February 13, 2025 - Mental health conference

Information mental health conference

• Description of the conference

  The Canadian Armed Forces Mental Health Conference is a day dedicated to promoting mental wellness to better support military personnel. The goal of this event is to bring together experts, leaders and members of the military community to share, learn and equip themselves for the unique challenges of mental health in a military environment.
  
  
  The day will feature expert speakers related to mental health, a testimonial from an active military member, as well as local and base organizations. The latter part will take place in the gymnasium, and will be open to the entire military community.
   
  This is a truly new and unique event, featuring concrete tools, inspiring stories and invaluable resources, offering an unprecedented platform on the Bagotville base for enriching knowledge about mental health.

• Presenter: LCol Hachez
  It is an honor to have LCol Hachez open this event and share insights into his remarkable journey.
  
  François Hachez is a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces. Originally from Montreal, he joined the Forces in 2006 after a 10-year career in the restaurant industry.
  
  LCol Hachez has held key positions in multiple wings, including the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 14th Wings, taking on significant roles such as Squadron 425 Support Officer, A4, and ESM Commander.
  
  He has also had the opportunity to participate in numerous exercises and deployed operations, including OP ATTENTION in Afghanistan, OP REASSURANCE in Romania and Lithuania, OP LENTUS in British Columbia, and OP CADENCE during Canada’s G7 Summit.
  However, he considers his most significant contribution to have been during OP RENAISSANCE 17-01, where he served as Deputy Commander of the Air Task Force, J4, and A4.
  
  Despite his impressive career, LCol Hachez has faced major challenges, particularly related to his mental health. Ten years ago, he experienced severe depression accompanied by suicidal thoughts.
  
  At the end of his presentation, you will be able to:

  • Understand the factors that contributed to his depression within a military context.
  • Discover what he would have done differently in hindsight.
  • Learn how he overcame this challenge and rebuilt himself
• Presenter: Tommy Chevrette

  The Impact of Physical Activity on Mental Health, Physical Health, and Sleep
  
  Tommy Chevrette practiced clinical kinesiology in a hospital setting (cardiology – 9 years and mental health – 13 years) before joining the faculty of the Kinesiology Teaching Unit at UQAC in 2011. He is a professor and researcher in kinesiology at UQAC, director of the University Kinesiology Clinic, director of the Motor and Psychomotor Development Observatory for children aged 0-18, and co-chair of UQAC’s Research and Ethics Committee for Human Studies.
  Passionate about winter sports, he has been teaching adaptive skiing and snowboarding for nearly 40 years and has also trained instructors across Canada.
  
  Tommy firmly believes in the holistic benefits of outdoor physical activity, particularly its positive effects on mental health, self-esteem, sleep, physical health, and social-emotional well-being. He contributed to the development of a self-regulation program using adventure activities, which has been applied to adolescents with mental health challenges. Since 2011, he has taught this approach to kinesiology students at UQAC and has delivered training sessions and conferences on this topic. His presentation will explore the benefits of physical activity on mental health, physical health, and sleep.
   
  At the end of the conference, participants will be able to:

  1. Appreciate the scientific literature on the benefits of physical activity for mental health and sleep.

  2. Understand the distinctions between active behavior, physical activity, sports, and competitive training.

  3. Identify the types and intensity of physical activity that positively impact mental health, physical health, and sleep.

• Presenter: Marie-Ève Langelier
  Marie-Ève Langelier is a professor and researcher at UQAC, a family physician, psychotherapist, ecotherapist, and mindfulness meditation guide. She practiced and taught medicine for seven years at the CIUSSS Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean before joining the teaching team at the Outdoor Intervention Unit at UQAC in 2020.
  
  Passionate about the outdoors, she focuses primarily on nature contact as a protective factor for various mental and physical health issues. She utilizes and evaluates nature and adventure-based interventions (INA) as complementary treatments for adults living with mental health disorders to enhance their well-being, break their isolation, and encourage them to cultivate healthy habits.
  
  She believes in the importance of interdisciplinarity and combining approaches to help individuals with diagnosed mental health disorders maintain a satisfying level of functioning and flourishing mental health. She collaborates with several disciplines (occupational therapy, social work, psychology, sociology, public health, ethics, education) and with the community sector.
  
  At the end of her presentation, you will be able to:

  • Appreciate the available scientific literature on the benefits of nature contact on health.
  • Explain what nature and adventure-based interventions (INA) are.
  • Advocate for the importance of access to nature as a social determinant of health.
• Presenter: Janic Lavoie

  Janic Lavoie is a psychologist and neuropsychologist who graduated from UQAC. He has been working at the medical clinic of the Bagotville base since 2008. Before fully dedicating himself to his role at the clinic, he also practiced in private clinics until 2016. His decision to exclusively focus on interdisciplinary team work at the clinic reflects his interest in collaboration and mutual support in patient care.
  His practice is known for being colorful and illustrative, and he primarily uses the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) approach. He also incorporates hypnosis techniques and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) into his therapeutic toolkit. His main clientele includes individuals dealing with post-traumatic stress disorders, personality disorders, and anxiety disorders.
  
  Outside of his professional practice, Janic is a father of three teenagers. He is passionate about traveling, long-distance hiking, hockey, running, evenings with friends, and board games.
  
  During his conference, he will discuss strategies to align your values with committed actions to enhance your daily life satisfaction. The main topics will include:

  • The distinction between obstacles and values, as well as between struggle behaviors and committed actions; 
  • The principles of acceptance of reality and letting go; 
  • The importance of pausing and self-observation.