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Queering Mental Health: A Canadian Perspective
Our Landing Place Therapy Collective is a collective of LGBTQ2S+ identified Masters level counsellors specializing in working with individuals from LGBTQ2S+, Poly, Kink and Neurodiverse communities across Canada. They provide affirming, caring and welcoming counselling therapy exclusively online and over the phone.
The Collective is organizing the online conference entitled “Queering Mental Health: A Canadian Perspective”, on April 21, 2021.
“As a counsellor that works with LGBTQ2S+ and neurodiverse communities across Canada, I can attest to the enormous need for better, well-informed support for queer folks. With most in-person LGBTQ2S+ supports closed due to Covid-19, the mental health needs of the queer community have hit a critical mass,” says Alice Curitz, Founder and Clinical Director of Our Landing Place Therapy Collective.
About the conference:
- This conference is focused on supporting the mental health of all people in the LGBTQ2S+ community: young people, adults, and seniors.
- The event is live and accessible for the hearing impaired. We have made it available for viewing after it is over, to support those who have limited internet access, single parents, and students.
- Our conference speakers include people of colour, trans and nonbinary folks, and members of the First Nations of Canada.
Conference topics of particular interest:
- Beyond Gender Neutral Bathrooms: Serving our trans clients with care and competency.
- Bridging the gaps in accessing remote service provisions for LGBTQ2S+ older adults during the global pandemic.
- Silent Violence: Barriers to recognition and reduction of same-sex intimate partner violence.
- Queerness, Religion, and Spirituality: Navigating difficult intersections.
Mental health facts about LGBTQ2S+ Canadians:
- Queer people are two and a half times more likely to attempt suicide and have a risk of depression and anxiety one and a half times higher than heterosexuals.
- An Ontario study of trans folks found that 77% had seriously considered suicide, and 45% had attempted suicide.
- A Canadian study suggests that the experience of stigma and discrimination increases internalized homophobia and stress-related cortisol production in LGBTQ2S+ people, both of which are associated with increased depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.
About the Author
Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist based in Toronto with a focus on tourism, lifestyle, entertainment and community issues. He has written several travel articles and has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He’s willing to take on any assignments of interest, attend parties with free booze, listen to rants, and travel the world in search of the great unknown. He’s eager to discover the new, remember the past, and look into the future.