Aug 08, 2025
During his more than 30 years as a paramedic in B.C., Terry McManus has had many sleepless nights.
“You come home from work and there’s something still on your mind. Or you rip a strip off of a waiter or waitress because the ice isn’t cold enough. It has nothing to do with the waiter or the ice. It’s something you’re carrying from last week, or a year ago.”
McManus, who is now retired from the job, witnessed and experienced trauma every day while out on calls.
But he says the support for his and his colleagues’ mental health was lacking.
“I, personally, have had a counsellor, a mental health professional, tell me to stop the session because the information I was giving them was way too graphic. They didn’t like it. That’s just one call out of thousands that we want to talk about. It wears on you, and you can’t get the help you need.”
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/paramedics-mental-health-support-1.7603559