DCO Discourse...

On the podcast this week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, is sharing some information from the Canadian Mental Health Association on body image, self esteem, and mental health, especially important as we enter the hot summer months when pressures to have a “beach body” are present in so many forms. If anything in today’s episode left you feeling a need for support, y...

This week, we share a little bit more information about the mental health concerns faced by many 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and provide a few resources for any listeners who may be in need of support for themselves or someone they are concerned about. This episode comes as a follow-up to the panel interview shared over the last two weeks that may have had an impact on some listeners. If you don’t feel...

This week, as we continue to celebrate Pride Month, we are sharing the second part of a panel interview we did with a university student group that promotes Sexual and Gender Diversity. The stories that this trio of young adults shared with our organization about discovering their individual identities and the journeys they’ve walked are very powerful and we hope that you are as moved by their jou...

This week, for Pride Month, we are sharing the first of two parts of a panel interview we did with a university student group that promotes Sexual and Gender Diversity. The stories that this trio of young adults shared with our organization about discovering their individual identities and the journeys they’ve walked are very powerful and we hope that you are as moved by their journeys as we are....

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, sits down with her daughter to talk about mental health, how it's been discussed in her 6th grade classroom, and how parents might be able to approach conversations about mental health with their kids. To give feedback or request future topics for the podcast, please use the following link: https://forms.gle/4xVKN5SH36T27Sy1...

On the podcast this week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, shares some insights into why parenting can be so challenging these days. Less community supports, smaller family sizes, and living in an age of information overload are some of the many stress factors parents are facing today. As well as exploring these topics, Caitlin provides some potential for resources fo...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, shares more information about the current struggles caregivers in Ontario are facing, as well as providing more concrete examples of how we all can help. Much of this week’s information comes from the Ontario Caregiver Organization, which can be found at www.ontariocaregiver.org . Additional resources can be found on our web...

This week, Laura McGregor, a mom, instructor, and researcher in Waterloo, ON, speaks with Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at DCO, about her journey of being a caregiver to a child with complex care needs. She also shares some advice on how we can all better support the caregivers in our lives, and she talked a little bit about her research around how families who are part of a faith community feel...

Self-compassion, as defined by Kristin Neff, is the practice of extending compassion to one's self in instances of perceived inadequacy, failure, or general suffering. This week, our 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 our lives. If you are in need of support, no...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, is sharing some information on why sleep is important to our mental health, how we can try to improve our sleep quality, and some resources to learn more. If you have any feedback, questions, or concerns we would love to hear from you! Please click the following link to complete our feedback form: https://forms.gle/4xVKN5SH3...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, is once again speaking with Yasmine Mohamed. Yasmine is a relationship and spiritual counsellor who has been sharing about her Muslim faith to help unravel some common misconceptions and ideas surrounding Islam. Today’s conversation covers gender roles, marriage, family planning, the hijab, and largely evolved into a convers...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, is sharing some information on ambiguous loss, loss related to death, grief, and the myth of closure. Much of what she speaks about in today’s episode comes from a recent workshop she attended with Dr Pauline Boss, based on work published in her latest book, “The Myth of Closure: Ambiguous Loss in a Time of Pandemic and Chan...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, is joined by Yasmine Mohamed to talk about all things Ramadan. Yasmine will be joining the podcast for the entire month of April to explore questions related to the Muslim faith, relationships, parenting, cultural intelligence, and more. As a part of this ongoing conversation with Yasmine, we would love to hear any questions...

On the podcast this week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, speaks with Ian Stratton and Stephen Gross from Thresholds Homes and Supports who serve Waterloo and Wellington regions. They shared with her some information about the services they offer, how the pandemic has impacted the communities they support, and offer some words of encouragement and hope for all. If yo...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at DCO is joined by Ryan to talk about his mental health journey and hopefully help shed some light on some of the challenges men, specifically, face when it comes to their mental health and the stigma surrounding asking for help. If you are in need of support, please do not hesitate to reach out. One of our Member centres or ONTX would be more than happy...

This week on the podcast, Distress and Crisis Ontario’s Health Promotion student intern, Harisaa Selvanayagam, shares her reflections and insights surrounding Black History Month. Although Black History Month has ended with the coming of March, it is important that the celebrations of Black Canadian’s achievements and intentions of the month of awareness continue throughout the rest of the year. T...

This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, sits down with Steve Quiring from Ray of Hope. Steve is the Day Treatment Program Lead and took some time to speak with Caitlin about what is happening at Ray of Hope these days, as well as what discussing what Steve has noticed in terms of the impacts the pandemic has had on the general population of Kitchener-Waterloo. You...

This week on the podcast we are sharing our excitement for our upcoming Annual Conference 2022, happening on March 2nd and 3rd. With two mornings of training and two afternoons dedicated to Member-only networking, we are looking forward to the event. One of our speakers on Thursday will be Christina Hennelly, who we had on the podcast back in November to talk about her work at the Brain Injury Ass...

This week Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, is speaking with Elma, an intake coordinator at a busy counselling centre in Waterloo and Sharon Lalor, a life coach with Vita Catalyst. With the government of Ontario’s announcement that many COVID-19 safety measure and restrictions will be lifted as of March 1st, Elma and Sharon joined us to discuss how people can unpack th...

This week on the podcast, we are re-sharing an episode from October 2020 in which Brenda, a then student-intern at DCO, interviewed Selam Debs about racism, anti-racism, and mental health. Selam identifies as a Black Ethiopian queer antiracism educator, an anti-oppression coach, a social justice advocate, a student in dismantling anti-Black racism, an accomplice in dismantling anti-Indigenous raci...

This week, to celebrate Black History Month in Canada, we are sharing a list of resources that can be used to explore conversations around concepts like decolonization, intersectional feminism, and the impact of race on social and economic justice. If you need to talk to someone about any struggles you are facing related to the issues covered in this podcast, or anything else, please reach out to...

This week on the podcast, Caitlin, Program Manager for Distress and Crisis Ontario, shares some information on grief and loss related to COVID-19 as written by our new student intern, health promoter Harisaa. If you are struggling with loss, relating to COVID or otherwise, or if you just need to talk to someone, please do reach out for help. You can find your nearest centre at www.dcontario.org/lo...

This week on the podcast, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, is joined by Emily Huynh, a community engagement facilitator with the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC). Please be aware that this episode does discuss some of the impact that eating disorders can have and may be triggering for some listeners. If you would like to learn more about NEDIC you c...

This week on the podcast, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, and her daughter sit down to talk about what it’s like living in a “broken” family. If something you hear in today’s episode has you feeling like you need support and would like to talk to someone, or if there is anything that you would like to explore, please do reach out for help. No issue is too big or too...

With the news that schools in Ontario have once again moved to remote learning, hopefully for the short-term, we thought it would be helpful to share some tips for parents and caregivers who are supporting children in the process of learning from home. This includes some tips for parents to prioritize their own needs and self-care. Please remember that our Member centres and ONTX are also availabl...