PTSD: The Truth Behind the Smile will host its first meeting at the Goodwill Community office.
WOODSTOCK - A new PTSD support group will begin meeting every Friday, starting tonight in Woodstock.
Founder and facilitator Jean-Guy Poirier says the group is to help people suffering from PTSD.
"I was a firefighter for eleven years up in the Stratford area. I found that after my diagnosis with PTSD, there were many people that weren't in the emergency field that were suffering and that were falling through the cracks, that didn't have the support, couldn't get the help, couldn't go off work obviously because there was no disability insurance or anything for them. So what I decided that we would start a group and open up to anybody with PTSD."
Poirier has been holding a PTSD support group in Stratford since October last year.
He says the members in Stratford have gained a lot of trust from the meetings.
"My members, I guess what my members take away from the most is the fact that they learn to trust and to trust others. When the hands go up in the room, when it's your first time or your tenth time into the group, the hands go up and the me too's and the 'wow I feel the same way.' It's about being amongst your peers and it's about that people know, people understand what you're going through."
The sessions will be held out of the Goodwill Community office.
The first meeting will be held tonight, Friday May 3rd, running from 6:00 to 8:00pm and the group will meet every Friday night from now on.

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