DCO Discourse...
Moving Forward Through Partnerships
About the show
Discussions on topics related to mental health, addictions, and life in Ontario, Canada. We aim to provide our listeners with tools and resources that will help them to improve their own mental health and wellness, as well as tools to help them support their family members, loved ones, and their communities at large. If you would like to provide feedback and/or request future topics, please use the following link: https://forms.gle/MhSNiyMm2c2xsiv8A.
We regret to announce that the ONTX text and chat program will cease operations on November 30th, 2023. Text and chat services will remain available until that date, however, they will no longer be accessible starting December 1st, 2023. If you are seeking support alternatives, we encourage you to visit our website at www.dcontario.org/locations to locate your nearest Member centre, some of which provide their own text and/or chat support services.
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Episodes
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Episode 151: COVID 19 from a Grade 6 perspective
December 13th, 2021 | Season 2 | 11 mins 16 secs
covid-19, grade 6
On today’s episode of the podcast, Caitlin is joined by her 6th grade daughter to discuss COVID and the impact the pandemic has had on her experiences with school, friendships, and life in general. If you are struggling with the ongoing effects of the pandemic and would like to speak to someone, please visit our website at www.dcontario.org/locations to find your closest centre or to access ONTX. ONTX is available daily from 2PM - 2AM EST and can also be accessed by texting SUPPORT to 258258.
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Episode 150: Combatting Loneliness
December 6th, 2021 | Season 2 | 12 mins 18 secs
loneliness
Loneliness can be especially challenging during the holiday season, so we’ve put together some information on how to recognize why you may be feeling lonely, and how to prevent it. If you are in need of support, or would just like someone to talk to, please reach out. You can find your closest Member centre at www.dcontario.org/locations, or you can access ONTX between the hours of 2PM - 2AM daily by texting SUPPORT to 258258 or from any page of our website. Thank you for listening, we hope you join us again next week.
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Episode 149: Traumatic Brain Injury and Intimate Partner Violence
November 29th, 2021 | Season 2 | 21 mins 2 secs
christina hennelly, intimate partner violence, support, traumatic brain injury
On the podcast this week, Caitlin is joined by Christina Hennelly, the Intimate Partner Violence Specialist and Peer Support Coordinator at the Brain Injury Association of Waterloo-Wellington. During the conversation, Christina shares some information on what the Brain Injury Association does, why it is so important to discuss brain injury in relation to intimate partner violence, and she provides suggestions for ways in which we might support someone in our lives who may be going through or has gone through the trauma of intimate partner violence.
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Episode 148: Balancing Life Roles
November 22nd, 2021 | Season 2 | 11 mins 38 secs
balancing life roles
As adults, many of us hold multiple roles in our lives: parent, child, sibling, friend, employee/er, student, activist, athlete, crafter, gamer, etc., etc., the list can go on. This week, Caitlin sits down with Rhys to discuss how he personally balances (or doesn’t always balance) his life as a husband, father to 5 children, pastor, CrossFit coach, and more. If you are struggling to find your own mechanisms for balancing the chaos, please don’t hesitate to reach out for help and explore the resources available to you. You can find your closest centre at www.dcontario.org/locations or you can access ONTX during the hours of 2PM - 2AM daily also by visiting our website or by texting “SUPPORT” to 258258. Thank you for listening, we hope you join us next week as we learn about intimate partner violence and brain injuries from Christina at the Brain Injury Association of Waterloo Wellington.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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.