DCO Discourse...

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...

This week, Katelyn Doyle, Communications and Marketing Manager at DCO, is joined by Bethany Joy Radford to talk about children's mental health, theatre, and how we can support our youth. Bethany Joy Radford is an actor, director, and educator living in Toronto, Ontario. They hold a BA in English Literature from the University of Western Ontario, and a BFA in Acting from the University of Windsor....

To everyone who celebrates Mother’s Day this Sunday, we hope you have a wonderful day. This week, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, and her friend, Char, a new mom and OB nurse, talk about motherhood. They discuss post-partum anxiety and rage, how motherhood changes the pace of life, and more. To connect with support related to this episode, or for anything else going...

May 6th – 12th is CMHA’s Mental Health Week and this year’s theme is “A Call to be Kind”. This week, Caitlin Plant and Katelyn Doyle discuss the theme and how a little kindness and compassion can go a long way. To learn more about this year’s theme, visit: https://cmha.ca/mental-health-week/ . To learn more about CMHA’s partnership with the kid’s television show Nanalan, visit: https://cmha.ca/sto...

In this bonus episode Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, has a conversation with outgoing student intern, Marina. They discuss Marina’s time at her placement as well as discussing the topics explored in a blog post written by Marina. In her blog post, “Breaking Down Barriers in Women’s Healthcare”, Marina explores common systemic barriers faced by women accessing health...

This week, Katelyn Doyle, Communications and Marketing Manager at DCO, talks about springtime and seasonal affective disorder. The arrival of spring can bring unexpected challenges. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), typically associated with the winter months, can also manifest in the springtime for many. She uses research and articles which are linked below to talk about SAD. https://www.nimh.ni...

This week is National Volunteer Week! Join Katelyn Doyle, Communications and Marketing Manager at DCO, and talk about volunteer appreciation. The theme for 2024 is “Every Moment Matters” which aims to highlight the important contributions of volunteers in Canada. Our member centres and many other organizations rely on the support of volunteers. So thank you volunteers! To connect with support rela...

This week Caitlin Plant, Program Manager, and Katelyn Doyle, Marketing and Communications Manager, talk about using spring cleaning as a form of self-care. They pull from two articles, (linked below), and discuss their own challenges and thoughts on spring cleaning. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, (n.d.). Spring Cleaning for Your Mental Health. https://www.camh.ca/en/camh-news-and-stories/...

As this episode comes out on Easter Monday, we would love to wish all those who celebrate a Happy Easter! In this archived episode, Caitlin sits down with her daughter, now a 7th grader, to gain her perspective once again on some current events. Together, they discuss gender roles, bodily autonomy, and the recent decision by the United States Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade making the crimina...

This week Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at DCO and Katelyn Doyle, Communications and Marketing Manager at DCO are talking about gender-based violence in Canada, and how we can best support those calling about gender-based violence. Resources mentioned in this weeks podcast can be found here: National support resources from the Canadian Women’s Foundation: https://canadianwomen.org/support-service...

This week, Caitlin Plant, DCO Program Manager; Katelyn Doyle, DCO Communications and Marketing Manager; and Sabrina Popernitsch, a registered psychotherapist, have joined together to talk about their experiences with womanhood. They reflect on International Women's Day, motherhood, sisterhood, and their personal experiences with being a woman. To connect with support related to this episode, or fo...

This week Katelyn Doyle, Communications and Marketing Manager at DCO, is in conversation with DCO's Program Manager, Caitlin Plant about Earth Hour. This year, we are going lights out on Saturday Mar 23 from 8:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. According to EarthHour.org, “Last year, over 410,000 hours were given to our planet by supporters in over 190 countries and territories.” Let's do even better this year!...

This week Katelyn Doyle, Communications and Marketing Manager at DCO, is in conversation with Rebecca Lashmar about intimacy coordination. Intimacy on stage can be a powerful tool for storytelling, but it also raises important questions about consent, boundaries, and safety. Rebecca Lashmar, is an actor, creator and intimacy professional. After graduating with her BFA from The University of Windso...

This week Katelyn Doyle, Communications and Marketing Manager at DCO, is in conversation with Rebecca Lashmar about intimacy coordination. Intimacy on stage can be a powerful tool for storytelling, but it also raises important questions about consent, boundaries, and safety. Rebecca Lashmar, is an actor, creator and intimacy professional. After graduating with her BFA from The University of Windso...

This week Katelyn Doyle, Communications and Marketing Manager, and Caitlin Plant, Program Manager, talk about sexual and reproductive health awareness! Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Day falls on February 12th every year, which aims to educate individuals on sexual health issues and reduce the spread of STIs. Last week was also Sexual Health Week, running from February 12-16th. This year...

In this archived episode, we are revisiting a presentation by Lynn Brewin, Learning and Development Coordinator for Distress Centres Ontario, you will learn strategies to keep in mind when writing a call report. She will review the difference between subjective and objective writing and how to write without making judgmental statements. Quality report writing reflects your level of professionalism...

This week Katelyn Doyle, Communications and Marketing Manager at DCO, talks about eating disorders within the Black community. Using the National Eating Disorders Information Centre resources, she discusses the unique challenges faced by Black communities in regard to eating disorders. To access NEDIC's website, visit https://nedic.ca/ . The resource used in today's podcast is linked here: https:/...

This week Caitlin Plant, program manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, and Sabrina Popernitsch, a registered psychotherapist, ground us with an end-of-January mental health check-in. They also discuss revisiting New Years Resolutions and being gentle with ourselves if we aren’t meeting the goals we set out to complete. To connect with support related to this episode, or for anything else going o...

This week Katelyn Doyle, Communications and Marketing Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, and Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at DCO, talk about Post-holiday Letdown and the "Winter Blues". This is an excerpt from the Spirit of Volunteerism webinar, a webinar hosted every third Wednesday of the month for DCO members. If you'd like to learn more about anything discussed in the podcast, these art...