Ep. 59: Setting Sights on Stigma w/ RCMP ERT Officer Mark Bouchard

Mark Bouchard is a Canadian cop who has been at the game for about the same amount of time as I have. His career and journey have taken him to some dark places, and where he and others found the light, he aims to bring that light-finding skill to our first responder community.  

Mark first reached out to me in the early part of the year. He saw what I was doing on the socials and it resonated. He, likewise, was committed to enhancing the conversation of first responder mental health through working on his book (which is now finished and available- scroll down for the deets!)

Although we initially connected, started chatting and recorded this episode back many months ago, the conversations and points made are continually worthy, continually necessary. Our stigmas are killing our health, our careers.. and they’re killing us.

As we go full bore into the holidays, I hope we are all well, yet I know we are not.  The holidays can be a hard time for folks. Lots of loss, in the job, in our personal lives. Broken families, dysfunction about.  However, it is my sincere hope and belief that as we continue to have these critical chats, sharing critical ideas and fostering connection, we are getting where we we need to go.. if slowly, still surely. 

The best to you and yours. Enjoy the likely last episode of Blue Grit Radio for this calendar year.  Good tidings to you, yours, and as always STAY GRITTY. 

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Mark Bouchard has 16 years of law enforcement experience in Canada, with almost ten years on the Emergency Response Team (SWAT), where he is also a an advanced care tactical medic. Mark is currently assigned to the Williams Lake RCMP general duty (patrol), North District ERT, and is in the process of promoting into the RCMP’s National Medic Program. He also has many years of experience instructing mental health (R2MR), as a peer to peer support member, and as part of the proactive employee support team. 

Mark also recently completed a Master’s Degree from Royal Roads University in leadership, with a research project focused on police culture and police officer mental health. Mark has combined his experiences and his research into a book called Setting My Sights on Stigma: Thoughts From an Injured Mind, which was released on Amazon in November. It is a combination of his experiences with his PTSD diagnosis, and the research that helped him to heal from his psychological injury. 

You can read a free chapter on his website here:

https://markbouchard.ca/stigma/

email: mark@markbouchard.ca

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We are always talking about police and first responder wellness, how to be a cop, self development, career development, organizational culture and development and so much more! This isn't just to uplift the policing community and profession, but THE Community. Let's do it one conversation at a time!

music credit: Drive by AShamaluevMusic