We Are a Network of Queer and Trans-identified Mental Health Professionals Who Serve the 2SLGBTQIA Community
LGBTQ mental health counseling in Rosemont connects 2SLGBTQIA individuals and queer families with culturally competent psychotherapy grounded in social justice, trauma-informed care, and affirming clinical practice. Umbrella Mental Health Network serves Rosemont and the Greater Toronto Area with registered psychotherapists and social workers who specialize in the distinct mental health needs of LGBTQ+ people, centering their lived experience rather than pathologizing their identity. Rosemont is a diverse, inner-city neighbourhood where many LGBTQ+ individuals, young adults, and queer families build community and life. Like many Toronto neighborhoods, it attracts people seeking urban connection and progressive spaces, yet accessing mental health care that truly understands queer and trans experience remains a barrier. Generic counseling often defaults to cisnormative and heteronormative frameworks, leaving LGBTQ+ clients to educate their therapists or conceal central parts of themselves during sessions. Specialized LGBTQ mental health counseling in Rosemont eliminates that burden. Umbrella's clinicians bring expertise in gender identity exploration, trauma recovery specific to minority stress and systemic oppression, couples therapy for LGBTQ+ relationships including ethical non-monogamy (ENM), and youth counseling for those navigating sexuality and gender during formative years. Because the therapeutic relationship itself must feel safe, culturally congruent care is not optional-it is foundational. Umbrella's team brings methodological precision to psychotherapy. Individual sessions employ trauma-informed modalities including somatic approaches-which address how trauma lives in the nervous system and body-and narrative therapy, which allows clients to externalize internalized oppression and re-author their stories. For those exploring gender identity, the framework is open and exploratory; the work centers the client's authentic self-knowledge rather than diagnostic categories or pressure toward any particular outcome. Couples therapy for LGBTQ+ relationships in Rosemont addresses dynamics unique to queer partnerships: navigating differing levels of outness, processing shared trauma, and-where relevant-negotiating ethical non-monogamy with clear communication and consent frameworks. This service extends to queer family planning conversations, which may involve co-parenting arrangements, fertility considerations, or legal and emotional dimensions of building family outside traditional structures. Youth and young adult counseling recognizes that gender and sexual identity exploration unfolds across the lifespan. Adolescents and emerging adults may face school-based discrimination, family conflict around identity disclosure, or uncertainty about their own orientation or gender. Clinicians at Umbrella work with young people at their developmental stage, neither rushing nor delaying identity work, and can engage family members when appropriate and safe to do so. LGBTQ mental health counseling grounded in anti-oppressive values means the therapist examines their own positionality, recognizes how systems of power operate, and actively works against replicating oppression in the therapy room. This includes awareness of racism, colonialism, ableism, fatphobia, and class dynamics-not as abstract concepts but as lived realities affecting each client's wellbeing and access to care. Sex-positivity and kink-positivity are part of Umbrella's framework. Rather than treating sexuality as a problem to manage, sex-positive practice validates the diversity of human sexual expression and supports clients in exploring sexuality safely and consensually. For LGBTQ+ individuals whose sexuality has been pathologized or shamed, this orientation becomes profoundly healing. Umbrella clinicians also practice from feminist and decolonial perspectives, meaning they question authority, center marginalized voices, and resist individualizing societal problems. If a client's depression or anxiety relates to poverty, discrimination, or systemic barriers, therapy does not pretend those external realities are internal cognitive distortions to "fix" alone. If you are based in Rosemont or nearby areas of Toronto and the GTA, reaching out to Umbrella Mental Health Network is straightforward. The practice welcomes clients at any stage-those with specific presenting concerns (trauma recovery, relationship conflict, identity questions, anxiety, depression) and those seeking ongoing support without a diagnosed condition. Trauma survivors, individuals exploring gender or sexual identity, LGBTQ+ couples, parents of trans or queer children, and anyone needing culturally safe space will find experienced, grounded clinicians. Virtual sessions expand access for those who prefer remote care or live outside immediate Rosemont areas, though the practice also offers in-person appointments. Initial contact involves a brief conversation to understand your needs and ensure good fit; Umbrella serves the 2SLGBTQIA+ community across Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, including Rosemont, and can connect you with a clinician whose expertise and identity align with your needs. You deserve mental health care that meets you where you are-that honors your identity, understands your history, and supports your healing without requiring you to educate your therapist about what it means to be queer or trans. If you are ready to explore therapy with clinicians who specialize in LGBTQ+ mental health and practice from values of social justice and trauma awareness, contact Umbrella Mental Health Network to begin a conversation about your care. Yes. Umbrella Mental Health Network serves clients in Rosemont and throughout Toronto and the GTA with specialized LGBTQ+ counseling and psychotherapy. The practice offers in-person and virtual sessions with registered psychotherapists and social workers trained in trauma-informed, culturally competent care for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, couples, and families. Umbrella provides individual psychotherapy for LGBTQ+ adults and youth, couples therapy including ethical non-monogamy counseling, trauma and PTSD treatment, gender and sexual identity exploration, and support for queer family planning. All services are grounded in anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, sex-positive practice. Yes, extensively. Gender identity exploration and affirmation are core services. Clinicians at Umbrella support transgender, non-binary, and Two-Spirit clients with identity exploration, navigating transition, family dynamics, and healing from gender-related trauma-always centered on the client's own knowledge and pace. Yes. Umbrella specializes in couples therapy for LGBTQ+ relationships, including ethical non-monogamy counseling. Clinicians work with couples to navigate communication, consent frameworks, and relational dynamics unique to queer and alternative relationship structures.Lgbtq Mental Health Counseling Rosemont
Why Rosemont Residents Need Specialized LGBTQ Counseling
Trauma-informed, anti-oppressive practice means understanding that LGBTQ+ clients often carry wounds from systemic discrimination, medical trauma, family rejection, or sexual violence. Healing requires a clinician who recognizes these structural realities and does not pathologize the client's response to oppression.
Clinical Approaches to Gender, Trauma, and Relationships
Anti-Oppressive and Sex-Positive Practice in Rosemont
Accessing Mental Health Support in Your Community
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there LGBTQ mental health counseling available in Rosemont?
What types of counseling does Umbrella offer for LGBTQ+ clients?
Do you work with transgender and non-binary clients?
Can couples in non-monogamous relationships access counseling in Rosemont?

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







