Doctor apologises for allowing convicted sex offender to mentor sexual abuse survivors Newshub 4 hrs ago
Warning: This article discusses sexual assault.
A Canadian doctor running a military support group has apologised for violating the trust of sexual assault survivors by allowing a registered sex offender to a six-day women s retreat with them as a peer mentor.
Dr. Manuela Joannou is the leader of Project Trauma - a support group for military personnel and veterans struggling with PTSD.
In July 2018, Dr Joannou organised a six-day female retreat, and invited retired army major Jonathan Hamilton along as a mentor.
What she failed to disclose was that Hamilton had recently been convicted of two separate cases of sexual assault.
Posted: May 11, 2021 4:20 PM ET | Last Updated: May 12
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Warning: The following story contains graphic details some readers may find disturbing
Some Canadian Armed Forces veterans and first responders who are sexual assault survivors said they were outraged to learn their peer mentor at a women s trauma retreat was himself a registered sex offender.
Project Trauma Support is a residential treatment program. Its medical director is Dr. Manuela Joannou, a family physician and ER doctor in Perth, Ontario. The program works with military personnel, veterans and first responders who ve experienced post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and operational stress injury through outdoor group exercises. Some participants have credited the program with saving their