We Are a Network of Queer and Trans-identified Mental Health Professionals Who Serve the 2SLGBTQIA Community
Accessing LGBTQ mental health counseling in Campden means connecting with a therapist who understands your lived experience and meets you without judgment or pathology. Umbrella Mental Health Network brings together registered psychotherapists and social workers in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area who specialize in serving the 2SLGBTQIA+ community with culturally competent, trauma-informed care. Campden is a small, tight-knit village in the Niagara region where many residents commute to larger centers for specialized services-and LGBTQ+ mental health support is no exception. Whether you live in Campden itself or nearby communities, accessing quality counseling tailored to queer and trans experiences often means reaching beyond your immediate area. This guide walks you through how to find and begin LGBTQ mental health counseling in Campden, either locally or through telehealth with providers who truly know this work. Before you search for a therapist, get specific about what brings you to counseling. Are you processing trauma? Exploring your gender identity or sexuality? Working through anxiety or depression? Navigating a relationship? People come to therapy for different reasons, and knowing yours helps you find the right fit. Umbrella Mental Health Network offers individual psychotherapy, couples therapy for queer and non-monogamous relationships, trauma and PTSD treatment, gender identity exploration, and youth counseling-so mapping your own needs first makes the next steps clearer. Write down two or three things you hope therapy will help with. This is not a formal diagnosis; it is simply your starting point. If you are uncertain, that is fine too. A skilled therapist can help you articulate what matters most. Campden itself is small, so you will likely be looking at services available through telehealth or by traveling to nearby centers like St. Catharines or Toronto. Umbrella Mental Health Network serves the Greater Toronto Area and provides both in-person and virtual sessions, which means you can access their registered psychotherapists and social workers from Campden without traveling far. When researching any therapist or practice, look for specific markers: they should explicitly state they serve LGBTQ+ clients, use affirming language, and ideally describe their approach to trauma-informed and anti-oppressive care. Check whether the practice offers the specific service you need. If you are seeking couples therapy for a same-sex or non-monogamous relationship, for example, confirm they have that expertise. If you are a youth exploring gender identity, verify they work with young people. Umbrella's website details their services, clinician backgrounds, and how to make contact. Many practices, including Umbrella, offer initial consultations so you can ask questions and see if there is a good match before committing. Once you have identified a practice that feels right, reach out. This can feel vulnerable, and that is normal. You are taking a significant step toward your own wellbeing. When you contact Umbrella Mental Health Network or another provider, be clear about what you are looking for and ask about availability, how sessions are scheduled, and whether they are accepting new clients. Many practices have online intake forms or a simple phone or email process. During your first session, you and your therapist will talk about what brought you in, your background, and what you hope to achieve. A trauma-informed therapist will move at your pace and explain what they are doing and why. If something does not feel right, you can speak up or try someone else. Finding the right therapist sometimes takes time, and that is part of the process. Umbrella's clinicians are trained in feminism, social justice, and decolonization-frameworks that center your autonomy and the broader systems that shape your life, not just individual symptoms. Campden itself is a small village, so specialized LGBTQ+ counseling services are typically accessed through telehealth or by traveling to larger nearby centers. Umbrella Mental Health Network, based in Toronto and serving the Greater Toronto Area, offers both in-person and virtual therapy, making it accessible to residents of Campden and surrounding communities in Niagara. Look for a registered psychotherapist or social worker who explicitly serves 2SLGBTQIA+ clients and describes their approach as trauma-informed and affirming. Ask about their expertise in the specific area you need-whether that is gender exploration, couples therapy, trauma recovery, or something else. Umbrella Mental Health Network's clinicians are grounded in feminist, anti-oppressive, and decolonial values. Yes. Telehealth therapy is effective and increasingly standard. Umbrella Mental Health Network offers virtual sessions, which is especially valuable if you live in Campden or other smaller communities where local services may be limited. Online therapy gives you access to specialists without travel time or distance barriers. A good therapist can help you figure that out. When you reach out, simply describe what is on your mind or heart-whether that is relationship concerns, trauma, identity questions, or emotional distress. Your first session is exploratory; the therapist listens, and together you build a plan. You do not need a perfect answer before you call.Lgbtq Mental Health Counseling Campden
Step 1: Clarify What Kind of Support You Need
Step 2: Research LGBTQ Mental Health Counseling Campden and Your Service Options
Step 3: Make Contact and Schedule Your First Session
Seeking therapy is not weakness; it is an act of self-determination and care. The first session is often about building trust and understanding, not solving everything at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there LGBTQ mental health counseling available in Campden?
What should I look for in an LGBTQ+ therapist?
Can I do LGBTQ mental health counseling online instead of traveling?
What if I am not sure what kind of therapy I need?

Acknowledgement
Tkaronto and the surrounding areas that we serve are within the Dish With One Spoon Territory. The Dish With One Spoon is a treaty between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee that bound them to share the territory and protect the land. Subsequent Indigenous Nations and Peoples, Europeans and all newcomers have been invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship and respect.
We at Umbrella recognize that the professions of psychology, psychotherapy, and social work have roots in colonial violence. As psychotherapists and social workers, we understand that we have a responsibility to continuously work to decolonize the practice of psychotherapy/social work and acknowledge the origins of the various healing practices we utilize.
Our therapists actively engage in regular training that emphasizes professional development, team support, and sharing the current knowledge in 2SLGBTQIA mental health, to ensure the highest level of care for our clients.
Meet Our Team
Christopher Shillington
MA, CCC, RP
(they/them)
Clinic Director/ Registered Psychotherapist
Areas of focus:
- Healthy Relationships
- Intersectional Identities
- Trauma & PTSD

Andrés Gayoso Descalzi
MSW,RSW
(he/him)
Registered Social Worker
Areas of focus:
- Gender Identity & Embodiment
- Life Changes & Transitions
- 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth & Families

Aysha Natsheh
MSW, RSW
Registered Social Worker
Areas of focus:
- Food, Body, Self-Image
- Trauma
- Gender & Sexual Identity
Bushra Ahmed
MSW, RSW
Registered Social Worker
Areas of focus:
- 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth
- Exploring Neurodivergent Identities
- Impact of Oppression & Trauma on Mental Health

Clara Doucette
MA, RP (Qualifying)
(she/her)
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Areas of focus:
- Relational Styles & Attachment
- Friendships & Kinship
- Stress
Cressida Frey
MSW, RSW (she/her) Registered Social WorkerAreas of focus:
- Children, Adolescents and Adults
- Violence, Trauma and Healing
- Stress and Anxiety
Derek Cassidy
MSW, RSW
(he/him/they/them)
Registered Social Worker
Areas of focus:
- Relationships and Attachment
- Complex, Relational Trauma
- Sexuality and Sexual Health

Jesmen Mendoza
C.Psych. (he/him) Adjunct PsychologistAreas of focus:
- Complex Mental Health
- Consultation

Jett Peters
MSW Candidate
(they/them)
Student Therapist
Areas of focus:
- Gender Identity
- Relationship(s) with Food & Body
- Trauma
Kathryn Bargis
MSc, RP (she/her) Registered PsychotherapistAreas of focus:
- Relationships
- Trauma
- Gender and Sexual Identity
Maxine Bower
MSW, RSW (she/her) Registered Social WorkerAreas of focus:
- Attachment in Individuals and in Relationships
- Complex Trauma
- Deepening Connections
Nicholas Sorg
MSc, RP
(he/him)
Registered Psychotherapist
Areas of focus:
- Stress, Anxiety, and Depression
- Sexual Identity Development
- Alternative Relationships, Relationship and Family Stress
Rae Griffin-Carlson
MSW, RSW
(she/her)
Registered Social Worker
Areas of focus:
- 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth & Adults
- Stress, Anxiety & Depression
- Sexual & Gender-based Violence

Rahim Thawer
MSW, RSW
(he/him)
External Clinical Supervisor
Areas of focus:
- Identity Conflict & Shame
- Dating, Relationships, Single by Chance/Choice
- Sexualized Substance Use

Saadia Khan
BA (they/them) Administrative and Social Media Assistant
Stephanie Wu
RP, Professional Art Therapist
(they/them)
Registered Psychotherapist
Areas of focus:
- Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Assault & Childhood Abuse
- Impacts of Oppression
- 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth & Adults







