Briefings and Presentations

The Health Promotion Department is available to provide briefings/workshops directly to your unit. In general, a minimum of 45 minutes is required to provide an effective briefing environment. We can provide briefings/workshops during Ground Training/PD Days, for specific exercises/deployment preparation, and/or in response to the general interest of personnel.

Request a Briefing

The following briefings/workshops are just some of the options that Health Promotion can provide. We welcome your ideas for briefings/workshops and are open to customization to ensure we fit the needs of your unit/section/group. Please provide specific details of your ideas in the “Comments” section of the Request Form when completing.

General Topics

Health Promotion 101
Length: 30-45 minutes

This brief offers an overview of the Health Promotion programs, initiatives, and courses/workshops available to the Defence Team, as well as an exploration of how these services contribute to and support the overall health and operational readiness of personnel.
SMART Goal Setting
Length: 45 minutes

This brief focuses on the importance of setting realistic, achievable goals. Learn how to increase your success rate by creating SMART goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

Social and Mental Wellness

Building Mental Resilience
Length: 45-60 minutes

This brief focuses on the concept of mental resiliency and provides strategies to help increase your resiliency quotient, enhancing your ability to cope with challenges and grow from adversity.
Mental Fitness and Suicide Awareness
Length: 4 hours

This workshop introduces the concept of mental fitness and the Mental Health Continuum Model, along with practical mental fitness exercises. It addresses the stigma surrounding mental health issues, provides guidance on recognizing warning signs of distress or suicidal thoughts, and offers an introduction to the ACE suicide prevention/intervention model.
Stress Management
Length: 45-60 minutes

This brief will explore the stress response, enhance self-awareness, and provide valuable skills and coping strategies to effectively manage and combat daily stressors.
Anger Management
Length: 45-60 minutes

This brief offers an opportunity to reflect on the stressors that activate anger and provides skills and coping strategies to manage and response to those moments in a positive and effective way.
Communicating Effectively
Length: 60 minutes

This brief will introduce a variety of communication tools and skills designed to effectively address conflict and enhance overall communication.
Reduce the Stigma
Length: 60 minutes

This brief explores the concept of stigma surrounding mental illness and injury, how it manifests, and provides strategies for reducing stigma in the workplace.

Sleep

Leadership's Role in Supporting Sleep Health
Length: 45-60 minutes

This brief explores the impact of sleep on workplace performance, particularly in operational environments. It covers key considerations for leaders during operations, including understanding sleep chronotypes, and how they affect individual performance. Additionally, it provides insights on recognizing sleep-related challenges within teams and strategies to optimize sleep for better operational effectiveness.
his brief debunks common sleep myths in a quick and engaging format, offering valuable insights and knowledge in a short timeframe.
Sleep and Shiftwork
Length: 45-60 minutes

This brief focuses on sleep strategies specifically for shift workers, offering practical tips on how to manage sleep patterns, improve rest quality, and maintain overall health and performance while working non-traditional hours.
Sleep Challenges and Strategies for Special Populations
Length: 45-60 minutes

This brief focuses on the unique sleep challenges faced by special populations, including women, parents, veterans, individuals with injuries or chronic pain, racialized groups, athletes, students, and sexual and gender minorities. It explores the specific factors that impact sleep in these groups and provides tailored strategies to improve sleep quality and overall well-being.
Sleep for Performance in Deployment Operations
Length: 45-60 minutes

This brief examines the critical role of sleep in performance during deployment and operational environments. It covers how sleep affects individual and team effectiveness, key considerations for leaders managing sleep during operations, and the importance of understanding sleep chronotypes to optimize rest and performance. Strategies for supporting sleep health in high-demand settings will also be discussed.
Sleep Fundamentals
Length: 60 minutes

Sleep plays a crucial role in maintaining physical and psychological health, quality of life, and safety. Insufficient sleep can negatively impact military performance. This brief will guide personnel through the importance of sleep, explain what happens during sleep, and review strategies to improve both the quality and quantity of sleep for better health and wellness.
Sleep Myths and Facts
Length: 30-45 minutes

This brief debunks common sleep myths in a quick and engaging format, offering valuable insights and knowledge in a short timeframe.

Addictions Awareness and Prevention

Alcohol: Staying Within the Guidelines
Length: 30-60 minutes

This brief covers the benefits of lower-risk drinking and the risks of binge drinking, while also defining resilience and the key factors that contribute to it. Participants will learn strategies to build resilience and practical approaches to minimize risks associated with alcohol use.
Cannabis Use and Health
Length: 30-45 minutes

This brief provides an overview of cannabis, including its uses and the immediate and long-term effects it can have on an individual’s health. It also covers the Low Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines for those who choose to use cannabis.
Escape the Vape
Length: 30-45 minutes

This brief provides an overview of vaping, including its effects, and discusses available resources to help reduce or quit vaping.
Keeping Your Parties Safe:
Length: 30-45 minutes

This brief covers the rationale behind safe party procedures, the role of social event policies, and safer practices for reducing risks. It also includes responsible hosting guidelines for private parties.
Preventing Problematic Gambling
Length: 30-45 minutes

This brief explores different types of gambling, the reasons why people gamble, and when it can become a problem. It covers the broad impact of problem gambling, discusses the Lower Risk Gambling Guidelines, and provides information on resources available for support.
Preventing Problematic Internet and Video Gaming
Length: 30-45 minutes

This brief covers video gaming, including the different types of games, why people play, and who plays them. It reviews research on gaming, defines Gaming Disorder, and explores the spectrum of video game playing along with warning signs of problematic gaming. Participants will learn tips for gaming responsibly and gain information on resources available for support.
Stigma and Substance Use
Length: 45-60 minutes

This brief addresses the stigma surrounding substance use, gambling, and gaming. IT provides guidance on how to approach and talk to others who may be struggling with these issues in a way that reduces stigma and fosters understanding.
Substance Use 101
Length: 45-60 minutes

This brief explores the reasons behind alcohol and drug use, identifies risk factors for problematic substance use, and discusses the impact of substance use on health, safety, and operational readiness.
Talking About Alcohol and Other Drugs
Length: 45-60 minutes

This brief explores the individual, interpersonal, and societal factors that influence substance use. It covers how to identify signs of potential substance use problems, discusses prevention strategies for families, partners, friends, and co-workers, and provides information on resources available to assist personnel and their families.
Understanding Drug Use and its Impact
Length: 30-60 minutes

This brief explores the effects of various drugs on the body, discusses the risks illegal drugs pose to health, safety, and career, and provides information on available resources for support.

Family Violence

Beyond the DAOD – What You Need to Know About Family Violence (Leadership Briefing)
Length: 1 hour

This brief provides an overview of family violence, outlines available resources to support military members and their families, and highlights the roles and responsibilities of leadership in addressing this issue.
Family Violence Awareness and Prevention
Length: 1 hour

This brief aims to raise awareness and provide general information about family violence, highlighting its impact and key considerations.

Nutritional Wellness

Canada’s Food Guide
Length: 30 minutes

This brief provides an overview of Canada’s Food Guide and offers practical advice on how to incorporate its guidelines into your personal eating habits.
Decoding Food Labels
Length: 30-60 minutes

This brief teaches you how to read food labels effectively and understand nutrition claims, empowering you to make healthier food choices. *Note that the 60 minute version provides enhanced opportunity for practicing skills with real food labels.
Grocery Shopping
Length: 45-60 minutes

This brief offers practical tips and strategies for grocery shopping on a budget, helping you make healthier, cost-effective choices while managing your food expenses without compromising on nutrition.
Meal Planning
Length: 45-60 minutes

This brief covers the basics of meal planning, providing practical tips and strategies to help you plan balanced, nutritious meals, save time, reduce food waste, and support overall health and wellness.
Mindful Eating
Length: 45-60 minutes

This brief introduces the concept of mindful eating, offering practical strategies to help you develop a more conscious and attentive approach to your eating habits and foster a healthier relationship with food.
Myths and Facts on Diets
Length: 30-45 minutes

This brief explores the myths and facts behind trending topics and fad diets in the nutrition industry, providing clarity on what’s backed by evidence and what’s not.
Nutrition for Shift Workers
Length: 45-60 minutes

This brief focuses on nutrition strategies specifically for shift workers, offering practical advice on how to maintain energy levels, improve overall health, and optimize performance through balanced and effective meal planning.
Nutrition Fundamentals
Length: 1 hour

This brief covers the fundamentals of nutrition and provides practical tips on making healthier food choices to maintain or improve your overall health.
The Energy Drink Buzz
Length: 30-45 minutes

This brief examines the effects of energy drink consumption on health and performance, highlighting potential risks and impacts.
Understanding Food Marketing
Length: 30-45 minutes

This brief explores food marketing, explaining what it is, how it influences your food choices, and how to become more mindful of its impact on your decisions

Injury Prevention and Active Living

Leadership's Role in Injury Prevention
Length: 1 hour

This briefing aims to foster a positive change in the CAF’s approach to injuries by emphasizing the critical role of leadership support. The objectives of this session are to:
• Raise awareness of the causes of injuries within the CAF
• Present evidence-informed strategies that can significantly reduce injuries
• Highlight the crucial role leadership plays in implementing these strategies, and
• Enhance understanding of how to engage Health Promotion, Fitness and Sports, and Health Services resources to minimize injuries.
Living Actively
Length: 30 minutes

This brief introduces the concept of active living, including active transportation, and provides guidance on how to incorporate it safely and effectively into your daily routine.
Summer Safety
Length: 30 minutes

This brief offers valuable tips on staying safe during the summer, covering sun safety, preventing heat stress, and maintaining healthy hydration.