DCO Discourse... - Episodes Tagged with “Part 2”

Episode 307: On Journeys in mental health from experience to education - Part 2

Distress and Crisis Ontario — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 11:00:00 -0500

In Part 2 of this episode, Marissa Rasmussen continues her conversation with Valéry Brosseau, mental health advocate and founder of Validate Mental Health Consultants. Valéry shares insights from her TEDx talk on destigmatizing suicide, essential tools for supporting mental health, and how her extensive training has shaped her approach to advocacy. They also discuss the challenges of self-care in demanding work and practical advice for those looking to implement mental health support in organizations or step into advocacy themselves.

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 your nearest Member Centre. Many of our centres operate 24/7. Thank you for joining us, and we hope this episode encourages you to continue the conversation. If you have feedback or future content requests, please use the following link: https://forms.gle/o8yUPMss6wo8dP1X8.

Episode 295: Part 2 - On Support Systems and Self-Care for Single Parents

Distress and Crisis Ontario — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 11:00:00 -0400

In Part 2 of our discussion on single parenthood, Marissa Rasmussen and Caitlin Plant share valuable insights on the importance of support systems and self-care. They explore how single parents can find the resources they need and prioritize their well-being, especially as the busy school year begins. The episode wraps up with practical advice for making the back-to-school transition smoother.

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 your nearest Member centre. Many of our Member centres operate 24/7. Thank you for listening and we hope you’ll join us again next week. If you would like to provide feedback on this episode, past episodes, or request future content, you can do so using the following link: https://forms.gle/o8yUPMss6wo8dP1X8.

Episode 177: On Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation – Part 2

Distress and Crisis Ontario — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 11:00:00 -0400

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 journeys as we are. This episode does contain content related to different forms of hate, discrimination, and violence that our panel guests may have experienced that may be triggering for some listeners. Please take care of yourselves and skip through the podcast as needed, and do not hesitate to connect with ONTX or one of our Member centres to chat about how the episode made you feel. You can access our website at www.dcontario.org, and if visit our locations page (www.dcontario.org/locations) you will be able to find your nearest Member centre. If you have any feedback for us about this, or any, episode of our podcast, please fill out our feedback form at: https://forms.gle/o8yUPMss6wo8dP1X8. Thank you for listening, we hope you have a great week and join us again for part two!

Episode 59: Dr Beach - Living on the streets Part 2

Distress and Crisis Ontario — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 19:00:00 -0500

Dr Beach reaches out for real conversations with people who are living on the streets to further homelessness awareness and reduce the stigma. Part 2: Meet Crystal and Scott.

Episode 22: Concurrent Disorders (Part 2)

Distress and Crisis Ontario — Thu, 16 May 2019 12:00:00 -0400

In Canada, our system of care for concurrent disorders is fragmented and compartmentalized—with varying treatment approaches and programs developed on a model that treats either the addiction or mental health issue exclusively as the primary focus—creating a system that is not well equipped to treat both disorders concurrently and results in poor client outcomes and system inefficiency. When fielding questions from a caller who is living with concurrent disorders (CD), call responders don't have to be an expert, but being CD-informed assists you and the caller to establish a baseline of understanding and opens lines of communication. It would not be unusual for a caller to use statements like, “What (mental health) providers do is they'll look at me and say…’forget about the mental health issue, you've got a real substance abuse problem, and you've got to go get help for that’, and either they ignore the using or the fact that I have an addiction, or else they won’t even deal with the mental health aspect of it because I've been using." Having a positive and caring attitude can serve to successfully engage callers and assist them to continue to seek support and work toward recovery. In the video, Concurrent Disorders (Part 2), Andrea Tsanos, Advanced Practice Clinician for the Toronto Centre for Addiction and Mental Health continues (See Part 1) to inform the viewer about the challenges of obtaining effective treatment. Crisis and Distress Line professionals will benefit from the strategies for being supportive and resourceful. Questions for Further Consideration: What is your comfort level in opening a conversation about concurrent disorders? Are there aspects of the disorder that may impact on your effectiveness in supporting this type of call? Review the barriers to communication as stated in the video. ‘Don’t forget that it can be hard, shameful, and scary to talk about mental health or addiction issues, or think about changing it – these are often private behaviours’. If you feel that you have personal issues that may present as barriers, it might be a good idea to discuss this with your training coordinator. If you have further questions, further research on the topic (see links below) might answer your queries. Ms. Tsanos indicates that there is more than one type of treatment for concurrent disorders but the integrated approach seems to be the most effective. What types of treatment options does your community offer? You don’t need to be an expert on the topic of concurrent disorders but it might be helpful to become aware of what resources are available in your community. Ms. Tsanos reviews flexible treatment goal choices which include, abstinence, harm-reduction, and perhaps the most challenging for a loved one to support, the “no-change” goal (which seeks to engage the individual in at least looking at their behavior without the demand for change at the outset). How would you offer support to a family member who is frustrated with a loved one who chooses the no-change goal? It might be a challenge for the family member to not want to expedite treatment for their loved one. Call responders may just do as they always do – be compassionate, explore options, and provide an empathetic listening ear. The key messages are for the family member to continue to encourage their loved one to go for an assessment, but failing that option, the family member should be encouraged to obtain support that will assist them with strategies for their own self-care and learning how to set their own limits and boundaries.

Episode 13: Understanding Abuse in Intimate Relationships - Part 2: The Process of Leaving

Distress and Crisis Ontario — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 16:00:00 -0400

Individuals working with women who are in abusive relationships will sometimes ask themselves why she does not leave. By asking the question in this manner, we are essentially blaming the woman which can negatively impact the support we intend to provide, therefore it is more helpful to reframe the question and ask what is preventing her from leaving. There are many barriers she faces and there are no easy answers. The process of leaving can be hampered by many factors such as have an emotional attachment to the perpetrator, being fearful of the perpetrator, depleted self-esteem, and financial dependency, to name a few. Developing the courage to disclose is often the first step to making change and perhaps making her day to day existence tolerable. In the second offering by Irene Gabinet, viewers will be presented with clues that a caller is disclosing abuse. Ms. Gabinet details possible conflicts the callers struggle with such as believing they are equal participants in the abuse or believing they are at fault. Additionally she provides insightful information regarding the cycle of violence, the varying stages in escalation in abuse. Crisis/distress line workers will benefit from the guiding principles of listening to disclosures as well as become familiar with helpful resources that can be shared with victims of domestic abuse. Questions for Further Consideration: 1. Consider your comfort level in hearing disclosures of domestic violence. In some cases the caller may test the waters by only giving small clues of her victimization. How prepared are you to hear that type of information? Everyone has their personal level of comfort when presented with situations or information that is foreign or too familiar to them. Reflect on your own personal life and explore your preparedness for this type of caller. You may need to spend time in discussion with your training coordinator reviewing your feelings and perhaps seek support in increasing your level of comfort. What would you do if you heard a partner yelling profanities and death threats while on a call with a woman? Does knowing that there are small children present in the home make a difference? It is important to always assess for immediate danger. If there is no immediate threat, you may offer a listening ear and names of community resources. If the caller denies assistance even though you feel she is in danger, you should refer to your centre’s policies and procedures. If the distress line worker hears death threats and the caller is verbalizing fear for her life at that moment, act according to your centre’s policies regarding intervention. However, keep in mind there is an ethical if not legal obligation to calling 911 and keeping the woman on the line for the address to be traced. If children are present in any situation, you need to refer to your centre’s policies and procedure but a call to Child Welfare to ask their advice would be recommended. How can you tell if you are meeting the needs of a caller who is disclosing domestic abuse? How can you tell if you are providing her with the supports she needs? Being a supportive and empathetic listener is the first step to developing trust and a positive rapport. It may help to just affirm what she is experiencing. If all else fails, ask her what you can do for her or what her intentions were when she called. Avoid pushing her to leave, share more than she is ready to share, and minimizing her fears. This is a very difficult situation and each caller will present with varying stories. Allow each caller to move at her own pace.