Psychological Support / Employee Resilience Program

Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) (also known by its applied title ‘Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’ (IRCC)) International Network (IN) delivers Canada’s immigration program abroad and manages the Department’s refugee resettlement program. It employs a number of its employees, both at missions overseas and across Canada, for this purpose. In the course of their work, IN’s workforce is exposed to the traumas and hardships experienced by its applicants and clients (e.g refugees, persons in need of protection etc.). During times of conflict (e.g, war, political unrest, natural disasters etc..), work pressures are especially high as the quality (high profile, high risk cases, with very vulnerable populations) as well as the quantity (increased volumes) of the caseload is impacted This leaves employees at risk of experiencing trauma, vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, burnout etc... These terms are used to describe the negative psychological impact on individuals directly and indirectly exposed to traumatic events and subject to the increased work pressures which often accompany these situations.