SPEAKER BIOS
SPEAKER BIO’S
DEB BODKIN served as a Sergeant with
CAPTAIN ROB MARTIN is a passionate
NICOLE TAYLOR is a Veteran,
the Waterloo Regional Police Service for
24 years, taking early retirement to
pursue other ventures. As a police
officer, she worked in a variety of
areas, including sexual assaults, drugs,
homicide and intelligence.
advocate for Integrated Healthy Living.
As a Captain of a busy urban fire station,
he encourages a balanced approach
where functional movement, nutrition,
quiet time and fun are the fundamental
building blocks for staying Fit4Duty.
Military Wife, Operating Room
Nurse and Yoga Teacher.
As a female in the male dominated
career of policing, Debbie thought she
had mastered the art of being tough and
keeping it together. But she hit her
breaking point and had some trouble
holding it all in. Her carefully monitored
shell crumbled. She suffered from
depression and PTSD. In time, she
discovered that counselling and talking
about her experiences helped heal her
psychological wounds.
Through years of experience and thousands of hours logged researching
experts in each of these areas, he has
filtered and simplified the massive
amounts of information on each topic.
Deb will share personal stories, the
thoughts and feelings that shook her
world, and how she took control of this
assault on her mental health.
Debbie’s work has earned her many
accolades and awards over the years.
Debbie is now very much involved in
Mental Health Education. She is the
Volunteer President of the Board of
Directors of the Canadian Mental Health
Association for Grey Bruce and teaches
the Mental Health First Aid course
created by the Mental Health
Commission of Canada.
His love of teaching steered him toward
becoming a technician and shift trainer
in many specialty rescues. Two achievements that stand out for Rob are his
Disaster Canine Search Team Certification through FEMA and becoming a
Master Trainer with the Ontario Fire
College training firefighters in FireGround Survival Techniques.
He has been trained in critical incident
stress debriefings, defusings and peer-topeer support and has served for over a
decade on a Critical Incident Stress
Management team. Rob is always on the
lookout for tools, new and old, that may
assist him and his colleagues to not just
survive their career, but also thrive in it.
Following the research chain for mental
health led Rob to yoga, where the
benefits were immediately obvious.
Nicole teaches a specific yoga
practice geared to first
responders affected by post traumatic stress disorder.
Nicole herself has been affected
by trauma both personally and
professionally.
In addition to her nursing and
yoga career, Nicole is the cofounder of an organization for
PTSD called “United by
Trauma”. Nicole co-founded this
organization with two police
officers and Sam Reid of the band
Glass Tiger.
United by Trauma is a peer-driven
committee, with its purpose
being to raise awareness and
provide outreach programs for all
first responders.
Presents:
STOPPING THE STIGMA:
YOUR MENTAL HEALTH
DEPENDS ON IT
A Symposium on
PTSD Awareness, Prevention &
Discussion for First Responders
and High-Stress Workers
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Best Western Brant Park Inn
Grand Ballroom,
19 Holiday Drive,
Brantford, ON
N3R 7J4
PROGRAM
REGISTRATION FORM
WHY ATTEND?
Recently the media has highlighted the
destructive potential of post-traumatic stress
disorder in first responders, EMS, Fire and
Police and other high stress workers. The high
suicide rates in our first responder community
has raised concerns about PTSD within this
population, with Ontario Labour Minister Kevin
Flynn supporting the urgent need for education
and prevention
WHAT IS PTSD?
PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder results
from exposure to the risk of harm or death to
oneself or others.
Symptoms of PTSD vary, but always include the
following symptoms:
9:00 a.m. Opening Remarks:
Brantford Police Chief, Geoff Nelson
& Lill Petrella, Mental Health Promotion
Coordinator, CMHA Brant
9:15 a.m. Holly McDonald, PSA Launch, Produced
by Atomic Spark, featuring Randy
Papple, Brant Ambulance Services
Each person will tell their story about Stress Related
Work Injuries, Pitfalls, Prevention and why we should
address the stigma that prevents first responders
from seeking essential mental health assistance
9:25 a.m. Deb Bodkin, Retired Police Sergeant,
Waterloo Regional Police
10:15 a.m. BREAK
10:30 a.m. Captain Rob Martin, Fire Station 2,
Kitchener, ON
Re-experiencing

Persistent avoidance of trauma-related
stimuli

Negative alterations in thought and mood
12 noon

Marked alterations in physical arousal and
reactivity, i.e. hyper-vigilance or difficulty
concentrating
1:00 p.m. PANEL PRESENTATION:
11:15 a.m.
Nicole Taylor, Army Spouse and Surgical
Nurse, Trauma Unit, Southlake Regional
Health Centre, Newmarket, ON
LUNCH
Address: ______________________________
______________________________________
E-mail: ________________________________
Contact #: _____________________________
Please make cheque for $30.00 payable to the
“Canadian Mental Health Association, Brant
County Branch” Please indicate “PTSD
Symposium” on cheque
Please Mail or drop off completed registration
form to: CMHA Brant County Branch, 44 King
Street, Suite 203, Brantford, ON N3T 3C7
There will be no refunds for cancellations five
days before the date of the event.
All payments must be received before the date
of the event.
Registration deadline: Friday, April 15, 2015
 Captain Brook Fairless, Brantford Fire Department
 Detective Constable Jacob Isaacs, Six Nations Police
 Randy Papple, Manager of Operations, Brant County
First Responders, Dispatchers, Medical Staff,
Correctional Officers, Crisis Workers, Probation
Officers, Teachers, Social Workers,
Caseworkers for; Victim Services, Court, Family
and Children’s Services, Sexual Assault,
Domestic Violence; Addictions and Mental
Health
______________________________
SPEAKERS:

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Name:
Ambulance
 Sergeant Jim Sawkins, Brantford Police Services
Each presenter will discuss job-related stress levels,
self-care, and what they are doing to stop the
stigma associated with reaching out for help
within their workplaces
2:45 p.m. Working Break & Roundtable Discussions
- Discuss and present possible solutions
and initiatives which can be put into
place at workplaces to address the issues
4:00 p.m. Closing Remarks, Mayor Chris Friel
For more information, please contact:
Lill Petrella, CMHA Brant at 519-752-2998, ext.
112 or e-mail [email protected]
Holly McDonald at 226-208-0518 or e-mail
[email protected]

Randy Papple at 519-756-4570 or e-mail
[email protected]
Would you like to be on a mailing list for future
events? 