DCO Discourse...

Domestic violence is not a private matter even though the vast majority of it happens behind closed doors or in the intimate personal language of couples. It is a devastating reality for many Canadian families that cuts across all social, economic, religious, cultural groups. Consequently, abuse in intimate relationships carries an enormous financial and human cost. This type of abuse involves the...

In the presentation by Lori O’Neill, viewers will learn the issues many families face and how to best respond to their issues. She provides tips for de-escalating troubling emotional responses to difficult situations and offers suggestions for promoting effective stress management, increasing feelings of empowerment and moving forward in problem solving issues. National and global economic downtur...

Drinking at any time during pregnancy may cause Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). It is a lifelong disability for which there is no cure. It is a lifelong disability for which there is no cure. In Canada, the statistics of diagnosed cases are a staggering 1% of the population or 300,000 people. In the U.S. it is estimated that as many as 40,000 babies are born with FASD each year. FASD refer...

Individuals living with a history of trauma and emotional pain cope day to day with the use of a variety of strategies. Some will use coping mechanisms that are considered harmless, while others will engage in less safe strategies. Self injurious behaviour is a response that many would find difficult to understand. It is best viewed as a maladaptive response to overwhelming and intolerable emotion...

Karen Fisher (RN, BScN & the Director of Care at the Hospice Wellington in Guelph Ontario), a certified Palliative Care Nurse with over 10 years of experience, defines the various ways in which bereaved individuals may work through their loss. She explains the emotional, physical, behavioural, societal, and spiritual responses to grief. She explains key concepts that help us understand the dif...

People who are diagnosed with major depression, personality disorders and/or who are abusing substances are at a greater risk of suicide attempts or completion. Canadian studies indicate that more than 90% of suicide victims have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder (CMHA Fact Sheet). Although depression is more recognized as being a risk factor, individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Dis...

Canadian statistics indicate that there are approximately 15 acts of suicide for every 100,000 people. In Ontario alone, there were 1,032 suicidal deaths reported in 2001. Taking one’s life represents insurmountable personal pain however, in the aftermath, it is the survivors who must come to grips with this traumatic and sudden loss. Often, suicide is committed in a violent manner, with or withou...

The Canadian Community Health Survey 2004 was the first Statistics Canada survey to include a question on sexual orientation. Results indicated that among Canadians aged 18 to 59, 1.0% reported that they considered themselves to be homosexual and 0.7% considered themselves bisexual. The survey indicated that 1.3% of men considered themselves homosexual, about twice the proportion of 0.7% among wom...

In the short time that a distress line volunteer has on the phone with a caller, developing a trusting and empathetic relationship is crucial. In some areas there are high volumes of callers, forcing some distress centres to limit the time spent with each individual. This makes it particularly important that every volunteer is skilled at developing a quick and caring rapport with callers while bei...

One of the biggest challenges that Distress Line volunteers may experience is to respectfully, yet tactfully deal with challenging callers. Brigitte Bill and Arianne Richeson, the presenters of the following video provide viewers with a broad overview of the types of difficult callers that Distress Line volunteers may encounter and how to most effectively respond when in these situations. They poi...

Cynthia Clark graduated in 1998 with a Honours BA in Sociology from Carleton University. The following year her son Justin, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. The Canadian Mental Health Association reports that schizophrenia typically develops into a full-blown illness in late adolescence or early adulthood. It is a disorder that affects an estimated 1 in 100 Canadians and their families. Children...

There are a number of forms of mental illness that can be characterized as mood disorders. The most commonly well known include clinical depression, bi-polar, and anxiety disorders. Over one million Canadians suffer from some form of depressive illness. Mood Disorders affect one in five people across the world. In the following interview with Karen Lieberman, the Executive Director of the Mood Dis...