Capstone Project Proposal Draft

Name of student: Katie LePrieur

Date: March 4, 2024
Teacher: Ms. Lacroix
Capstone strand I have chosen is Service
Proposed title for my project: Helping to improve mental health services for first
responders and military personnel.

What is your inquiry question that interests you for further research? It should be a question that
connects with a purpose, passion or personalized area of interest for you. This is a question that
you cannot just google an answer for. Please see examples from your Capstone booklet.
My inquiry question is:

How can I destigmatize needing help with your mental health as a first responder?

Rationale/context: Detail your reasons for choosing this inquiry question. Explain WHY you are
choosing to investigate this topic as a major area of focus. How does this area of inquiry connect
to your passion(s), purpose? Why is it of personal interest to you?

I chose thi sfield becasue I find that acts of service are the most beneficial thing for both me
and others. Being someone going into the military, I have an idea of the trauma that may
come with that line of work. I also know people currently serving and I have seen how wars
and being deployed affects them. Though it is apparent that they are struggling and may need
some help for their mental well-being, they want to appear ‘manly’ and continue to uphold this
facade. I would like to know how I can destigmatize asking for help.

Background: What background knowledge/connections/prior learning do you have in this

area of inquiry?

As someone who has family in the military and police force, I have seen first hand how the
trauma can affect them. It’s not pretty and will never be however it can be managed with the
neccessry help. Though I haven’t seen the things that they have, I have struggled with mental
health myself. From anxiety to depression, I have been through some pretty harsh stuff and it
got so bad that I couldn’t get out of bed. This went on for months and once I finally got over
my ego and accepted the help being offered to me, I slowly started to get better. I wouldn’t be
in the place I am today had I not swallowed my pride. I will use this broad knowledge of my
own experiences to try to help those who are currently serving.

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Career connections: What is your intended career area at this point in time? What
connections does this inquiry question have to your life, academic and/ or career goals?

As stated above, I plan on joining the military and having the knowledge and research I will
have at the end of this project, I will be able to recognize issues as they arise rather than
waiting. I would like to know how to combat mental health issues due to trauma seen in the
line of duty, and what resources I can use to get help.

Capstone Presentation medium: select one or more project mediums you wish to use to
present your project. Outline and give details about how you will present your project once
completed. You may use a combination of mediums.
o Electronic portfolio: Prezi or PPT
o Physical portfolio
o Website
o imovie presentation
o YouTube channel

IMovie presentation

Description of my Capstone project. Specific Project Details of the Capstone Project: what
will you research, create, study, produce, solve, investigate? What product will be produced
at the end of this project for evaluation. Write a one-page description outlining your
proposal.

Going into a field where mental health is not prioritized, I wanted to know a bit more
about it. While most people see those working in first response or the military as string,
tough as nails people, many of those people are actually really struggling inside. Through this
project, I would like to complete a few steps in order to truly understand the minds of
those protecting us.

First, I am going to be doing research into the mind and how it processes traumatic
events. While it may be similar between different people, we all have ways to cope and
deal with stress. By taking a look at the personality of each individual, we can gain a
deeper understanding as to how they deal with trauma. To do this, I need to know
exactly what constitutes a traumatic event in regard to people in harsh lines of work.
What are the events, when do they take place, and who is involved? While many things

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can cause stress, not everything is classified as traumatic so by determining where the
line between the two is, I can more accurately read the behaviors of others. Since I am
not an expert on this topic, I would like to speak to some professionals that see this
stuff on a daily basis so that they can teach me more about said topic.

Next, I need to know how to cope with PTSD. Once the disorder has been identified,
we need to neutralize it so that the affected person is able to function properly and live
normal lives. There are numerous different ways of coping including group therapy,
one-on-one therapy, exposure therapy, and more. Each of those categories also have
subcategories that become more specific to each person and how they respond to
certain treatments. Every single person will react differently to different things, and it is
crucial that we acknowledge that in order to get them the help that they need.

Once I have spoken with people who have been affected by PTSD, specialists, and
mentors, I will interview them on camera and compile each video into an iMovie,
showcasing the reality of life with PTSD. I hope to make it similar to a documentary
where not only factual information is being shared but also the personal experiences of
the who have struggled with it.

Resources/ Technology/Skills: Make an assessment of the resources, technology and

skills you will need to be able to complete this project. What is your plan to be able to
access/learn all of the resources necessary to achieve completion of this project? Detail
your plans.

While I am still working out details of meeting up with of my mentor, I am hoping to visit police
stations, firehalls, and more and interview a few employees to get their take on the mental
health system currently in place. I am hoping to designate certain days and times to meet with
my mentor and go to these places to talk to numerous individuals regarding this topic. I will
also be doing research on the side to better understand the struggles of those in this industry
by reading articles, watching documentaries, and talking with some of my mom’s colleague's.
She works with police, therapists, behavioural specialists, and school administartors to help
keep students safe in person and online. I am hoping to speak to some of the threat analyists
and psycologists she works with to understand potential warning signs and cries for help.
They see worrisome behaviour everyday with a varitey of scenarios and I would like to learn
how to recognize them a little bit better.

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Mentors/Community Connections: What types of mentor(s)/community connections will
you need to help you complete your capstone project? How will your mentor(s) help you?
What is your plan to access the mentorship/community connections necessary for this
project?

 Steve Serbic- Author of 2 books on mental health in first repsonders, retired fire
captain, survivor of mental health struggles due to trauma seen at work
 Psycologists/ Behaviour Specialists- provide me with insight in how to recognize signs
of ill workers
I have/will contact these people and talk to them abit about the research that I am doing.With
their help, I can increase the number of connections I have as well as gain knowledge into my
area of research. With their help, I can hopefully obtin experiences of my own by talking to
firefighters/ police officers face to face to understand their thought proccess a bit better.

Project limitations: What are some project limitations and potential obstacles that you foresee
that might affect progress with your Capstone Project?

 Not being able to go into firehalls/ police stations to interview people

 Not getting in contact with enough poeple that can provide me with frst-hand
information on the subject matter
 Not managing my time effectively

Other considerations: List and detail any other related information/ considerations about
your project that you feel should be included in your project proposal.

I have already listed what I feel is needed!

References:

On a BLANK PAGE ADD YOUR REFERENCE LIST. Your list should be written using
correct APA formatting. An example is provided on page 20 of your Capstone booklet.
THIS IS NOT YOUR LITERATURE REVIEW BUT A REFERENCE LIST OF ALL THE
ARTICLES FOUND IN YOUR LITERATURE REVIEW.

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