Vijay Moonilal
Co-Host of DCO Discourse...
Vijay Moonilal has hosted 23 Episodes.
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Episode 369: On Suicide Prevention: WRSPC
March 2nd, 2026 | Season 4 | 31 mins 43 secs
on suicide prevention: wrspc
In this episode, Vijay speaks with Elisa Brewer-Singh, Executive Director of the Waterloo Region Suicide Prevention Council, about what suicide prevention looks like beyond crisis lines and emergency response. The conversation explores WRSPC’s role in the broader mental health ecosystem, the risks of focusing only on moments of acute crisis, and the often-invisible work of prevention and community care. Together, they unpack the challenges of building connection around a deeply stigmatized topic and how everyday acts of “community maintenance” can help create a more compassionate, supportive Waterloo Region.
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Episode 368: On Mental Health for leaders
February 16th, 2026 | Season 4 | 39 mins 26 secs
on mental health for leaders
In this episode, Vijay sits down with Hailey Hechtman, Executive Director of Unsinkable, to unpack what it really means to treat mental wellbeing as a leadership practice. They explore burnout, workplace vulnerability, and how organizations can move beyond stigma to create cultures that actually support people. Drawing on Hailey’s lived experience and crisis-sector leadership, the conversation dives into the power of mental health storytelling and what it takes to sustain optimism while doing emotionally demanding work.
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Episode 366: On Bell Let's Talk Day 2026 with Mary Deacon
January 19th, 2026 | Season 4 | 37 mins 19 secs
on bell let's talk day 2026 with mary deacon
In this episode, we’re focusing on the power of conversation and the ongoing effort to reduce stigma and improve access to mental health support across Canada through Bell Let's Talk Day. We’re honoured to be joined by Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let’s Talk, and we'll be speaking about the evolution and impact of the Bell Let’s Talk initiative, the importance of national dialogue on mental health, and how organizations and individuals can continue to drive meaningful change.
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Episode 365: On DCO Discourse's 2025 Highlights
January 5th, 2026 | Season 4 | 25 mins 22 secs
on dco discourse's 2025 highlights
In this episode, we listen to clips from our top five episodes of 2025, you’ll hear from current and previous staff at DCO including Marissa R, Caitlin P, Prabhvir G, Christina D, with guests including community members, and therapists such as Chad Mackintosh and Tracey Sebastian.
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Episode 364: On CPBAO's Cuts to Training for Psychologists
December 22nd, 2025 | Season 4 | 28 mins 46 secs
on cpbao's cuts to training for psychologists
In this episode, Vijay breaks down the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario’s proposed reforms, which aim to speed up licensure and increase access to care.
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Episode 363: Archived Episode: On The Importance of Sleep
December 15th, 2025 | Season 4 | 14 mins 46 secs
archived episode: on the importance of sleep
This week, we're replaying a popular episode on sleep hygiene. Caitlin shares 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. Stay tuned to the end, where Vijay addresses something we didn't the first time around, the dangers of oversleeping.
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Episode 362: On Shifting Towards Cultural Humility
December 8th, 2025 | Season 4 | 17 mins 16 secs
on shifting towards cultural humility
This week we're doing another installment of Crisis Reports talking about a paper entitled “Rethinking Cultural Competence: Shifting to Cultural Humility”. This paper focuses on the shift happening across health and social services moving away from cultural competence and toward cultural humility. Your host, Vijay M, walks through what this means practically with some examples of how to incorporate cultural humility into crisis work.
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Episode 358: On Men's Mental Health: A Chat with HeadsUpGuys
November 10th, 2025 | Season 4 | 30 mins 3 secs
on men's mental health: a chat with headsupguys
In this episode, Vijay from Distress and Crisis Ontario talks about Men’s Mental Health for this Movember. Movember is an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men's health issues, such as prostate cancer and men's suicide. We talk to Josh Beharry, Project Manager of HeadsUpGuys, a website centered around men’s mental health, offering self-care, screening tools, courses, and a therapist directory.
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Episode 357: On Seasonal Affective Disorder 2025
November 3rd, 2025 | Season 4 | 17 mins 24 secs
on seasonal affective disorder 2025
In this episode, Vijay from Distress and Crisis Ontario reads the new DCO article on our website they wrote, entitled "Navigating Seasonal Affective Disorder: What Helped Me".
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Episode 356: On Halloween Safety and Inclusion Pt. 2
October 27th, 2025 | Season 4 | 10 mins 38 secs
on halloween safety and inclusion pt. 2
In this episode, Vijay from Distress and Crisis Ontario revisits the topic of Halloween safety and inclusion. 👻 With the big night just around the corner, this short, solo episode shares practical safety tips, explores how to create an inclusive environment for families who may not celebrate, and highlights thoughtful ways to make the season fun for everyone.
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Episode 354: On Crisis Reports Mini-series #3: Can talking to a Chatbot affect our mental health?
October 13th, 2025 | Season 4 | 20 mins 12 secs
how ai and human behaviors shape psychosocial effects of chatbot use: a longitudinal randomized controlled study
As AI becomes a growing part of how people seek support, what happens when human connection is replaced by conversations with chatbots? This study followed nearly a thousand people over four weeks as they exchanged hundreds of thousands of messages with ChatGPT, examining how factors like tone, conversation style, and interaction type shape emotional wellbeing.
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Episode 352: On Race in a Therapeutic Setting: Should Counselling be Race Neutral?
September 29th, 2025 | Season 4 | 36 mins 4 secs
on race in a therapeutic setting: should counselling be race neutral?
This week on DCO Discourse, host Vijay speaks with Dr. Neta Gear, Executive Director of DCO and a longtime leader in the mental health field. Together, they dive into a challenging, but crucial conversation: race in therapeutic settings. Dr. Gear unpacks why therapy is rarely truly “race-neutral,” how systemic inequities shape mental health, and why representation among counselors matters for trust and outcomes.
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Episode 351: On Crisis Reports Mini-series, #2: Burnout and Quality of Life Amongst Responders.
September 22nd, 2025 | Season 4 | 19 mins 4 secs
#2: burnout and quality of life amongst responders., on crisis reports mini-series
In this powerful episode of DCO Discourse, Vijay continues with the mini-series entitled "Crisis Reports", looking at current literature in the sector. This installment, we look at a paper entitled "Burnout and Professional Quality of Life Amongst Crisis Hotline Responders: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Canada During COVID-19".
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Episode 350: On Living Experience with Emergency Mental Health: Sarah's Story
September 15th, 2025 | Season 4 | 37 mins 2 secs
on living experience with emergency mental health: sarah's story
In this deeply personal and candid conversation, Vijay sits down with their friend "Sarah" (a pseudonym to protect her privacy), a trans woman with lived experience navigating systemic barriers in mental health care.
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Episode 349: On Suicide Prevention: 4 Programs that are Saving Lives
September 8th, 2025 | Season 4 | 29 mins 25 secs
on suicide prevention: 4 programs that are saving lives
In this powerful episode of DCO Discourse, Vijay and Caitlin turn the spotlight on World Suicide Prevention Day, reflecting on how awareness days help bring vital attention to urgent mental health issues. Together, they explore the work of programs aimed at Suicide Prevention, highlighting the diversity of programs aimed at a common goal.
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Episode 347: On Crisis Reports Mini-series, #1: The State of Equity in Crisis Lines in Canada.
August 25th, 2025 | Season 3 | 25 mins 24 secs
#1: the state of equity in crisis lines in canada., on crisis reports mini-series
In this powerful episode of DCO Discourse, Vijay starts a new mini-series entitled "Crisis Reports", looking at current literature in the sector. This installment, we look at a paper entitled "Enhancing Equity on Crisis Lines: Understanding the Background, Practices, and Learning Needs of Responders in Canada".