DCO Discourse...

In this episode, Marissa Rasmussen, Communications and Marketing Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, chats with Program Manager Caitlin Plant about Halloween safety and inclusion. 🎃👻 They share tips on keeping the festivities safe, creating an inclusive environment for kids who don’t celebrate, and fun, alternative ways to enjoy the season. Whether you're planning trick-or-treating or a diff...

In this episode, Marissa Rasmussen, Communications and Marketing Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, sits down with Dr. Diana Brecher, a clinical psychologist and adjunct faculty in the Counselling Psychology Department at Toronto Metropolitan University. With her extensive background in positive psychology, resilience, and mental health support, Dr. Brecher shares insights into how these conc...

In this episode, our Communications and Marketing Manager, Marissa Rasmussen, sits down with Clarence Cachagee, founder of Crow Shield Lodge. Clarence shares his journey and the vision behind this unique space dedicated to reconciliation and healing. He highlights how Indigenous land-based teachings foster connection and belonging within the community. Together, they explore the significance of th...

In this episode, Marissa Rasmussen sits down with Anne Anderson, a community pastor and leader of the Thirdspace Community, to explore the evolving role of faith communities in addressing modern challenges. Anne shares her journey and insights on how emerging faith communities are fostering leadership, particularly among younger generations. They discuss the intersection of faith, mental health, a...

In honor of National Truth and Reconciliation Day we are revisiting our conversation "On Truth, Reconciliation, and the Burden of Illness with Charity F" Also, we remain committed to amplifying Indigenous voices and perspectives. We encourage listeners to reflect on these discussions and seek further understanding through recent resources. Visit Indigenous Watchdog and the National Centre for Trut...

In this episode, Marissa Rasmussen and Alexandra Gordon discuss how parents can manage screen time for their children. With the return of school and the shift from potentially more screen time to less, this episode offers practical advice on creating healthier screen habits. We also dive into the dangers and benefits of the internet, how to set boundaries with children, and navigating their intern...

In this episode, Marissa Rasmussen, Communications and Marketing Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, talks with Caitlin Plant, Program Manager, about the realities of rehabilitation and its profound effects on mental health, just in time for National Rehabilitation Awareness Week. As Caitlin and Marissa share their personal experiences, they explore the challenges that come with physical recov...

In this episode, Marissa Rasmussen, Communications and Marketing Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, talks with Cheryl Vanderveen, an expert in dementia care and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, about the critical topic of Silent Strokes and their impact. Cheryl shares why raising awareness about Silent Strokes is essential and discusses how these often-overlooked strokes can lead to serious cons...

In this episode from August of last year, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, discusses how to support youth with eating disorders. With the return of school and potentially more high-stress environments for youth, a reminder of how to support them is fitting. This episode covers basic information on what eating disorders are, signs and symptoms to look out for, how to t...

In Part 2 of our discussion on single parenthood, Marissa Rasmussen and Caitlin Plant share valuable insights on the importance of support systems and self-care. They explore how single parents can find the resources they need and prioritize their well-being, especially as the busy school year begins. The episode wraps up with practical advice for making the back-to-school transition smoother. To...

This week, Marissa Rasmussen, Communications and Marketing Manager, is joined by Caitlin Plant, Program Manager, both from Distress and Crisis Ontario, to explore the complex challenges single parents face. In Part 1, they delve into the pressures and obstacles that come with balancing work, parenting, and societal expectations. Tune in for an honest and insightful conversation on what it takes to...

This week, Marissa Rasmussen, DCO’s Communications and Marketing Manager, talks with an aging gracefully social media influencer, Amanda Giorgini, about how social media impacts mental health across different generations. They explore societal pressures and online standards, discussing how these challenges affect various age groups. The episode also covers the benefits and drawbacks of social medi...

This week Caitlin Plant is joined by Marissa Rasmussen, DCO’s new Communications and Marketing Manager, to give some tips for a positive transition back-to-school this fall. Whether you are a parent to a school-aged child or youth, are an elementary or high school student, or if you are someone headed off to post-secondary education and beyond, this episode includes some strategies for preparing f...

This week Katelyn Doyle and Caitlin Plant talk about summer self-care. They include practical advice as well as some fun ideas to incorporate into your self care routine this summer! To connect with support related to this episode, or for anything else going on in your life, please visit www.dcontario.org/locations to find your nearest Member centre. Many of our Member centres operate 24/7. Thank...

This week Katelyn Doyle, Communications and Marketing Manager, talks about celebrating Pride beyond June. If you'd like to see additional information on 2SLGBTQ+ supports and resources, please visit https://www.dcontario.org/2slgbtqia-supports/ To connect with support related to this episode, or for anything else going on in your life, please visit www.dcontario.org/locations to find your nearest...

This week Katelyn Doyle and Caitlin Plant talk about body positivity versus body neutrality. They pull information from the following articles: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/body-positivity-vs-body-neutrality https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4814782/ https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/0512fe_ccc6638a5e3844c8b3dcf4a0e536a9c2.pdf To connect with support related to this episode, or for a...

We've gotten past the midway point in the year and thought it would be a good time to offer this mental health refresher. In this week's episode, Brenda shares research about compassion fatigue and how to handle it. To connect with support related to this episode, or for anything else going on in your life, please visit www.dcontario.org/locations to find your nearest Member centre. Many of our Me...

This week Katelyn Doyle, Marketing and Communications Manager, reflects on Men's Mental Health Month. We want to continue the conversation beyond June and end the stigma surrounding men's mental health. To read the blog post on Men's Mental Health as well as for other resources, visit https://www.dcontario.org/mens-mental-health-month-2024/ . You can also check out our social media collaboration,...

June is Pride month, with many large Pride celebrations happening this weekend. This week, Katelyn Doyle, Marketing and Communications Manager, discusses a brief history of Pride, outlined by The Government of Canada. She also mentions information from arquives.ca, which has a large collection of 2SLGBTQIA+ history and resources. It is imperative to continue talking about the history of Pride, cel...

In honour of Men’s Mental Health Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day, we are sharing this bonus podcast to bring awareness to the state of Indigenous Men’s Mental Health. This podcast is the audio recording from a webinar we hosted earlier this week (June 19, 2024) with three panelists from Indigenous organizations. We would like to thank Stephen Jackson (Anishnabeg Outreach - https://aocan....

As it is National Indigenous Peoples Day on Friday the 21st, we want to revisit a conversation with Charity Fleming. In this archived episode, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, sits down with Charity Fleming from Qualia Counselling Services to learn about National Indigenous History Month, National Indigenous Peoples Day, and how non-Indigenous settlers and allies can...

June is Men's Mental Health Month; Father's Day is also coming up soon. This week, Katelyn Doyle talks with a guest about both of these topics and how they are connected. Our guest speaks to their experience as a father, an immigrant to Canada, and a man. To connect with support related to this episode, or for anything else going on in your life, please visit www.dcontario.org/locations to find yo...

This week, Caitlin Plant and Katelyn Doyle talk about self-image and beauty standards in the digital age. They often reference the article "It's Not Your Imagination. Beautiful Women All Look Alike Now" by Carlyn Beccia, which is linked here: https://medium.com/moments-of-passion/its-not-your-imagination-beautiful-women-all-look-alike-now-62ebac085a0a To connect with support related to this episod...

This week, Katelyn Doyle and Ren Reid talk about how we can celebrate 2SLGBTQIA+ joy as we approach Pride month this June. Ren Reid is an eclectic theatre creator and performer, in addition to being a drag artist and writer. They graduated from Brock University where they received their BA Honors in Theatre with a Concentration in Performance. As Ren mentions in the podcast, if you'd like to suppo...

This week, Caitlin Plant and Katelyn Doyle discuss the intersectionality of mental health. Intersectionality is “the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.” When we apply the concept of intersectionality to mental heal...