Call/Text 647.687.6543 info@umhn.ca

We Are a Network of Queer and Trans-identified Mental Health Professionals Who Serve the 2SLGBTQIA Community

Lgbtq Mental Health Counseling Hannon

LGBTQ Mental Health Counseling Hannon connects you with therapists who understand your lived experience and create space for you to heal without judgment. Umbrella Mental Health Network serves the 2SLGBTQIA community across Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, including Hannon, with specialized counselling that centers your whole self-your identity, your relationships, and your journey.

Culturally Safe Care Means Your Therapist Gets It

When you walk into a counseling office in Hannon seeking LGBTQ mental health support, you deserve a therapist who doesn't treat your identity as something to fix or explain. Umbrella's registered psychotherapists and social workers bring deep expertise in trauma-informed, anti-oppressive practice. They work from a foundation of feminism, social justice, and decolonization-frameworks that recognize how systems of power affect your mental health and wellbeing.

This means they understand microaggressions, medical trauma, family rejection, and identity-based discrimination not as abstract concepts but as real forces that shape your healing. Because your therapist gets the context of your life, you can spend your time actually processing what matters instead of educating them about queer or trans experience.

You Can Explore Gender and Sexual Identity at Your Own Pace

Many people in Hannon come to counseling while actively exploring who they are-whether that's their gender identity, sexual orientation, or both. Umbrella specializes in gender and sexual identity exploration, offering space to sit with questions without pressure to arrive at any particular answer. Your therapist won't push you toward a label or timeline; instead, they'll help you develop clarity and confidence as you move through your own process.

This matters whether you're a young adult newly out, someone questioning your identity later in life, or navigating shifts in how you understand yourself. The work is about understanding yourself more deeply, not about anyone else's expectations.

Couples Therapy and Ethical Non-Monogamy Counseling Address Real Relationship Needs

Queer relationships often don't fit the default templates offered by mainstream therapy. If you're in an ethically non-monogamous partnership, a same-sex couple, or a chosen family structure, Umbrella brings expertise in couples therapy and ENM counselling that meets you where you actually are. The therapists understand consent, communication across different relationship agreements, and the specific joys and tensions that arise in queer partnerships.

Whether you're navigating conflict, strengthening connection, building communication skills, or exploring relationship structures that work for you, you'll work with someone who sees your relationship as valid and whole-not as a deviation from a straight default.

Trauma Recovery Happens in Relationship and at Your Speed

Trauma and PTSD treatment at Umbrella centers healing through connection rather than re-traumatization. The therapists specialize in trauma recovery using approaches grounded in safety, autonomy, and pacing. Because many 2SLGBTQIA people have experienced discrimination-based trauma, medical trauma, sexual violence, or complex grief tied to identity, your therapist will understand the specific textures of what you've survived.

Recovery isn't about rushing toward a finish line. It's about building capacity, reclaiming your body and sense of safety, and moving forward in ways that feel sustainable to you. Umbrella's approach honors that timeline and meets you with skill and patience.

If you're in Hannon and searching for mental health support that actually sees you, Umbrella Mental Health Network is here. Reach out to learn more about how they can support your healing and growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kinds of issues does LGBTQ mental health counseling in Hannon address?

LGBTQ mental health counseling addresses depression, anxiety, trauma, identity exploration, relationship concerns, and experiences of discrimination or rejection. Umbrella works with individuals, couples, and young adults across the full range of mental health needs specific to 2SLGBTQIA communities.

Is there affirming LGBTQ counseling near Hannon that specializes in trauma?

Yes. Umbrella Mental Health Network serves Hannon with trauma-informed counseling from registered psychotherapists trained in healing from discrimination-based trauma, sexual violence, and complex grief. Their approach centers safety and respects your pace throughout recovery.

Do you offer couples therapy for same-sex and queer relationships?

Yes, Umbrella specializes in couples therapy and ethical non-monogamy counseling for queer partnerships. The therapists work with same-sex couples, polyamorous and ENM relationships, and chosen family structures with full understanding of how these relationships function and thrive.

Can I explore my gender identity with a therapist in Hannon?

Absolutely. Umbrella offers gender and sexual identity exploration as a core service, providing space to move through your questions without pressure or timelines. Your therapist will support clarity and confidence at your own pace.

What makes therapy 'anti-oppressive' and why does it matter?

Anti-oppressive therapy recognizes how systems of power-racism, sexism, transphobia, and other oppressions-shape your mental health and relationships. Rather than treating you as the sole source of problems, your therapist understands context and works to dismantle internalized oppression while building your resilience.

Does Umbrella counsel youth and young adults exploring identity?

Yes. Umbrella offers youth and young adult counseling with particular expertise in gender and sexual identity exploration. Therapists create affirming space where young people can process their questions and develop self-understanding in a supportive environment.

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

Portrait

 

Christopher Shillington

MA, CCC, RP
(they/them)

Clinic Director/ Registered Psychotherapist

 

Areas of focus:
  • Healthy Relationships
  • Intersectional Identities
  • Trauma & PTSD
Portrait

 

Andrés Gayoso Descalzi

MSW,RSW
(he/him)

Registered Social Worker

 

Areas of focus:
  • Gender Identity & Embodiment
  • Life Changes & Transitions
  • 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth & Families
Portrait

 

Aysha Natsheh

MSW, RSW

Registered Social Worker

 

Areas of focus:
  • Food, Body, Self-Image
  • Trauma
  • Gender & Sexual Identity
Portrait

 

Bushra Ahmed

MSW, RSW

Registered Social Worker

 

Areas of focus:
  • 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth
  • Exploring Neurodivergent Identities
  • Impact of Oppression & Trauma on Mental Health
Portrait

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 Worker  
Areas 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
Portrait

Jesmen Mendoza

C.Psych. (he/him) Adjunct Psychologist  
Areas of focus:
  • Complex Mental Health
  • Consultation
Portrait

Jett Peters

MSW Candidate
(they/them)

Student Therapist

 

Areas of focus:
  • Gender Identity
  • Relationship(s) with Food & Body
  • Trauma
Portrait

Kathryn Bargis

MSc, RP (she/her) Registered Psychotherapist  
Areas of focus:
  • Relationships
  • Trauma
  • Gender and Sexual Identity
Portrait

Maxine Bower

MSW, RSW (she/her) Registered Social Worker  
Areas of focus:
  • Attachment in Individuals and in Relationships
  • Complex Trauma
  • Deepening Connections
Portrait

Nicholas Sorg

MSc, RP
(he/him)

Registered Psychotherapist

 

Areas of focus:
  • Stress, Anxiety, and Depression
  • Sexual Identity Development
  • Alternative Relationships, Relationship and Family Stress
Portrait

Rae Griffin-Carlson

MSW, RSW
(she/her)

Registered Social Worker

 

Areas of focus:
  • 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth & Adults
  • Stress, Anxiety & Depression
  • Sexual & Gender-based Violence
Portrait

Rahim Thawer

MSW, RSW
(he/him)

External Clinical Supervisor

 

Areas of focus:
  • Identity Conflict & Shame
  • Dating, Relationships, Single by Chance/Choice
  • Sexualized Substance Use
Portrait

Saadia Khan

BA (they/them) Administrative and Social Media Assistant
Portrait

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