2026 Post-Traumatic Growth Event
Wendy Lund
Wendy is a nationally recognized healthcare leader, educator, and strategist with more than three decades of experience advancing mental health, workplace wellbeing, and psychologically safe leadership across Canada.
Systems, leadership, and navigation
1. When systems help—and when they unintentionally harm.
2. The cost of complexity on recovery
3. How leaders can reduce friction for injured members and families
4. What “strengthening what matters” looks like inside organizations
Wendy is the Founder and Principal of Wellth Management Inc., where she partners with organizations to design evidence-informed programs that move beyond crisis response toward proactive, prevention-focused systems of care. Her approach is grounded in credibility, clarity, and measurable impact.
She is also the creator of Good Grief Academy, an innovative educational platform dedicated to reframing grief as a universal human experience that deserves understanding, language, and support. Through Good Grief Academy, Wendy provides tools, training, and guidance to help individuals and organizations navigate loss, cumulative stress, and life transitions with greater awareness and compassion.
Derek Sienko
Derek is a nationally respected clinician, speaker, and advocate dedicated to supporting first responders and public safety personnel in their recovery from operational stress injuries, trauma, and workplace psychological harm.
Recovery pathways, rehabilitation, and practical outcomes
1. What actually supports recovery in real life versus on paper?
2. The intersection of rehabilitation, mental health, and return-to-function
3. Where systems unintentionally slow healing—and how to fix it.
4. Practical insights on helping people move forward with dignity, purpose, and stability.
As Founder and Clinical Director of Diversified Rehabilitation Group, Derek has built a multidisciplinary team focused on evidence-informed, culturally competent care for those who serve. His work bridges clinical expertise with a deep understanding of the realities faced by police, fire, paramedics, corrections, and military members.
Derek specializes in trauma recovery, return-to-work planning, complex psychological injury, and system navigation. He is known for his direct, practical approach — helping individuals move from survival toward sustainable recovery while also advising organizations on how to strengthen psychological safety and leadership accountability.
Dr. Candice Monson
Dr. Monson is an internationally recognized clinical psychologist and leading expert in the assessment and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Her work has significantly advanced the understanding of trauma recovery, particularly in the areas of interpersonal relationships, couple-based interventions, and military and public safety populations.
Evidence + reality
1. What the research actually tells us about post-traumatic growth (and what it does not)
2. Why growth is relational, not individual.
3. The role of family and peer connection in sustained recovery
4. What helps growth stick over time?
Dr. Monson is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Clinical Psychology Program at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is also the developer of Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT) for PTSD — an evidence-based treatment that addresses trauma within the context of intimate relationships, recognizing the profound impact trauma can have on partners and families.
Her research and clinical work focus on trauma recovery, moral injury, resilience, and post-traumatic growth. She has led numerous clinical trials, published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, and contributed to international guidelines shaping trauma treatment standards.
Dr. Monson’s work bridges science and real-world application. She is known for translating rigorous research into practical tools that strengthen not only individuals, but also the relationships and systems surrounding them.
Carmen Theobald
Carmen Theobald is an Equine-Assisted Learning Facilitator with Horse Sense North who helps individuals and groups build emotional regulation, self-awareness, and leadership skills through trauma‑informed, experiential work with horses. Grounded in the belief that healing is relational and embodied rather than purely cognitive, she creates structured learning environments where participants explore communication, boundaries, trust, and nervous system regulation in partnership with horses, offering experiences that are immediate, authentic, and deeply impactful.
Culture, language, and lived leadership
Leading with GRACE:
1. Why language and timing matter in recovery
2. How culture either accelerates or stalls growth.
3. What people remember most about how they were treated?
It is common for PSP to become skilled at showing up for their communities while their own reserves quietly deplete, sometimes not noticing the cost until burnout, numbness, or doubt about continuing starts to set in.
This talk will introduce the GRACE framework – five essential questions and practices for leading oneself to wellness that work in the moment, not just during annual leave. GRACE is inspired by observing herders worldwide – people who successfully guide large groups of herbivores through danger and uncertainty without force or restraint. These herders understand something critical: you can’t lead others effectively if you are not leading yourself well first.
At its core, GRACE helps PSP befriend their nervous systems – recognizing when they’re overwhelmed, understanding what they need to settle, and building practices that work with the body’s natural responses rather than fighting against them. These are not abstract concepts – they are practical questions PSP can ask themselves during their shift, at the end of their day, and in the moments when they notice they are carrying more than they would like to be.
From Help-Seeking to Healing: Therapy, Systems, and What Actually Supports Growth
Michelle Zare
Michelle is a highly respected paralegal and advocate specializing in workplace injury claims, disability benefits, and complex case navigation — with particular expertise in supporting Public Safety Personnel and frontline professionals.
As Founder and Senior Paralegal at Zare Paralegal, Michelle represents clients navigating WSIB claims, employer disputes, and disability systems. She is widely recognized for her in-depth understanding of psychological injury claims, including operational stress injuries, PTSD, and cumulative trauma exposure.
David Hurst
David is a Clinical and Counselling Psychologist at City Centre Psychology and the founder of City Centre Psychology. He specializes in the treatment of first responders and brings both professional expertise and lived experience as a former first responder.
He is registered with the College of Psychologists and Behavior Analysts of Ontario and is well aware of the unique challenges first responders face when reaching out for help, including the systemic and cultural barriers that can interfere with recovery.
Dr. Katie Stewart
Dr. Katie Stewart is a clinical psychologist. She is currently working at Ontario Shores as a clinical consultant, providing consultation and training to allied health professionals. She also provides assessment and treatment at Nellie Health. She has expertise in the treatment of anxiety, post-traumatic stress, obsessive-compulsive, and mood disorders. She also works with clients who have experienced workplace injury, including first responders and Public Safety Personnel. She is also currently involved in a clinical trial examining the effect of psilocybin integrated massed cognitive processing therapy for chronic PTSD. She has 10 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Stewart is also a board member of the Ontario Psychological Association.
Built on Trust: The Role of Peer Support in Post-Traumatic Growth
Peer support is built on credibility, trust, and shared experience. It is not clinical. It is not hierarchical. It is one person saying to another, “I understand.”
This panel brings together experienced peer supporters from Public Safety communities who have walked alongside colleagues through operational stress injuries, moral injury, career disruption, grief, and recovery.
Participants will hear firsthand:
• What peer support looks like in real time
• The boundaries and responsibilities of the role
• The impact of shared lived experience
• How trust is built in cultures that value strength and silence
• The difference between rescuing and supporting
• Why peer support remains one of the strongest protective factors in high-exposure professions
This conversation will be honest, practical, and grounded in experience. Panelists will share what works, what challenges them, and how peer support strengthens individuals, families, and organizations.
Peer support does not replace clinical care.
It reinforces connection.
It reduces isolation.
It reminds people they are not alone.
In environments where trauma exposure is routine, connection is protective. This panel highlights the power of standing shoulder to shoulder — and the lasting impact of peers who choose to show up.
