Traditional masculine attitudes and the “suck it up” military mentality often make it difficult for soldiers to share, said Marvin Westwood, a UBC counselling psychology professor, with some even turning to alcohol and drugs to shut down their feelings.
University of B.C.’s veterans’ program assists in transitioning soldier skills into civilian skills, creating options they didn’t know they had and helping soldiers become competitive in the labour force, he said.
“If they don’t get support when they serve in these war zones, the stress injuries are debilitating beyond all means,” Westwood said. “It affects their families, their careers and their lives and their ability to earn income. And they’re not contributing citizens anymore.”