DCO Discourse...

Episode 147: Preparing for the Holidays

November 15th, 2021  |  Season 2  |  16 mins 55 secs

preparing for the holidays

As we continue to approach the winter holidays it is important to take the time to plan ahead, manage expectations, and prepare mentally for what is often a stressful time. This week, Caitlin shares some additional tips for how to manage our own thoughts and emotions, how to manage stress that may come with having children around, and how to cope with holiday grief related to loss of a loved one. Additionally, Caitlin shares some mindfulness and grounding techniques that may be helpful alongside everything else. As always, if you need support, please do not hesitate to reach out. You can find your closest distress centre at www.dcontario.org/locations or access ONTX any day of the week between the hours of 2PM – 2 AM. You can join the online chat service by clicking “looking for support” from any page of our website or text “SUPPORT” to 258258 to talk VIA text (standard messaging rates may apply). Thank you for listening!

Episode 146: Holiday Budgeting

November 8th, 2021  |  Season 2  |  21 mins 39 secs

holiday budgeting

Joining Caitlin on the podcast this week is John Dinner, a Master of Arts - Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy candidate, father, grandfather, and jack-of-many-trades, to discuss budgeting and the importance of maintaining financial health through the holidays. The conversation includes some tips on how to navigate conversations around money and how to set yourself up for success in a society that seems to deem holiday debt as the norm. Please remember that our Member Centre distress and/or crisis lines and ONTX volunteers are happy to listen and support you through any stresses you may be feeling as we come into the holiday season. Visit our website at www.dcontario.org/locations to find your nearest centre, or you can access ONTX daily between 2PM – 2AM by texting “support” to 258258, or by clicking “looking for support?” on any page of our website. Thank you for listening, we hope you’ll join us again next week.

Episode 145: Slow Sustainable Living

November 1st, 2021  |  Season 2  |  14 mins 42 secs

slow sustainable living

On this week’s episode, Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at Distress and Crisis Ontario, interviews Lauren on the topic of slow, sustainable living and how choosing to live a sustainable, mindful lifestyle can lead to wellness in more areas than one. Please remember, if you are in need of support, for any reason at all, you are welcome to reach out. Visit www.dcontario.org to find a list of our Member centres or for additional resources. You can also use the website to access ONTX between the hours of 2PM to 2AM daily, or by texting SUPPORT to 258258.

Episode 143: Mental Health Supports

October 25th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  12 mins 28 secs

mental health supports

As the number of Ontarians seeking mental health supports continues to rise, we have decided to use this week as a chance to share a reminder of the services DCO, our Members, and ONTX have to offer. If you are in need of support, please do not hesitate to reach out. Visit www.dcontario.org to find a list of our Member centres, additional resources, and to access ONTX between the hours of 2PM to 2AM daily.

Episode 142: Seasonal Affective Disorder

October 18th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  19 mins 11 secs

seasonal affective disorder

This week we are exploring the topic of Seasonal Affective Disorder and how to maintain your mental health during the fall and winter months with Sabrina, a mental health advocate and Counselling Psychology Masters student. Please remember that if you are in distress, crisis, or otherwise need support, you can reach out to your closest distress centre for support. To find your closest centre, visit www.dcontario.org/locations or you can access ONTX between the hours of 2PM - 2AM daily by texting SUPPORT to 258258 or by clicking “looking for support” from any page of our website.

Episode 141: Happy thanksgiving: Taking a different perspective

October 10th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  6 mins 16 secs

aboriginal issues, indigenous perspective of thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Distress and Crisis Ontario! This week the podcast explores the Indigenous perspective of Thanksgiving by sharing an article written by a member of the Wasauksing First Nation. If you would like to explore further resources for reconciliation, reconciliatiocanada.ca is a good place to start. If you are in distress, crisis, or otherwise need support, please visit www.dcontario.org/locations or access ONTX between the hours of 2PM - 2AM daily by texting SUPPORT to 258258 or by clicking “looking for support” from any page of our website.

110B - Part 2 with Dr. Rick Csiernik - How to Support Someone Struggling With Addiction

October 9th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  17 mins 9 secs

dr rick csieknik, how to assist someone with an addiction

Caitlin continues the conversation on addictions in her interview with Dr. Rick Csieknik, Professor at King’s University College. In this episode Dr. Rick shares how to assist someone with an addiction, how to take care of yourself while supporting someone else with an addiction, steps to minimize substance abuse, community support for people supporting someone with an addiction and other insights.

Episode 140: Relationship Stress and Boundaries

October 4th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  19 mins 31 secs

relationship stress and boundaries, stress

This week we welcome returning guest Brad Wilton to the podcast to discuss relationship stress, boundaries, and the holidays. Brad is a registered psychotherapist who focuses on growth through relationship and he provides some excellent advice on how to navigate those tricky conversations that sometimes occur when the whole family gets together and how to set and maintain boundaries. If you are in need of support, or would just like to talk to someone about your own relationship worries, please don’t hesita

Episode 139: Holiday Stress and Gratitude

September 27th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  16 mins 51 secs

gratitude, holiday stress and gratitude, stress

This week, with Thanksgiving approaching, we are exploring the topics of gratitude and holiday stress. There are tips for how to cultivate gratitude, tips for managing stress, and some personal insights from some of the team here at DCO. As always, if you are in need of support, or are even just looking for someone to talk with about what you are grateful for, please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our distress lines or ONTX. You can find your closest Member distress centre at www.dcontario.org/locat

Episode 138: Back to school and COVID-19

September 20th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  19 mins 46 secs

back to school and covid-19, covid-19

This week on the podcast we are joined by J, a teacher and father of 3, to discuss what back-to-school has been like this year amidst the ever-changing COVID-19 climate. If you or someone you know is in need of support, please do not hesitate to reach out to our ONTX program or any of our Member centres to talk with someone. Visit our website at www.dcontario.org to chat online or find your closest centre, or you can text SUPPORT to 258258 between the hours of 2PM - 2AM daily.

Episode 137: World Suicide Prevention Day -Webinar

September 13th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  25 mins 27 secs

suicide, world suicide prevention day

On Friday September 10th, we held a Facebook Live event to honour World Suicide Prevention Day and, as a part of the evening, we shared a portion of a webinar hosted for our Member centre volunteer responders back in August. While some of the language used is specific to the context of training crisis line responders, the knowledge shared is applicable to anyone who is struggling with suicidality or who knows someone who is. If you are in need of support, please visit our website at www.dcontario.org and f

Episode 136: Marilyn Clarke on Grief after Suicide Loss

September 6th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  25 mins 19 secs

grief after suicide loss, marilyn clarke

To honour September being Suicide Prevention Month, we start this month off welcoming back Marilyn Clarke, Qualifying Registered Psychotherapist and DTATI candidate, to share her research on using art therapy to aid in the grieving process for those who have lost someone to suicide. Marilyn shares some of her own experiences as well as artist statements from her current research project on building meaning making within the suicide loss community.

Episode 135: Cultural Intelligence from an Indigenous Perspective.

August 30th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  19 mins 16 secs

cultural intelligence from an indigenous perspective. aboriginal issues

This week we finish off our current series on Racism and Cultural Intelligence by sharing a conversation between Caitlin Plant, Program Manager at DCO, and Eliza, a young Haudenosaunee woman. Eliza shares some of her experiences with racism, openly talks about her struggles with her mental health, and provides some advice around gaining cultural intelligence within Indigenous communities. If you or someone you know is need of support for any reason, please visit our website at www.dcontario.org for informat

Episode 134: Cultural Intelligence

August 23rd, 2021  |  Season 1  |  18 mins 1 sec

cultural intelligence

On this week’s episode Caitlin Plant, Program Manager for Distress and Crisis Ontario, has a conversation with Lorna Anderson, a psychotherapist from the Waterloo area, on the topic of cultural intelligence. Lorna explains what it is, why it’s important, and how we might go about building our own cultural intelligence.

Episode 133: Jassy and Hannah on Racism

August 16th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  41 mins 28 secs

jassy and hannah on racism

This week, Hanna sits down with her gran Jassy for us again and the two of them have an honest conversation about racism and diversity in Canada. They each share their unique perspectives and provide suggestions on how to respectfully approach the process of learning about other cultures.

Episode 132: Racism Resource Podcast

August 9th, 2021  |  Season 1  |  10 mins 34 secs

This week Caitlin Plant, program manager for Distress and Crisis Ontario, shares a variety of resources surrounding racism and building cultural intelligence. These resources are meant to provide support for those experiencing racism and to help persons who would like to expand their knowledge and change their practices to become better allies. If you need support, please remember that our Member Centres exist to help you in whatever way you require. Visit www.dcontario.org/locations to find one near you.