bell let's talk day and self-care
TRANSCRIPT
Winter 2021 Newsletter
Don't forget to register for the DCO conference!Click here to register now.
Bell Let's Talk Day and Self-Care
Bell Let's Talk Day is on January 28th this year, and wewould like to hear from you all about your self-carepractices. Do you take time for yourself regularly? Or isit a challenge to practice self-care? How do you winddown after a long day?
Take our survey here to let us know how you approachself-care, and to tell us how we could support you indoing so more often if needed.
Ontario Health to Stop Funding Togetherall
"In collaboration with clinicians and sectorexperts, Ontario undertakes continuousevaluation of the programs it funds. Aftercareful assessment and consideration, theMinistry of Health has made the decision towind down support of the Togetherall pilot,with provincial funding ending on January 16,2021."
Read the full notice here.
Dealing With Seasonal Depression
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), oftenreferred to as "winter blues” or seasonaldepression, is a type of depressionrelated to changes in the seasons . Mostoften affecting individuals in the fall orspring months, it can have a profoundeffect on an individual’s mood andenergy levels.
Those affected by SAD often feel likeisolating themselves until a change in
seasons occurs, usually spring, howeverthis isn’t a viable solution for anyone .
Read more...
Signs of Volunteer Burnout and Self-Care Strategies
“We have not been directly exposed tothe trauma scene, but we hear the storytold with such intensity, or we hearsimilar stories so often, or we have thegift and curse of extreme empathy andwe suffer. We feel the feelings of ourclients. We experience their fears. Wedream their dreams. Eventually, we losea certain spark of optimism, humor andhope. We tire. We aren’t sick, but wearen’t ourselves.” – C. Figley, 1995
Read more...
We need a national strategy to address Canada'spandemic 'crisis within a crisis'
The holiday season is often a difficulttime for those grieving the death ofsomeone they care about. That achingabsence will be felt more deeply thisyear for more than two million bereavedCanadians grieving deaths from allcauses, both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19.
Read more...
The New Social Orbits
The pandemic has transformed the waypeople make and maintain friendships. Theeffects could reshape the structure of oursocial networks and change the way wethink about our closest connections.
Read more...
February is Black History Month
While it is always important to be anti-racist, February is especially a time tofocus on highlighting the significantimpact that Black Canadians have madethroughout history and to challengeourselves to learn more about theunique struggles still faced by many inCanada.
If you would like to learn more aboutBlack History but are not sure where tostart, you could begin with this list offilms to watch, visit the Black LivesMatter Canada page, or read this shortarticle by the Government of Canada.
DCO Updates
Newest Board Member
"It is with much delight that I inform the Board that yourHR committee have recruited Jacques Gautier to ourBoard. Jacques come to us as a part owner of amanagement consulting collaborative. He is very familiarwith the distress milieu as he once upon a time sat on theBoard of Niagara Distress Center and was a volunteer at thesaid centre on the front lines – answering calls. Jacques isvery committed to building a caring community throughvolunteerism. He has been very active in volunteering inthe sports sector with his boys as they both play hockey.Fortunately for us, his coaching skills did not out pace hischildrens’ skills in hockey so, he is no longer coachinghockey and is willing to coach us in our strategic directionsas needed." - Neta Gear, Executive Director
Spirit of Volunteerism Committee
This January we held the first virtual meeting as a Spirit ofVolunteerism Committee in order to explore new ways tobetter support volunteers within our member DCs. Wediscussed volunteer burnout and self-care from a structuralstandpoint and hope to develop better practices forrecruiting, training, recognizing, and supporting volunteers.
If you are a member who would like to provide some input,please join this committee by either reaching out to the
Executive Director or contacting us at [email protected].
Website
We are excited to announce that the new website hasbeen completed and we are in the midst of a softlaunch at dcontario.org. Please give the site a visit,look around, and reach out to us at [email protected] you notice any changes that should be made, or ifyou encounter any glitches in the system.
Podcast
Don't forget to listen to our podcast as we discusscurrent events and relevant themes with a variety ofguests. We have recently been exploring the themes ofhope and isolation through COVID-19 with manydifferent members of the community.
Conference
Join us for our DCO Conference on March 3rd, while we learn about addictions andpsychoactive drugs from King’s University College Professor of Social Work, RickCsiernik.Then, on March 4th, Marilyn Clarke DTATI, (cand.), RP (Qualifying) willpresent her research exploring the role that creative engagement can play infostering healing and meaning making for individuals within the suicide losscommunity. More information on the event can be found here and the link toregister is now open, or you can register by contacting DCO directly.
Things you may find interesting
Coronavirus Information
Shopper's Drug Mart has developed a COVID-19 hub that isupdated regularly with information on the vaccine andtesting, current numbers, and general FAQs.
Read more...
Amanda Gorman's Inauguration Speech
While Amanda Gorman may have been the youngest everpoet laureate at President Joe Biden's recent inauguration,her words have caught global attention for their poignancy,maturity, and grace. If you have not had a moment towatch her recitation, you can do so here.
News from our Member Centres
Durham Distress Centre has joined LakeridgeHealth Center and Windsor has made the decisionto shutter it's Distress line.
Thank you for supporting Distress and CrisisOntario. Click here if you would like to donate to our
organization.
DCO Upcoming Events and Schedule of Meetings
Bell Let's Talk DayJanuary 28, 2021 - take our survey onself-care here
DCO ConferenceMarch 3 and March 4, 2021 - registerhere
Board MeetingsApril 27, 2021 at 1:00PMJune 9, 2021 at 1:00PMJune 18, 2021 at 11:00AM
Annual General MeetingJune 18, 2021 at 10:00AM
Distress And Crisis OntarioPO Box 38038 King St North,
Waterloo, ONN2J 4T9
416-486-2242 www.dcontario.org
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