We Are a Network of Queer and Trans-identified Mental Health Professionals Who Serve the 2SLGBTQIA Community
Culturally competent mental health counseling for LGBTQ+ individuals in Drumbo connects you with therapists who understand both the clinical dimensions of mental health and the lived reality of navigating identity, relationships, and systemic barriers within a small rural community. Umbrella Mental Health Network brings this specialized practice to Drumbo and across the Greater Toronto Area, staffing registered psychotherapists and social workers trained in trauma-informed, anti-oppressive care. Drumbo is a rural community in Oxford County where LGBTQ+ individuals and families often experience geographic isolation, limited access to affirming services, and the distinct pressures of living visibly queer in a smaller town. Rural isolation correlates with higher rates of anxiety, depression, and delayed help-seeking among 2SLGBTQIA people, in part because anonymity is limited and trusted providers are scarce. Umbrella serves Drumbo residents with the understanding that your mental health challenges do not exist in a vacuum; they are shaped by the specifics of where you live and who surrounds you. The practice's registered psychotherapists and social workers work from a framework that centers these realities. Rather than applying generic counseling models, they ask what it means to be queer in Drumbo specifically, what community resources exist for you, and how isolation or visibility affects your psychological wellbeing. This is not therapeutic hand-waving; it is a deliberate clinical approach that Umbrella calls anti-oppressive practice. Trauma-informed care in LGBTQ+ counseling means that therapists understand how systemic oppression, discrimination, family rejection, medical trauma, and intimate violence create measurable changes in how your nervous system operates. Umbrella's clinicians use evidence-based trauma treatment modalities grounded in the recognition that many 2SLGBTQIA people carry wounds from both interpersonal harm and structural marginalization. In practice, this means several things. First, your therapist will not assume you are "starting from zero" emotionally or psychologically; they recognize that historical and ongoing discrimination shapes your baseline stress response. Second, they build safety and predictability into the therapeutic relationship itself, because safety is often something queer and trans people have had to construct individually rather than receive from institutions. Third, they employ specific clinical techniques for trauma and PTSD treatment that address both explicit traumatic events and complex trauma rooted in identity-based violence or rejection. Drumbo residents accessing this work receive counseling that treats your nervous system and your history as inseparable from your mental health goals. Umbrella Mental Health Network maintains deep expertise across domains that other generic counseling practices often lack. For individuals in Drumbo exploring gender identity, the practice offers structured, supportive exploration work that neither pushes you toward any particular outcome nor dismisses your questions as temporary. This work is grounded in the understanding that gender identity development is legitimate therapeutic terrain, not a pathology to be treated away. For couples and individuals interested in ethical non-monogamy and alternative relationship structures, Umbrella provides specialized counseling that does not treat ENM or kink practice as a symptom requiring correction. Instead, therapists approach these choices as legitimate expressions of sexuality and relational preference, helping you navigate communication, boundaries, and conflict within structures that affirm your autonomy. The practice is also equipped to support queer family planning, meaning if you are exploring parenthood with a same-gender partner or as a trans or non-binary person, you work with clinicians who see this as a valid life goal rather than a medical problem. For Drumbo residents, this specialization matters because it means you do not have to travel to Toronto only to find a therapist who "gets it," nor do you need to educate your counselor about your relationship structure or identity questions. Umbrella's registered social workers and psychotherapists hold this expertise as core to their practice. The practice explicitly centers feminist and decolonial values in its therapeutic approach. This means several clinical commitments: In Drumbo, where rural communities often reflect dominant cultural norms more rigidly, accessing a therapist grounded in these commitments creates space for you to explore identity and relationships without encountering subtle moralizing or assimilationist pressure. Umbrella's clinicians understand that thriving queer mental health involves not only symptom reduction but also claiming your right to exist and express yourself fully. Drumbo sits approximately 90 kilometres from central Toronto, making in-person therapy challenging for many residents who might otherwise need to travel extensively or forgo specialized care altogether. Umbrella Mental Health Network serves the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding regions, which includes Drumbo, offering both the depth of clinical expertise typically found in urban centers and the geographic flexibility that rural residents require. The practice's model brings together highly skilled registered psychotherapists and social workers with specialization in LGBTQ+ mental health, trauma recovery, and identity work. Whether you are seeking individual psychotherapy, couples therapy, or counseling as a young adult exploring your gender and sexual identity, you access clinicians trained in the specific intersections of queer experience and mental health. For Drumbo residents, this means affirming, skilled mental health support is available without requiring you to relocate or to educate a generalist therapist about your community's particular context and needs. If you are exploring gender identity, navigating relationship challenges, recovering from trauma, or seeking mental health support grounded in affirmation and social justice, Umbrella Mental Health Network is available to you. Reach out to discuss how their counseling and psychotherapy services can support your wellbeing. Yes. Umbrella Mental Health Network serves Drumbo and the Greater Toronto Area with registered psychotherapists and social workers specializing in LGBTQ+ counseling and psychotherapy. They offer trauma-informed, culturally competent care grounded in feminist and social justice values. Trauma-informed therapy recognizes how oppression, discrimination, and violence shape your nervous system and psychological functioning. Clinicians use evidence-based techniques to address both explicit traumatic events and complex trauma, building safety and predictability into the therapeutic relationship itself. Yes. Umbrella provides structured, supportive therapy for individuals exploring gender identity, approached without predetermined outcomes. Clinicians hold gender identity exploration as legitimate therapeutic work grounded in affirmation of your autonomy and self-determination. Umbrella offers couples therapy, ethical non-monogamy (ENM) counseling, and support for queer family planning. Therapists approach alternative relationship structures and consensual non-traditional arrangements with affirmation rather than pathologizing. Umbrella is explicitly sex and kink positive, meaning therapists affirm consensual sexual expression rather than treating it as pathology. This includes support for individuals exploring sexuality, kink practice, and pleasure-positive sexual health. Yes. The practice provides youth and young adult counseling for those exploring gender identity, sexual orientation, and related mental health concerns. Therapy is trauma-informed and grounded in affirmation of your identity questions and experiences.Lgbtq Mental Health Counseling Drumbo
1. Drumbo's 2SLGBTQIA Residents Have Specific Mental Health Needs
2. Trauma-Informed Methodology Shapes Every Interaction
3. Specialization in Gender Identity Exploration and Couples Work Distinguishes This Practice
4. Values of Feminism, Decolonization, and Social Justice Shape Clinical Work
5. Accessibility and Geographic Reach Make Specialized Care Possible for Drumbo Residents
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there LGBTQ+ affirming therapy available in Drumbo?
What is trauma-informed therapy and how does it help?
Do you offer counseling for gender identity exploration?
What specialized services does Umbrella Mental Health Network offer for couples?
How does Umbrella approach sex and sexuality in therapy?
Does Umbrella serve youth and young adults exploring identity in the GTA?

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







