We Are a Network of Queer and Trans-identified Mental Health Professionals Who Serve the 2SLGBTQIA Community
Finding affirming mental health support as a 2SLGBTQIA person means connecting with a therapist who understands your lived experience and centers your wellbeing without judgment. Umbrella Mental Health Network offers LGBTQ Mental Health Counseling Fullarton through registered psychotherapists and social workers trained in trauma-informed, anti-oppressive practice. If you live in Fullarton or the surrounding GTA and are ready to work with someone who gets it, here is how to move forward. Before you reach out, spend a few minutes naming what brought you to look for help. Are you processing trauma or grief? Exploring your gender or sexual identity? Navigating a relationship or family situation? Experiencing anxiety or depression? Working through internalized shame? All of these are valid reasons to seek care, and knowing your starting point helps you have a clearer conversation with a therapist. You don't need to have it all figured out. Many people come to counseling knowing only that something hurts or feels stuck. Umbrella's therapists specialize in working with queer and trans clients across the full range of human experience -- from identity exploration and couples work to serious trauma recovery and grief. If you're in Fullarton and searching for a practice that won't ask you to explain your pronouns or defend your identity, this is the kind of foundation that matters. Contact Umbrella Mental Health Network directly through their website at umhn.ca. When you reach out, you can share as much or as little as you're comfortable with. Briefly mention what brings you in -- whether that's individual counseling, couples therapy, trauma work, identity exploration, or support for a young person. Let them know you're based in Fullarton or the GTA and ask about their availability. The team will listen to what you need and work to match you with a therapist whose training and approach align with your situation. Because Umbrella centers feminism, social justice, decolonization, and sex-positive values, you're getting a practice that won't pathologize your identity or relationship choices. They understand that LGBTQ people in Fullarton and across the region face unique pressures and barriers, and their work is designed around that reality. Once you're matched with a therapist, your first session is partly about building trust and partly about them understanding your story. Bring whatever feels relevant -- a sense of what you want to work on, any questions you have, and your honest self. You don't need to perform or edit yourself. A good therapeutic relationship is built on authenticity, and Umbrella's clinicians are trained to create that safety. Showing up is the hardest part, especially if you've been hurt by previous healthcare experiences or if you're carrying shame. Remember that seeking support is an act of self-care and resistance. You're investing in your own healing and freedom. If you're in Fullarton or nearby and ready to work with therapists who believe that queer and trans joy, sexuality, and community are worth protecting, reach out to Umbrella Mental Health Network today. They're here to walk alongside you. Umbrella offers individual psychotherapy for LGBTQ+ clients, couples therapy and ethical non-monogamy counselling, trauma and PTSD treatment, gender and sexual identity exploration, and youth and young adult counselling. All services are grounded in trauma-informed, anti-oppressive practice and culturally affirming values. Yes. Umbrella Mental Health Network serves Fullarton and the Greater Toronto Area with a team of registered psychotherapists and social workers specialized in 2SLGBTQIA mental health care. You can reach them through their website at umhn.ca to discuss your needs and availability. No. Umbrella works with clients at all stages of identity exploration and disclosure. Whether you're questioning, newly out, or navigating changes in how you understand yourself, their therapists create space for that process without pressure or judgment. Trauma-informed care recognizes how oppression and discrimination affect mental health and healing. Anti-oppressive practice actively works against systems of power that harm LGBTQ+ people. It means your therapist won't pathologize your identity, will center your agency, and will name the real impact of living in a world not built for you. Yes. Umbrella explicitly offers couples therapy and ethical non-monogamy counselling grounded in sex-positive values. Their therapists understand alternative relationship structures and approach them with full affirmation and expertise. Visit umhn.ca and contact Umbrella Mental Health Network directly. Tell them what brings you in and that you're based in Fullarton or the GTA. They'll help match you with a therapist and discuss next steps. You can share as much or as little as you're comfortable with in that first conversation.Lgbtq Mental Health Counseling Fullarton
Step 1: Clarify What You Need Support With
Step 2: Reach Out to Umbrella and Describe Your Situation
Step 3: Prepare for Your First Session and Show Up
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of counseling does Umbrella Mental Health Network offer in Fullarton?
Is there LGBTQ mental health counseling near Fullarton?
Do I need to be out or have my identity figured out before starting therapy?
What does trauma-informed, anti-oppressive therapy mean?
Can Umbrella help with couples therapy if we're in a non-traditional relationship structure?
How do I get started with LGBTQ mental health counseling in Fullarton?

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







