DCO Discourse...

This week, Katelyn Doyle, Communications and Marketing Manager, and Caitlin Plant, Program Manager, at Distress and Crisis Ontario, talk about food security and holiday preparedness. Together, they discuss more general food security resources for those who are struggling and how to support one another as we approach colder months and the holiday season. We regret to announce that the ONTX text and...

This week, Katelyn Doyle, the Communications and Marketing Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, talks about food security and holiday preparedness. She is joined by Anne Anderson, who is not only a community pastor, leading the thirdspace_ alternative worshiping community, she actively participates in teaching contextual ministry courses and guest lecturing in various academic programs. She is...

This week, Katelyn Doyle, the Communications and Marketing Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, talks about food security and holiday preparedness. She is joined by Anne Anderson, who is not only a community pastor, leading the thirdspace_ alternative worshiping community, she actively participates in teaching contextual ministry courses and guest lecturing in various academic programs. She is...

This week, Katelyn Doyle, the Communications and Marketing Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, talks about food security and holiday preparedness. She is joined by Anne Anderson, who is not only a community pastor, leading the thirdspace_ alternative worshiping community, she actively participates in teaching contextual ministry courses and guest lecturing in various academic programs. She is...

In this archive episode, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, had a conversation with Benni Zaiser about contacting emergency services. Benni is a member of DCO’s Board of Directors and is a police officer in York Region. He has provided evidence-based de-escalation, communication, counter-bias, and anti-stigma training to police officers from across Germany and he has 30...

October is Cyber Securty Awareness Month in Canada, so this week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, shares some tips on how to "Step up your Cyber Fitness". She also shares information from getcybersafe.gc.ca on common cyber scams and how to protect yourself. You can learn more at https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/en/resources/resources-cyber-security-awareness-month . As...

This special episode of the podcast is being shared in response to events currently occurring globally that may be causing distress for our listeners and those they support. In this episode, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, and Christina Droumtsekas, Waterloo-based art therapist, discuss information from a Global News article written by Katie Dangerfield, titled, “Isr...

This week, as World Mental Health Month continues, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager for Distress and Crisis Ontario, uses information from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health to explore what stigma and discrimination are, how they directly affect persons living with mental health and substance use disorders, and how we can work to combat their effects. If you need support for any reason, plea...

As this episode is released on October 9th, 2023, we would like to wish our listeners in Canada a Happy Thanksgiving. In today’s episode, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, reads an excerpt from an article featured in our October eNews + Views newsletter, “The history of Thanksgiving — An Indigenous perspective”, written by Kaleeb Meeks for Pelham today. She also shares...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, talks about World Mental Health Day, which occurs on October 10th. She explores the World Health Organization’s “World mental health report” and discusses the theme for World Mental Health Day 2023, “Mental Health is a Universal Human Right”. The information in today’s podcast comes from the World Health Organization (WHO) a...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, sits down with her daughter to talk about asking for help. They share some of their own opinions and experiences on asking for help, as well as some tips that could be useful for others who struggle with seeking support. If you need support for any reason, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your nearest distress centre or...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, has a conversation with Sabrina, a psychotherapist, about active listening. They discuss how to actively listen to those in your life who need support, how to request active listening from others, and how to actively listen to ourselves. If you need support for any reason, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your nearest d...

This week, as we enter seasons of shorter days, longer nights, and colder weather, we are sharing an archived episode on Seasonal Affective Diaorder. In this archived episode, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, explores how to maintain your mental health during the fall and winter months with Sabrina, a mental health advocate and Qualifying Registered Psychotherapist. I...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, provides information on suicidality and suicidal ideation to honour World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th. This episode contains talk of what suicide and suicidal ideation are, how to navigate loss related to suicide, how to support someone following an attempt to die by suicide, and more. You can access our suicide...

In this archived episode, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, interviewed Andrea Gunraj from the Canadian Women’s Foundation (CWF). They talked about gender equality, gender-based violence, and the Signal for Help as developed by the CWF at the beginning of the COVDI-19 pandemic. If you would like to access the Signal for Help Responder Guide you can visit the following...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, discusses how to support youth with eating disorders. This episode covers basic information on what eating disorders are, signs and symptoms to look out for, how to talk to youth and healthcare professionals, and more. If you need support for any reason, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your nearest distress centre or O...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, talks about "mom guilt". She discusses what it is, where it may stem from, and how we can attempt to manage it. If you need support for any reason, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your nearest distress centre or ONTX. You can find your closest Member centre at www.dcontario.org/locations and can access ONTX between the...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, shares tips for getting ready to go back-to-school. The episode contains information from two sources, one aimed at supporting college and university students and one aimed at supporting parents and younger children. If you need support for any reason, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your nearest distress centre or ONT...

Self-compassion, as defined by Kristin Neff, is the practice of extending compassion to oneself in instances of perceived inadequacy, failure, or general suffering. This week, we’re sharing an archived episode in which a past student health promotion intern, Harisaa Selvanayagam, speaks with her professor, Dr Jim Perretta, about the importance of self-compassion and how to begin practicing it in o...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, explores the topic of sleep. Specifically, how sleep and our mental health interact with one another and how to improve our sleep hygiene. If you need support for any reason, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your nearest distress centre or ONTX. You can find your closest Member centre at www.dcontario.org/locations and...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, explores why sunshine can be beneficial to our health, as well as outlining some safety tips for adults, youth, and young children, and what to do in the case of sunburn and heat stroke. If you need support for any reason, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your nearest distress centre or ONTX. You can find your closest M...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, discusses information overload, shares how to determine if you should cut back screen time, and provides tips around limiting device use. If you or your family members are struggling with setting boundaries around devices, the strategies laid out in this episode could help. If you need support for any reason, please don’t he...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, shares some information from the Harvard Business Review and Forbes on the intersectionality of ageism and gender bias that women face in the workplace. Included in the episode are some strategies for combatting gendered ageism. If you need support for any reason, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your nearest distress c...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, has a conversation with Lex Heffernan from the Brain Injury Association of Waterloo-Wellington for Brain Injury Awareness Month. They explore why talking about brain injury is important, who can be impacted by brain injury and how to support them, and more. The resources mentioned in today’s podcast are as follows: The Brain...

This week, 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 respectfully acknowledge, celebrate, and support these important times of awareness. In our conversation, Charity mentions the film...