Online 2SLGBTQ+ Counselling Across Ontario
2SLGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy in Ontario
Therapy where you don’t have to explain the basics, justify who you are or brace for a question you shouldn’t have to answer. Work with a therapist matched to you, online and with no waitlist.
- No waitlist
- Secure video sessions
- Reduced-fee sessions available
- Receipts for extended health benefits
Your Identity Is Not the Problem to Be Solved
Affirming therapy starts from a simple position. Who you are is not the thing that needs fixing.
That sounds obvious, yet plenty of queer and trans people have sat in a room where it wasn’t true, and spent the hour being learned from instead of helped.
In practice, affirming means your therapist treats your identity as settled and gets on with the work. Your name and pronouns are used correctly without reminders. What you came in with, the anxiety, the burnout, the family rupture, is treated as the problem, not traced back to who you are.
What that leaves is room for the reason you booked.
What People Work On in Affirming Therapy
Being 2SLGBTQ+ is not a presenting problem. Most people come in for the reasons anyone else does, with a therapist who already holds the context.
Coming out
Who, When and Whether
Think it through with someone who won’t push a timeline.
Family
When Family Reacts Badly
Grief, anger and complicated love when acceptance is partial or absent.
Minority stress
Always Slightly Braced
The alertness that builds up over years of small incidents.
Gender
Exploring Gender Identity
A place to wonder out loud, with no pressure to conclude.
Neurodiversity
Queer and Neurodivergent
Where identity and a differently wired brain overlap. Affirming care
What 2SLGBTQ+ Stands For
People search for this, so here it is plainly. 2SLGBTQ+ stands for Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer, with a plus that holds everyone the letters leave out, including intersex, asexual, aromantic, pansexual and nonbinary people.
Two Spirit sits at the front for a reason. It names identities that were part of life here long before the rest of the acronym, and placing it first recognizes that history.
You don’t need the vocabulary to book. Some arrive certain of a word, some with three they’re trying on, some with none. Your therapist follows the words you use.
Minority Stress, and Why You’re So Tired
Minority stress is what accumulates when you belong to a group that gets treated differently. It is scanning a room before you mention your partner, the pause before correcting a pronoun, the joke you let pass because arguing costs more than it is worth.
No single moment looks big enough to bring to therapy. Together they add up to a nervous system that never fully stands down, showing up as poor sleep, irritability, a short fuse, or numbness about what you used to enjoy.
Therapy can’t remove the source. It can help you tell old protection from present-day threat and get your body out of readiness, often using somatic and nervous system work alongside talking.
Coming Out at Your Own Pace
Coming out is not one conversation, and it is not a milestone you owe anybody. Most people do it repeatedly, and some rooms they will always keep closed. That is a strategy, not a failure of courage. Nobody here will set it as your goal, and if it isn’t what you want, or not yet, that stays your call.
Family, Work and the People Who Don’t Make It Easy
A parent who says they love you and changes the subject whenever your partner comes up. A sibling still using your old name. That creates a particular grief, because the person is still there and you are mourning them anyway. Therapy is a place to hold both the loss and the love. If your family struggled with emotion long before any of this, see emotionally immature parents and CPTSD.
Work has its own version. How out to be at work is a running calculation, heavier in a small team or a job you can’t afford to lose. We can help you decide what to disclose.
Relationships and Chosen Family
Chosen family is the network you built because you needed one, and it brings real intimacy and real friction. Falling out with a close friend can be as destabilizing as a breakup. We work on dating when trust comes hard, long-term partnership, and grief that others don’t treat as serious loss.
Exploring Gender Identity Without Pressure
Plenty of people want somewhere to think about gender before doing anything about it. Maybe a word has started to fit, or you want to say it out loud once.
Therapy can be that room. Your therapist is not there to verify you or decide whether you qualify for anything. You set the pace, and nothing you explore commits you to a next step. Some move toward telling others or changing a name. Others find they needed permission to stop policing themselves. If you are on a medical pathway or considering one, we support the emotional side.
Gender-affirming medical care, including hormone therapy, is provided by physicians and clinics rather than by psychotherapists. We do not provide medical care or assessments. Our role is the emotional side of the journey.
Queer, Trans and Neurodivergent
Being both is common, and it changes the picture. Masking your identity on top of masking an autistic or ADHD nervous system is a double load, and the burnout that follows is often mistaken for laziness. Several of our therapists work across both, so you don’t have to split yourself between two appointments. See also ADHD therapy and social anxiety.
How to Tell Whether a Therapist Is Genuinely Affirming
Almost every listing says welcoming. That word costs nothing, so here is what to look for underneath it.
- They name 2SLGBTQ+ work as a focus, not one line in a list of thirty
- They use your name and pronouns correctly from the start, without prompting
- They never position your identity as the cause of your difficulties
- They are clear about what sits outside their scope, such as medical care
Use your free consultation for exactly this, and notice whether the answers sound practised or lived. If the fit is wrong, tell us and we’ll look again.
How to Get Started
-
Pick a Time
Choose a free 15 to 20 minute consultation slot and tell us a little about what’s going on.
-
We Match You
Behind the scenes, we pair you with a therapist based on what you’re working through, how you like to work and your background, then confirm your appointment by email or text.
-
Free Meet & Greet With Your Therapist
Ask your questions and assess fit. Start sessions within days and schedule with them directly.
Trauma-informed and goal-oriented. If your family history or past experiences are relevant, your therapist can explore them with you, while keeping sessions focused on the goals you came in with. The work is paced with you, so you are never pushed into feelings that are too overwhelming, or left on your own to figure out how to manage them.
Therapists Who Offer Affirming Therapy
These therapists list 2SLGBTQ+ work among their areas of focus, and all are Registered Psychotherapists or Registered Psychotherapists (Qualifying).
Want to see everyone? Meet the full team.
Approaches They Draw On
Emotion-Focused Therapy
Gets underneath the surface reaction to the feeling driving it.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Helps you catch absorbed beliefs and test them.
Narrative Therapy
Separates you from the story you were handed about yourself.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Builds capacity to hold hard feelings without being run by them.
Solution-Focused Therapy
Starts from what already works and the next small change.
Somatic and Nervous System Work
Works with what bracing does to your body.
What Affirming Therapy Costs
We offer different price points depending on your needs and your therapist’s qualifications. Every session comes with a receipt for your extended health benefits.
Affordable Care$90Sessions completed with a Masters Level Resident Intern working under supervision. Ideal for clients experiencing hardship.
Sliding Scale$100–$160Sessions completed with a Masters Level Resident Intern or Advanced Therapists offering sliding scale. Ideal for clients with limited health insurance.
Standard & Specialty$170+Sessions completed with therapists with higher levels of experience or with specialized care with different issues. Ideal for clients with health insurance coverage.
Your 15 to 20 minute consultation is free. OHIP does not cover private psychotherapy, and no referral is needed. See our affordable care, sliding scale and standard options. Individual sessions are 50 minutes.
Using Your Benefits
Many extended health benefit plans cover psychotherapy. Check which provider types your plan covers, and keep in mind that a Health Spending Account may cover sessions too. We provide a receipt after every session so you can submit your claim.
Affirming Therapy Anywhere in Ontario
Every session is online. If your town has one clinic and no affirming therapist in it, you are no longer limited to what is nearby.
- TorontoOnline therapy
- OttawaOnline therapy
- MississaugaOnline therapy
- HamiltonOnline therapy
Related Services
Frequently Asked Questions About 2SLGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy
What does 2SLGBTQ+ mean?
2SLGBTQ+ stands for Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and a plus that holds everyone else, including intersex, asexual, aromantic, pansexual and nonbinary people. Two Spirit comes first because it names identities that were here long before the rest of the acronym.
What makes therapy 2SLGBTQ+ affirming?
Affirming therapy starts from the position that your orientation and your gender identity are not problems to be solved. Your therapist already knows the language and the context, so sessions can go straight to what actually hurts.
How can I tell whether a therapist is genuinely affirming?
Look for a therapist who names 2SLGBTQ+ work as an area of focus, uses your name and pronouns without being reminded, and never treats your identity as the cause of your difficulties. You can ask about all of this during your free consultation.
Do you provide hormones or other gender-affirming medical care?
No. Gender-affirming medical care, including hormone therapy, is provided by physicians and clinics rather than by psychotherapists. Our therapists support the emotional side, such as uncertainty, family reactions and the stress of waiting.
Do I have to be out to start therapy?
No. Many people begin therapy long before they have told anyone, and some are still working out which words fit. You decide what you share, and coming out is never a goal your therapist sets for you.
How much does 2SLGBTQ+ affirming therapy cost?
Sessions are $90 through Affordable Care with our Masters Level Resident Interns, who work under supervision, $100 to $160 on our Sliding Scale, and $170+ for Standard & Specialty sessions with our most experienced therapists. Your 15 to 20 minute consultation is free, fees can vary by therapist, and every session comes with a receipt for your extended health benefits provider.
Does OHIP cover psychotherapy?
OHIP does not cover private psychotherapy. Many extended health benefit plans include psychotherapy coverage, and we provide receipts after each session for you to submit.
Do you offer direct billing to my insurance?
Not yet. We don’t currently offer direct billing, but we’re working on it. For now, you pay for each session and we send a receipt you can submit to your extended health plan for reimbursement.
Is there a waitlist?
No. True Self Counselling has no waitlist. Most people can book a free consultation and begin therapy within days.
Do I need a referral to book?
No. You don’t need a doctor’s referral. Some extended health benefit plans ask for one before they reimburse psychotherapy, so it’s worth checking your plan.
How does online therapy work across Ontario?
Every session takes place over secure video, so you can attend from anywhere in Ontario. You book a free 15 to 20 minute consultation, we match you behind the scenes with a therapist who fits what you’re working through, and you meet them for a free meet & greet before starting sessions online.
Ready to Start Affirming Therapy?
Book a free 15 to 20 minute video consultation with a therapist matched to you. No explaining the basics.
or call / text 289‑270‑1220
True Self Counselling is not a crisis service. If you are in crisis, call or text 9‑8‑8 any time, or call 911 in an emergency.