Holiday Letter

As 2023 comes to a close, the entire Dalton Associates Encompas Mental Health Wellness Team wish you a safe and happy holiday season.

We are Here for You

For many people, the holidays are a time filled with joy, connection, and rest. For others, the holidays can be difficult – with experiences of loss, grief, discord, and stress. For all members, Encompas is here to hold space for you without judgement or questions; we support you and we are present for you.

Our Encompas team is honoured to offer support to our members during the holidays and throughout the entire year. Your Encompas program is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (including holidays) as a confidential, third-party resource to offer connection to support and services including:

Crisis Support – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year
Rapid Access to a Master’s Level Counsellor for in-the-moment counselling, each day between 8amest until Midnight – 7 days a week
Mental Health Counsellors who understand and have expertise with First Responders and First Responder Families
Psychological Assessments
Psychiatric consultations (Members Only)
Intensive Treatment Program – both inpatient and within the community
Member Portal enabling self-directed curated resources for members and families and self-assessments to monitor one’s health and wellness journey – see below for more details

Call or email the Encompas team at 1-866-794-9117 or info@encompascare.ca and you will be connected with an Encompas Care Manager who will support you at each step in your journey – wherever that is for you. With your permission, your Care Manager will stay with you and continue to connect through periodic wellness check-ins to assure that you have all the supports and services you need to continue on your health journey.

Encompas Program Updates:

We have listened to the feedback from our members about what you want to see in your Encompas program and, as such, we have added many new supports and services over the past year.

One new support we are very excited about is our Self-Directed Member Portal. Members, and their family, now have two (2) Portal options:

A member can choose to have the Care Manager-Supported experience available here: https://encompascare.portal.gs/

Or, they can choose to use the Self-Directed Portal on their own without having a Care Manager reach out or engage with them. The new Self-Directed Member Portal experience offers Members complete confidentiality and a chance to do their own independent research with the confidence of knowing that any questions they have can be answered by a Care Manager who is just a phone call or email away. Available here: https://encompas.portal.gs/

No matter which Member Portal experience you choose to engage with, you will have access to a whole host of new family resources including information on building family resilience, children’s camps and retreats, and even a recommended booklist for First Responder kids, couples, and families.

In addition to these family resources, you will also find individual resources that highlight the value of monitoring one’s mental health and wellbeing through various assessment resources that allow you to track and monitor your progress.

We are also thrilled to be able to offer real-time engagement with members through our quarterly Mindset Matters Webinars. These webinars are completely free and confidential and because they are delivered online, they are available to all members and their families throughout the province. Over the last year, the Mindset Matters sessions have opened discussions on topics such as supporting one’s spouse and family in coping with an occupational stress injury through to post-traumatic growth, taking care of one’s health and wellbeing, parenting in a First Responder Family, retirement and more.

Our next session is on March 6^th, 2024 and features Rob Pilon, President of the OPPVA.

Connection with Members – Your Voice Matters:

The Encompas Care Management Team is committed to meeting OPPA members in-person and listening as members share their experiences and feedback. Over the last year, we have been able to connect with members at many OPPA events, such as Family Day at Canada’s Wonderland, the OPPA Annual General Meeting, pre-retirement seminars, OPPA and OPPVA branch meetings, and other events such as the Haldimand County “Family Fitness Fun Day” held in Cayuga in memory of PC Greg Pierzchala.

You will find your Encompas Care Management Team anywhere members and their families gather. When you see us at an event never hesitate to stop by, say hello, and introduce yourself. If you cannot connect with us in-person, please reach out to us over the phone or email anytime – we’d love to hear from you with any feedback about existing programs or thoughts on what supports or services you feel are needed or would be helpful for OPPA individuals or families.

As the light of 2023 starts to dim, we look towards the new glow of 2024 to shine the light of mental health and wellness on all OPPA members. We humbly thank you for allowing us to be a part of your life and your wellness journey.

Sincerely,

Jen Welsh,

Encompas Program Manager and the Entire Encompas Leadership Team

Jen Welsh, B.A