It seems to me, that from time to time, we all should make an effort to see ourselves or our professional role from someone else’s perspective. When I become convinced that my idea of my responsibilities is the only one, I can quickly become alienated from the community where I serve. Often enough, waking up and smelling the coffee so to speak, can be somewhat upsetting since we often find out that we are not doing the good we had thought.
As a chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces, I am fully aware that not everyone needs help from me, and from time-to-time members are even hostile to the idea of speaking with a person associated with religion. Nevertheless, a military chaplain’s job is to help make sure that military members find any support or help that they may need.
One of the wealthiest resources that are available for members of the CAF is the Member Assistance Program or CF MAP. This is in fact, a partnership between the Department of National Defence (DND) and Health Canada’s Emergency Preparedness and Occupational Health Directorate Employee Assistance Services (EAS).
Regular Force members and their immediate families have access to the CF MAP telephone service 24/7. Reserve members, and some family members, have access when the situation at hand is directly linked to service in the CAF. In any case, reservists can call for an initial assessment. Parents or siblings of CAF members who have been injured or who have died while in service also have access 24/7.
Calling CF MAP will get you referred to the kind of support that is needed without any reference to the chain of command, and you can ask for help with a variety of issues:
- marital and family
- interpersonal relations
- personal and emotional
- stress and burn-out
- work-related, including harassment and sexual assault
- alcohol, drugs, and prescription drugs
- any other concern that affects or could affect your personal well-being
The number to call is 1-800-268-7708, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There is also a chat service, although this requires a password and is not for immediate counselling:
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/programs/member-assistance.html