Umbrella Mental Health Network

Umbrella Mental Health Network is an organization of mental health professionals working for the LGBTQIA2S+ community in Toronto and the GTA.

We are a network of like-minded mental health professionals who work primarily in the le***an, gay, bisexual, trans and q***r (LGBTQ+) community. We represent a group of highly skilled, compassionate psychologists, psychotherapists and social workers who have shared expertise in supporting and promoting health and wellness within an LGBTQ+ mental health framework.

08/13/2024

Some members of the Umbrella team at our yearly picnic over the weekend! 🌟
So sweet to see you all under the summer sun ☀️

06/30/2024

SAVE THE DATE!

On September 18 in Toronto join youth, elders, and community members marching for Mercury Justice!


RSVP here: https://freegrassy.net/grassy-narrows-river-run-2024/

Photos from Umbrella Mental Health Network's post 02/19/2024

After having completed their internship at Umbrella, Bushra Ahmed (they/them) recently re-joined our team as a Registered Social Worker, and is taking new clients! 🎉

Bushra is a non-binary, q***r, Muslim immigrant-settler located on the unceded territories of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinabek, and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations. They completed theiry Master of Social Work degree at Wilfrid Laurier University and hold an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience and Buddhism Psychology from the University of Toronto. Bushra has worked primarily with racialized and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and also as an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion educator and researcher.

To learn more about Bushra, visit their profile: https://www.umhn.ca/therapist-bushra-ahmed/
Want to set up a consultation? Email us at [email protected] 📧

11/03/2023

Umbrella is piloting a virtual therapy group! This group is open to people of all ages who would like to explore and enhance their interpersonal skills, improve their emotional well-being, and connect with a supportive community of people with shared experiences.

Group therapy can be useful on its own or as a way to complement your individual sessions. Everyone’s needs for therapy are unique, so we are setting up 15-minute consultations to make sure this is the group that you’re looking for!

The virtual group will run every Tuesday from 2:30-4pm and host 6-8 participants. Each session is $50 per person with two reduced fee spaces at $20.

Get in touch at [email protected] Attn: Group for more information or to set up a consultation.

Photos from Umbrella Mental Health Network's post 10/15/2023

Umbrella Team Retreat 2023 Fall Edition a tender, beautiful, relational, thought provoking, delicious experience of q***r magic. The team met this weekend and through sharing circles, bonfires, ceremony, cold plunges, therapy workshops, sound and forest baths we released, we healed, we grew. Filled with gratitude and reflection. Stay tuned for further editions. 😉🙏🏻🍂🍁❤️

Photos from Umbrella Mental Health Network's post 10/05/2023

Meet Jett, the newest addition to our team! Jett is a student therapist and is taking new clients at reduced rates.

Want to set up a consultation with Jett? Email us at [email protected]

Read Jett's bio below ⬇️

"I am a q***r, trans, neurodivergent, fat, disabled white settler on Turtle Island currently pursuing a Master of Social Work degree at Wilfrid Laurier University. I have previous experience working in eating disorders, trauma, harm reduction, fat liberation, disability justice, s*x work advocacy, gender-based violence, and s*xual & reproductive health.

I strive to cultivate a non-judgmental, anti-oppressive, anti-racist, collaborative, liberatory, and trauma-informed therapeutic space. I welcome clients in non-traditional relationship structures (e.g., open relationships, non-monogamy, relationship anarchy, polyamory, etc.) and am BDSM/fetish/kink affirming. You are the expert in your life and my goal is to support you in ways you find helpful, nourishing, and encouraging.

I use an eclectic therapeutic approach that draws from strengths-based, feminist, attachment, Internal Family Systems, and somatic therapies. Part of my approach includes contextualizing your embodied experiences of systemic oppression and noticing sites of resistance that have helped keep you, your kin, and your community safe amidst the targeted violence of white supremacy, colonization, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, fatphobia, saneism, whorephobia, xenophobia, serophobia, and classism. I also embrace an anti-diet and weight-neutral approach when discussing food/bodies and am particularly adept at moving alongside folks in larger bodies through challenges with eating and body image.

I currently work with folks aged 18+. I look forward to meeting with you!"

Therapists Are Also the Police: S*x Work, Social Work, and the Politics of Deservingness 05/10/2023

An important read / listen on how licensure entangles therapists and social workers in state policing:

Therapists Are Also the Police: S*x Work, Social Work, and the Politics of Deservingness Alternatively titled, “Reasons I Have No Desire to Get Licensure as a Clinical Therapist.”

Kaplan-Myrth: We can't stay silent about anti-trans threats and intolerance 05/08/2023

Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth reminds us that rising hate in Canada is everyone’s concern:

"Boards of education are a microcosm of what is happening in broader society. The town of Norwich voted to ban Pride flags on its municipal properties earlier this month. Anti-trans social media influencers and columnists in mainstream and far-right media have emboldened Canadians to join verbal attacks on anyone they deem as “woke.” ..
Canadians are not paying close enough attention, and too many people shrug and act as though it is not their concern. There are also those who quip that if we’d just stop talking about this, publicly, the threats and harassment would magically disappear. That is a common fallacy. No, you don’t blame the victim. The hate is there, homophobia and transphobia are pervasive and dangerous, and silence only allows hate to persist."

Kaplan-Myrth: We can't stay silent about anti-trans threats and intolerance Even if you don't have children in an Ottawa school, we should all stand up against harassment and discrimination — which are rising sharply.

A Nehiyô Two-Spirit Physician’s Reflections On Providing Indigenous Interventions In Modern Medicine 05/05/2023

In an interview with Forbes, Dr. James Makokis, a Two-Spirit family physician from the Saddle Lake Cree Nation gives the following advice to Indigiq***r youth who are interested in medicine:

"Please apply. You can do it. There is space for you. Reach out to other Indigenous and Indigiq***r doctors to help support and mentor you. It is important to have mentors to encourage you along the way. It is important to have the support of BIPOC physicians around you because racism, transphobia, and homophobia are still realities in medicine, and the field continues to be violent towards BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ peoples. Connect with mentors who can help you navigate these spaces and advocate for you so that all Indigiq***r physicians can be their fabulous selves, representing on rounds, and wearing the coolest styles. You can be successful and do whatever it is you want to do and put your mind to doing."

Read the full interview here:

A Nehiyô Two-Spirit Physician’s Reflections On Providing Indigenous Interventions In Modern Medicine "I am first and foremost a Nehiyô Two-Spirit person and citizen of my Indigenous nation. Then I am a physician. That is how I practice medicine."

Outloud crisis part of global trend, says research 05/03/2023

"An August 2022 survey by the Mental Health Commission of Canada found that about 23 per cent of 2SLGBTQ+ youths reported themselves to be in excellent or very good mental health as of September 2021, compared to 43 per cent of other youths. 2SLGBTQ+ youths were three times more likely to have contemplated su***de since the start of the pandemic compared to other youths.

Wells said the pandemic cut 2SLGBTQ+ youths off from supports such as gay-straight alliances and gender-affirming health care and isolated them with often unsupportive families. Recent threats of violence against Edmonton’s Pride Corner and protesters at drag story-time events in Calgary have also made 2SLGBTQ+ youths feel under attack."

Outloud crisis part of global trend, says research Read the full story and comment on stalbertgazette.com

04/27/2023

At this month's Professional Development meeting, one of our therapists, Stephanie Wu, led us in an art therapy exercise. Stephanie says that "creativity, play and imagination can help us dream of alternative expansive futures and possibilities, and engage different parts of our brain."

Using everyday materials like markers, pencil crayons, paints, paper, tape, glue, clay etc are more than enough to get started! The focus is on the process of creating the artwork rather than the final product. This is one of the creations that came from our session with Stephanie! 🎨🖌️

04/05/2023

Check out Returning Home: A Group for Racialized Youth, facilitated through the Barbara Schlifer clinic by Stephanie Wu (who is also a therapist at Umbrella!). For more info & to register, call 416-323-9149 ext 1 or email [email protected]

Why Dating Another Trans Person Makes It Easier for Me to Love My Own Body 04/03/2023

"Love must start with us, not with external validation. That no matter how expansive our topography of the body grows, it is useless if we cannot accept ourselves; if we cannot open our own door and walk in front the mirror of ourselves and see who we are — and then, from there, explore free and wild as flames, letting ourselves burn so bright that even old visions of hellfire dim away."

Why Dating Another Trans Person Makes It Easier for Me to Love My Own Body "I learned that the cartography of a body could be reimagined, so that the map space marked 'woman' accommodated a body like mine."

03/15/2023

Care not Cops: A Webinar on Defunding the Police
Wednesday, March 22nd | 7-8:30pm EST

Jane Finch Action Against Poverty (JFAAP) and SURJ Toronto on are hosting this webinar to talk about the dangers of police involvement in mental health crises, and what community safety without police can look like.

Register: tinyurl.com/carenotcops2023

You won't want to miss this! 🔥 Join us on March 22nd at 7PM for a conversation about the dangers of police involvement in mental health crises, and what community safety can look like without police!


Speakers: Desmond Cole, (Jane FInch Action Against Poverty), and The Family of Taresh Bobby Ramroop.
Moderated by Robyn Maynard ()

ASL Interpretation provided.

Register: tinyurl.com/carenotcops2023 (link in bio)

02/14/2023

Check out The Care I Want: An Illustrated Guide to Navigating Healthcare for 2S/LGBTQ+ people navigating healthcare:

https://www.cbrc.net/the_care_i_want_an_illustrated_guide_to_navigating_healthcare

As q***r people, we can face added challenges when engaging in health care.

While planning your healthcare visits ⤵️
Talk to other community members, learn about your service provider and what they can do for you.

Finding and learning on community can teach us how to be better self-advocates, to manage our energy reserves.

To learn more about how you can advocate for your appropriate s*xual and reproductive health care, go to http://bit.ly/40Wr6M1

02/07/2023

Check out this online workshop happening this week for students in health/mental health fields:

📢Calling students in all health-related fields - incl. nursing, medicine, social work, public health, research & policy, etc.

Join our online workshop on Feb 8, 6pm ET to learn how to organize on campus and in your community.

Register here: https://decentworkandhealth.org/student_workshop_rsvp

Cuts to telehealth in Ontario mean fewer trans and non-binary people will have access to life-saving health care 02/07/2023

"The Connect-Clinic has helped thousands of trans and non-binary people across Ontario access gender-affirming care through virtual appointments. Their services are especially important for people living in rural and remote areas who do not have any gender-affirming care providers in their area.

The closure of the Connect-Clinic has added even more stress to a health-care system facing already severe worker shortages and long wait times. Trans and non-binary people will suffer as a result."

Cuts to telehealth in Ontario mean fewer trans and non-binary people will have access to life-saving health care The closure of the virtual Connect-Clinic means fewer trans and non-binary people will get the vital health-care services they need.

RHO In Conversation | Rainbow Health Ontario 11/15/2022

Join Rainbow Health Ontario on November 24 for a FREE virtual panel discussing current and future issues in 2SLGBTQ health care. For more information:

RHO In Conversation | Rainbow Health Ontario Join Rainbow Health Ontario for a free virtual panel discussing current and future issues in 2SLGBTQ health care.

08/27/2022
Fierce + Sober: Q***r Inclusiveness in Treatment 08/10/2022

Fierce + Sober: Q***r Inclusiveness in Treatment

In this webinar, EHN Canada is joined by Kimmy Couture and Aamir Subhan. Kimmy talks about her sobriety journey and her experience as a trans queen. Aamir, a q***r-focused social worker, discusses the challenges that 2SLGBTQ+ folks face when accessing support and treatment, especially trans and non-binary folks.

Check it out: https://vimeo.com/722611657?fbclid=IwAR0J0TKDcU4m52koiQG1_aLM8zPGWiI_DWaGQIPPd-_WaOemRk9gq5Gtg-U

Fierce + Sober: Q***r Inclusiveness in Treatment On June 16, 2022, one of Ottawa’s most fashionable drag icons comes to Episode 2 of Fierce + Sober: Pride Edition! “For a transgender patient, having…

Photos from Umbrella Mental Health Network's post 06/22/2022

It's that time again - we're hiring! Please share this post with your networks! 🌈

Are you a therapist based in Ontario and part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community? Looking for more opportunities to support 2SLGBTQIA+ clients? Join our team!

We're particularly looking for practitioners who work with couples, families, and youth.

Umbrella Mental Health Network offer our associates flexibility in scheduling, tons of clinical and peer supports, various professional development opportunities, and more!

Full details + full job posting here: https://umhn-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/info_umhn_ca/EZPSIDal8KZIsno1v8VbKKEBbEdNCU6FqH3PwHYUZ62fXA?rtime=L20qfGVU2kg

Apply by Wednesday, July 20th, 2022.

***rmentalhealth ***rtherapist
[IDs: All images have a white background with a tan blob shape on the left, a pink blob in the bottom right, and tan, pink, and green accents.

ID Slide 1: 2SLGBTQIA+ mental health practitioners in Ontario: We're hiring! Full time + remote psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers. Swipe for more info

ID Slide 2: Join our team! Umbrella Mental Health Network is a Toronto-based organization comprised of q***r and trans mental health practitioners serving the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. We are particularly looking for practitioners who work with couples, families, and youth. Preference will be given to QTBIPOC applicants.

ID Slide 3: We offer: Professional development training related to 2SLGBTQIA+ mental health, An annual professional development allowance, Clinical supervision and support opportunities, Additional funding for BIPOC associates to receive external support & supervision... and more! To apply: Email your resume & cover letter to [email protected]
Deadline: July 20th, 2022]

06/02/2022

A very happy pride to all our clients & community members! We hope you feel supported and affirmed in your q***rness not only during this month but every day 💖

🌈 Art by 🌈
[Image Description: Light pink background with text in a colourful bubble letter font that reads, "Happy pride to all! Le***an, gay, bi, trans, genderfluid inters*x, as*xual, pans*xual, nonbinary, q***r, femmes, demis*xual, Black, Indigenous and POC! And to all who are questioning, not ready, or unable to come out!"]

05/10/2022

Repost from !

---

We are SO excited to share this resource!

is starting a 6 week virtual DBT informed group for trans and non-binary folks who self-identify as having an eating disorder. The group is for people 18+ and will run on Wednesdays from 1-2:30pm, starting May 4th.

The group will be run by Jessie Myhill (MSW, RSW) and Autumn Getty (2SLGBTQ+ Client Advocate). To learn more or get involved, email Autumn at [email protected]

Photos from Jake Ernst, MSW RSW's post 04/17/2022
Photos from Umbrella Mental Health Network's post 03/22/2022

Reposting info about ’s focus group for QTBIPOC youth! Happening this Saturday, March 26th - check out ’s bio for relevant links!

02/08/2022

Sharing some upcoming events from the Ontario Association of Social Workers! Check out oasw.org for more info or click the link in ’s bio!

12/28/2021

Earlier this month at our virtual holigay party ✨ happy holidays from the Umbrella team!!!

12/10/2021

Q***r kin & chosen family is where it’s at 🌈✨ art by

11/17/2021

❤️🥲

11/09/2021

Quick, grab something RED‼️was the check-in activity for our Professional Development meeting this month! ☺️

We were led by one of our psychotherapists, Kathryn Bargis, in a discussion around clinical applications of trauma-induced shame.

At last month’s meeting, Roza Nozari (on Instagram as ) led us in a session on the topic of collective grief & arts-based practices.

We’re super lucky and grateful to have such knowledgeable mental health practitioners on our team, who spend time to share their teachings and learnings with us so that we can better support our 2SLGBTQIA+ clients ❤️

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