From Passion to Purpose: How Wellbeings Is Transforming Veteran and Mental Health Care in Burlington
In Burlington, Ontario, a quiet but powerful shift is taking place in the way mental health care is delivered, especially for those who have felt overlooked, misdiagnosed, or underserved for years. At the center of that change is Wellbeings Medical Center for Innovation and Excellence, a clinic founded by Peggi Shepherd DeGroote with a mission rooted in compassion, courage, and personalized healing.
Wellbeings doesn’t resemble a typical medical office, and that’s intentional. Built from the ground up by Peggi, the clinic offers something rarely seen in conventional health care: an integrated model that cares for the whole person, mind, body, history, and spirit. Veterans, first responders, and others living with pain, trauma, or addiction find not only clinical services, but a deeply human connection.
Peggi’s work is driven by lived experience. Her years working in pain and addiction medicine revealed the limits of a system that too often reduces people to symptoms or diagnoses. She envisioned something better and set out to build it.
A Closer Look at the Story Behind the Mission
In a recent interview with The Disability Channel on Youtube, Peggi Shepherd DeGroote shares the story behind Wellbeings, including her motivation for founding it and the community it serves. Hosted by Jay Stoyan, the video highlights the clinic’s focus on veterans and first responders, the systemic gaps in mental health care, and the need for more inclusive, creative, and trauma-informed services.
The conversation also explores the importance of listening, truly listening, to patients who feel left behind. For Peggi, it’s not just about treatment. It’s about rebuilding dignity, identity, and the sense that healing is possible even after years of suffering.
Innovating Mental Health Care with Deep TMS
One of the standout therapies at Wellbeings is Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (dTMS), a Health Canada-authorized, non-invasive treatment for depression, PTSD, and other conditions that haven’t responded to medication or talk therapy.
Unlike medications that circulate through the entire body and often cause side effects like fatigue, weight gain, or emotional numbness, dTMS uses targeted magnetic pulses to stimulate specific brain regions responsible for mood regulation. For many veterans and first responders struggling with treatment-resistant depression or trauma-related symptoms, this technology offers a new way forward.
BrainsWay’s patented H-coil design allows for deeper and broader stimulation than earlier forms of TMS, reaching critical areas like the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Sessions are brief—about 20 minutes, and require no sedation or downtime. Patients remain awake and alert throughout the process and often begin to notice changes within a few weeks.
At Wellbeings, dTMS is part of a broader, individualized plan that may also include therapy, movement-based treatments, or substance use support. The goal is not just symptom management but meaningful and sustained relief.
Why Veterans and First Responders Deserve More Than Crisis Support
Mental health challenges among veterans and frontline professionals are well documented, but so too are the barriers to care. Long waitlists, stigma, fragmented services, and a lack of trauma-informed approaches leave many without real options.
Wellbeings is actively working to change that. By partnering with The Disability Channel and launching new veteran-focused initiatives, the clinic is creating a space where former service members feel seen, supported, and empowered to heal.
Peggi shares in the interview how many of these individuals have lived in survival mode for so long that they forget what it’s like to feel safe or hopeful. Some arrive after years of trying various medications and programs without success. At Wellbeings, they’re met with care plans that reflect both scientific rigour and emotional intelligence.
Healing That Goes Beyond a Diagnosis
What sets Wellbeings apart isn’t just its technology, it’s the culture of care. The clinic brings together a multidisciplinary team trained in mental health, chronic pain, physical therapy, substance use recovery, and more. Yet every clinician shares a central value: the belief that patients are more than their conditions.
Many who walk through the doors of Wellbeings describe a feeling of being “met” for the first time. Not just processed or referred. Met. Seen. Understood.
For those living with complex, long-standing issues, whether related to trauma, depression, or addiction, this kind of care can be life-changing. It’s not about fixing people. It’s about helping them reconnect to who they are beneath the pain.
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Wellbeings: A Clinic with a Mission and Momentum
Wellbeings continues to grow as both a clinic and a community resource. From cutting-edge treatments like dTMS to ongoing partnerships with advocacy platforms like The Disability Channel, the center is steadily building a model for health care that is inclusive, evidence-based, and profoundly human.
The message behind Peggi’s vision is simple: everyone deserves access to care that heals, not just treats. And no one, especially those who have served others, should be left behind.
To learn more about dTMS, veteran mental health care, or our integrated recovery programs, contact us today or book a confidential consultation.
Take the First Step Today
Don’t let pain define your life. The path to healing starts with the right care—and the right team.