicomanie et le soutien des pairs sont intégrés dans leurs programmes et de quelle façon. Nous sommes en train d’élaborer (en nous basant sur la théorie) et d’appliquer (en nous basant sur la pratique) une trousse de rétablissement de la consommation de substances fondée sur des preuves avec ces organismes de chiens d’assistance et nous encadrerons sa mise en œuvre. Proactive Information Services Inc., un prestataire de services externe, est
en train d’évaluer les résultats.
continued work
Dr. Linzi Williamson
In September, 2023, team member Dr. Linzi Williamson transitioned to the role of an Assistant Professor at USask, Department of Psychology & Health Studies, funded by CIHR, with her research focusing on Veterans and Service Dogs. Team members are excited to continue to support Dr. Williamson and work alongside her!
contact us
OUR TEAM WORKed WITH SERVICE DOG ORGANIZATIONS across CANADA.
Project Lead Project Manager
Colleen Anne Dell, PhD Maryellen Gibson, MPH
1-306-966-5912 1-306-966-6917
This project has been approved by the University of Saskatchewan Animal and Human Research Ethics Boards. Ethics number 20170114 & 17-371.
Service Dog Organization participation in this project does not imply endorsement or non-endorsement of their services by the project or its members.
Our Health Canada, Substance Use and Addictions Program, funded project has been learning and sharing how service dogs can help Veterans living with PTSD recover from problematic substance use with the assistance of distance peer support.
PAWSitive canine connections
The Connecting for Veteran Wellness course is offered by the Office of the Centennial Enhancement Chair in One Health & Wellness, led by Dr. Colleen Anne Dell at the University of Saskatchewan. Learn about other PAWSitive Canine Connection initiatives her team is involved in!