Current Projects
Summary
This hub aims to build the infrastructure and foundational support for a new mental health platform designed to assist and reduce posttraumatic stress injury (PTSI) among Canadian public safety personnel (PSP). The “OnCall” and “OnCallSupport” apps were co-designed with over 75 PSP from various sectors. The apps include self-screening tools, tips to cope, in-app feedback surveys, and an opportunity to connect by phone or text with a peer-support provider chosen by a PSP.
This project will be divided into two parts.
Part 1: A research and coordination hub will be built that will include a national advisory team and create the technical, implementation, and research infrastructure that will allow the apps’ effectiveness to be studied.
Part 2: Two projects will be managed:
- co-designing enhancements to the OnCallSupport app for peer-support providers;
- tracking peer-support usage among employees from 8–10 diverse PSP organizations.
Based on the information collected from these projects, the study’s researchers will develop implementation guides for organizational leaders, peer-support providers, and mental health researchers. They will also create evidence-based recommendations for optimizing this app-based approach to peer support.
Principal Researcher:
Dr. Sandra Moll is an occupational therapist and associate professor at McMaster University, with over two decades of clinical and research experience. Her primary program of research focuses on workplace mental health, including building mental wellness, promoting mental health literacy, and reducing stigma in the context of work.
Presentation Video