OUR STORY

The Quebec City OSI clinic has been running GMT groups since 2019, when our collaborators at the Clinic, Edouard Auger and Vicky Lavoie, along with their team of clinicians, received training from Margaret McKinnon and Charlene O'Connor. Since initially trialing GMT among their clientele, it has quickly become the most in-demand group offered, even during the Covid-19 Pandemic, when groups were shifted to an online format. While initially offered as a pandemic response, the online groups provided accessibility for clients living in more rural locations, and as a result the clinic has since been offering groups both online and in-person, typically twice per year during the fall and winter.

 

In 2022, our team received support from the Military Casualty Support Foundation, the Cowan Foundation, and RBJ Schlegel to conduct an evaluation of virtual GMT implementation at the clinic. We conducted two virtual focus groups with clinicians who either facilitated GMT, or who referred their clients to the GMT groups (11 participants in total, who included 7 psychiatrists, 2 psychologists, 1 nurse, and 1 social worker), asking them to share:

• client feedback

• their clinical observations on symptom improvement among clients who attended the groups

• the strategies used and adaptations made to facilitate GMT online

• the perceived pros and cons of delivering GMT online, and

• the optimal therapeutic timepoint at which to refer clients to the groups.

   

Results found that both clients and clinicians found GMT to be helpful in regulating symptoms of PTSD, and GMT was felt to help clients manage their cognitive challenges. The group format was also found to be helpful in reducing isolation and improving motivation and morale. We concluded that GMT should be considered as a beneficial part of a treatment package for OSI clients seeking treatment for PTSD with cognitive dysfunction.

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