Nova Scotia Operational Stress Injury (OSI) Clinic

The Nova Scotia Operational Stress Injury Clinic (NSOSIC) belongs to a national network of OSI Clinics funded by Veterans Affairs Canada. The clinic provides mental health services to clients of Veterans Affairs Canada (Canadian Armed Forces/RCMP Veterans), the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The clinic provides services to clients throughout Nova Scotia, with offices located in Dartmouth and Sydney. Telehealth (secure video conferencing) is available.

What is an OSI?

An operational stress injury (OSI) is any persistent psychological difficulty resulting from duties performed while serving in the Canadian Forces or as an RCMP member.

Common types of OSI include:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Mood Disorders
• Anxiety Disorders
• Substance Use Disorders
• Other conditions that may interfere with daily functioning.

Our services

The NS OSI Clinic is a specialized outpatient program. A team of clinicians with expertise in assessing and treating OSIs helps clients improve their quality of life. The NS OSI Clinic team consists of Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Registered Nurses, Social Workers, Occupational Therapists and Nurse Practitioner.

The clinic tailor’s treatment to meet each client’s specific needs.

The NS OSI Clinic offers:

• Comprehensive assessment of OSIs
• Evidence-based treatments including specialized individual therapy, group therapy, and pharmacotherapy (medication)
• Family support and education

Please note: Offices are located in Dartmouth & Sydney and virtual care is available.

How to get referred:

Referrals are accepted from:

1. The RCMP: active RCMP members may seek referral through RCMP health services.
2. The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF): for clients releasing in the next 6 months, referral may be sought through CAF health services.
3. Veterans Affairs Canada: for former members of the RCMP or veterans of the CAF, referral may be sought through VAC by calling (1-866-522-2122) or through your MyVAC account (may be accessed or created here: My VAC Account - Veterans Affairs Canada)

What to Expect:

Once the NS OSI Clinic receives your referral, you can expect the following:

• Welcome Call
  • A nurse will contact you for an initial phone call (~20 minutes). They will discuss your referral to the clinic, ask about your current experience leading to the referral, and screen for risk of harm to yourself/others.

Depending on your needs, you will then be asked to attend one or more of the following appointment types (a client may engage with all these steps, or some may be skipped, depending on the information available and clinical need):

• Intake appointment
  • This appointment usually takes 1-2 hours and can be done by phone, video call, or in person based on client preference. For this appointment, you will be asked to complete questionnaires related to your symptoms and will discuss topics including:
    • Current mental health symptoms
    • Medical history (including family history)
    • Current & past medications
    • General life history (where you grew up, family structure, etc.)
    • Overview of your service history (ex., where you were posted)
    • Goals for mental health treatment

You will not be asked to discuss details of traumatic incidents in this appointment. Our team welcomes clients to ask questions anytime during their Care in our services.

• Assessment with NS OSI Clinic psychologist or psychiatrist
  • Appointments are conducted in person or by video conference. This appointment usually takes a couple of hours. It will involve discussing your symptoms and experiences with the goal of diagnosis and making treatment recommendations. The assessor will give you feedback in session or a separately booked brief phone feedback session. Clients are encouraged to ask questions as needed to understand the feedback provided.

• Psychiatry consultation
  • If a psychiatrist did not complete your initial assessment, you may be offered a consultation with OSI Clinic psychiatry if desired/indicated. These consultations occur for medication review, to make new medication recommendations, and to address medical concerns that impact mental health.

• Treatment
  • Once your assessment is complete, you may be connected to an evidence-based individual and/or group treatment with the OSI clinic.
  • 1:1 client care is offered virtually or in person and may include:
    • Psychotherapy, provided by a Social Worker, Clinical Therapist or Psychologist – Therapy with the OSI clinic is intended to be directed toward co-developed goals between the client and their therapist and occur weekly or biweekly.
    • Psychiatry follow-up
    • Occupational Therapy (limited to those connected with Therapy and/or psychiatry follow-up)
    • Physical Care (limited to those without a primary care clinician in the community who have VAC-awarded physical conditions that interfere with their mental health.
  • Group services are offered virtually only at this time. Group services are available to those connected to individual treatment. The clinic has several group offerings to address:
    • Educating families on OSIs and ways to support
    • Managing pain
    • Addressing insomnia and sleep issues
    • Work on mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills
    • Social skills and support