A FEW THINGS ABOUT US & OUR PRACTICE

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We are:

-Aware of historical harm within the mental health and counselling community

-Gender and sexuality affirming

-Kink and poly affirming

 

As professionals in health and wellness we are committed to upholding our values, codes of ethics and standards of practice in our work with others. We continually strive to be aware and mindful of how the counselling profession has not historically been safe, affirming or accepting of diverse identities, and in many ways continues to cause harm today.

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Our personal identities and privileges have meaning and impact and are recognized as such in our work with clients. We work to dismantle and push back against the innate power differential between client and therapist, as well as make our space as safe as possible--acknowledging that no space may be completely safe. 

 

We are gender and sexuality affirming, as well as kink and poly friendly. To us, that means:

 

​We won't

• assume your gender, sexuality, kink, or relationship style, nor will we assume the issue you are seeking help with is related to or caused by said gender, sexuality, kink, or relationship style

• try to "cure" you of any gender identity, sexuality, kink, or poly identity

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We will

• be aware that any distress you have about your gender, sexuality, kink, or poly identity may be a normal part of internalized cultural/societal bias rather than evidence of a disorder 

• be sensitive to whether and how your gender, sexuality, kink or poly identities affects your relationships

• remain aware of our own issues and how they may enter therapy

• consult with colleagues who are knowledgeable and/or suggest referral options if you bring in issues that are outside of our knowledge base or boundaries of competence

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We are politically aligned with social justice work and actively participate in our community's social justice focused initiatives and events. We believe strongly in fighting inequity, and while we cannot participate with every group experiencing inequity and discrimination--we are dedicated to do what we can, using our positions of power and privilege to centre marginalized voices and do some of the labor of creating an equitable and inclusive community.

 

Part of how we do this is around awareness of economic inequity. Lack of insurance and financial means limits or prohibits access to mental health support and care. As such, we offer sliding scale fee options where possible to members of the 2SLGBTQA+ community. We also supervise counselling interns in our practice (with preference given to queer and racialized students), who are able to see clients at very low cost. We are also providers with funding options for those eligible. 

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We are fat positive, and do not align ourselves with the dominant weight paradigm or diet culture. We work to continually educate ourselves about the insidious nature of fatphobia and support both ourselves and others in doing the same.  We also recognize the overwhelming degree to which ableism is present in our society and plays a role in health and wellness. We are transparent about disability as it applies to us with both physical and mental health and insist our practice be accessible to all bodies. 

 

We welcome feedback about any of the above statements, as we are continually growing and changing.