Camp Aftermath

07/31/2026

We’re looking to connect with female Veterans who might benefit from Roto 9. This isn’t just a retreat; it’s a year-long program designed to provide connection, structure, and purpose after service.

The retreat opens the door. The follow-up carries it home.

If you know a female Veteran who may be looking for this kind of support, please share this privately with her. Your connection could make a real difference. Thank you.

07/29/2026

Military identity can be a double-edged sword. A study of Australian Veterans found that while pride in service fosters social connections, leaning too heavily on that identity can lead to isolation.

This insight reminds us that the uniform is just one part of who we are. It’s important to explore other aspects of our identity that can grow and evolve. Reflect on what parts of your service still fill you with pride, and consider what new interests or connections might enrich your life.

At Camp Aftermath, we understand that identity doesn’t end when the uniform comes off. Our approach emphasizes connection, purpose, and support, helping you navigate this journey beyond service. The retreat opens the door, and the follow-up carries it home.

07/27/2026

Your uniform provided structure, but it was never the whole person.

As you transition, remember that this shift isn’t just about changing jobs. It’s about redefining who you are beyond the roles you’ve played. What parts of yourself have you set aside while serving?

Take a moment to reflect: What matters to you now?

Embrace the journey of discovering your full self. You’re more than your past—let’s explore what’s next.

07/24/2026

Ten years.

Yesterday we held our Annual General Assembly, and it marked ten years since Camp Aftermath began.

It did not start as another veterans charity. It started with a question. Not about PTSD, not about employment, not about benefits. About identity. What happens after the uniform comes off? Who am I now? Where do I belong? How do I build purpose again?

Ten years on, that question matters more than ever.

We measure a lot of things. Rotations, funding, partnerships, research. But those were never the success. The success is the moment a veteran calls another veteran for the first time in years. The moment someone realizes they are not broken, they are simply in transition. The moment purpose starts to replace survival.

Those moments do not show up on a balance sheet. They are why we exist.

One of our participants put it plainly in a national study. "Camp Aftermath provided me with a sense of purpose beyond the uniform."

That is the whole point.

Seven years of measured delivery. Eight rotations. 47 people who served, a 98 percent completion rate, zero critical adverse events. And a community that keeps showing up for each other.

To everyone who trusted us with their story, gave their time, carried the clinical weight, or believed in an idea before it became evidence, thank you.

After ten years, we are only getting started.

www.campaftermath.org

07/23/2026

Who am I now that I'm no longer in uniform?

That question doesn't show up on a checklist. It doesn't get solved in a seminar. And it doesn't go away just because someone gets a job or moves to a new city.

We treat leaving service like a career change. It isn't. It's the loss of a way of life, a community, and often a piece of identity. That is why a person can have a pension, a job, and benefits, and still feel lost.

At Camp Aftermath we don't replace clinical care and we don't run a crisis line. We build the peer community and the continuity that fills the space between leaving and landing.

Roto 9 is open now for women veterans. If that's you, or you know her, start at www.campaftermath.org

07/20/2026

Ten years in the making.

Camp Aftermath is a charity. Over ten years we built something that works, recognized by Veterans Affairs Canada and funded by other major Canadian foundations.

Now we are taking that operating system and scaling it with the team at Echelon Wellness, to reach veterans across the country.

It starts in Kingston. Information session, August 11. I will be there in person.

Are you a Veteran struggling to find purpose after service? Are you seeking support to reconnect and navigate the move from military identity into civilian life?

Join us for an information session at Echelon Kingston (1650 Bath Rd. - Unit 101) on Tuesday, August 11 at 7:00 PM. Light refreshments will be provided.

This session introduces the Echelon Wellness x Camp Aftermath group therapy program, designed to inspire purpose and rebuild connection beyond service.

Camp Aftermath is a Veteran-led, peer-supported program that helps Veterans make the deeper shift from military identity to civilian life.

Camp Aftermath founder and Veteran Farid Yaghini will join us to share his story of perseverance.

This program is informed by Camp Aftermath and delivered by Echelon Wellness.

Space is limited. Reserve your spot by emailing [email protected] or DMing us here.

07/07/2026

Please join us in welcoming Lise Preston as Camp Aftermath's new Chief Mental Health Professional. 💜

If you've been part of our community for a while, you already know Lise. She's been with us since Roto 2 in Costa Rica — nearly the whole journey — as a licensed social worker and our onsite clinical lead. She has spent years walking alongside Veterans and first responders through operational stress, and she has a rare gift: making people feel safe enough to do the hard work of healing.

Lise steps into this role recommended by Dr. John Whelan himself, as he moves on to a national role with the True Patriot Love Foundation. What he built doesn't reset — it continues, in hands that helped shape it. Continuity of care, from someone our participants already know and trust.

For the women joining Roto 9 this fall, and every cohort that follows, that continuity is everything.

Welcome, Lise. We're grateful to have you leading our clinical heart. 🙏

A familiar face steps into a defining role, and the clinical heart of Camp Aftermath's Veteran and first responder mental health program continues, str ...

07/06/2026

We rise together. 💜

Camp Aftermath is now enrolling Roto 9 — our women-only cohort for Veterans and first responders living with operational stress injuries. Limited spots available.

This is more than a weekend. It's an in-person retreat (October 19–22, 2026 in Cantley, Québec) followed by a full year of peer support and coaching because a breakthrough only matters if it lasts. You'll do it alongside women who understand, because they've been there too.

It's free. No diagnosis required. Just you, ready to keep rising.

Know a woman who served and could use this year? Share this post, or reach out.

📩 Apply today: [email protected]
🌐 www.campaftermath.org

06/29/2026

On June 27, I had the honour of visiting the Women Warriors' Healing Garden open house and meeting one of its founders, Dr. Elaine Waddington Lamont.

What this organization is building is remarkable. The Women Warriors' Healing Garden supports Canadian women who carry the effects of trauma from their service in uniform. Research informed peer support, mental health programming, and a community that meets women where they are.

At Camp Aftermath, we believe healing is a team effort. No single charity does it alone. That is why we are opening our doors to collaborate with allied organizations, including the Women Warriors' Healing Garden, as we recruit for Roto 9, our first women only rotation.

Roto 9 is built for women veterans, by a community that respects what they have carried. If you are a woman who served, or you know one who did, this is an invitation.

Learn more and apply at www.campaftermath.org

To Dr. Lamont and the entire Women Warriors' Healing Garden team, thank you for the work you do.

06/26/2026

After nearly a decade as our Chief Mental Health Advisor, Dr. John Whelan is stepping into a national role with the True Patriot Love Foundation and we couldn't be prouder to watch him go.

Dr. Whelan was the first mental health professional to believe in Camp Aftermath, back when it was little more than an idea. He gave our program its clinical backbone and its integrity, and he showed up wherever the work led, from volunteer projects in the ghettos of La Carpio, Costa Rica, to supporting Ukrainian first responders in Germany during active war. A Navy Veteran himself, he has given more than thirty years to this country and to those who served it.

The standard of care he built into Camp Aftermath doesn't leave with him. It stays, because he made sure of it.

Thank you, Dr. Whelan. Fair winds and following seas. 🌊
Read our full tribute below.

After nearly a decade as our Chief Mental Health Advisor, Dr. John Whelan is stepping into a national role with the True Patriot Love Foundation. We send hi ...