Affirming care for 2SLGBTQIA+ adults, youth, relationships & families. Allies welcome.

Affirming Care For Our Community By Our Community

Welcome

Welcome to Centrepeace. We are a small private group practice for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and our allies, offering trauma-informed, affirming care to youth, adults, caregivers/parents, families and adult relationships virtually across Ontario and in person in London, ON.

Connection, Compassion and Collaboration

The counselling relationship has a significant impact on the therapy process. We work hard to establish a connected, compassionate and collaborative relationship with the people we see. We meet our clients where they are with genuine curiosity about their lived experiences and the changes they seek. By building trust, respect, and safety, we can co-create a plan to meet the goals that you are comfortable with. Seeking help is a vulnerable experience and we aim to hold space for you through understanding and empathy.

2SLGBTQIA+ Affirming Care

Gender/sexuality-affirming care helps people feel safe, healthy and comfortable. Most importantly, it offers a sense of belonging. Through informed consent, we support clients in aligning emotional, relational, and physical aspects of their lives with their gender and/or sexual identity. As this is a unique journey for every person, this can mean safely accessing services, finding community, developing self-acceptance and self-compassion, and processing traumatic experiences.

Unpacking the role and effects of gender and sexuality in one’s life can take a long time. A therapist can help you gain perspective and create a plan for personal growth, while also providing healthy support, especially for people with complex family dynamics.

Most of the therapists at Centrepeace are from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, which is very important to our clients. Additionally, everyone who works with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community has participated in training about affirming care with the population(s) they see.

Trauma-Informed Care

Many people experience trauma and seek therapeutic support to process the widespread impacts. Trauma-informed therapy recognizes the extensive effects trauma has by seeing the client through multiple lenses: emotional, cognitive, behavioural, relational, and sociocultural. We also recognize how different traumatic experiences have unique consequences for people, whether that be a life-threatening event, relational trauma and betrayal, humiliation, or culturally oppressive and institutionalized trauma.

Establishing safety is the foundation of trauma-informed care, which means we respect boundaries, work on emotional regulation and resourcing, and encourage autonomy and empowerment. Although trauma therapy can be emotional and challenging, we work to avoid triggering re-traumatization by following the clients’ pace and tolerance level, being transparent and collaborative, and demonstrating cultural sensitivity and competency. We have created a safe and welcoming environment for this work and provide personalized care to reduce the shame and stigma surrounding trauma.

 

Neurodiversity Affirming Care

Neurodiversity is a term used to describe how each brain functions differently, which impacts how people process information and experience the world. Neurodivergent is another umbrella term that includes folks who have ADHD, Tourette’s Syndrome, Dyslexia, and autistic folks, to name a few.

At Centrepeace, we have tried to make the physical space neurodivergent-friendly by having stim toys in every office, comfortable furniture, and soft lighting. Many of our therapists are neurodivergent, which can be very affirming for clients starting to learn more about their own neurodivergence. Initially, there may be internalized stigma, shame, and grief to process. However, the journey of understanding oneself can also offer a feeling of belonging, a clearer sense of self, and nurturing strategies for coping with stress and overwhelm.

While psychotherapists and social workers do not provide formal assessments or a formal diagnosis, we can provide valuable learning opportunities and work with you to create a plan to address your needs and personal goals. Generally, we focus on self-understanding and self-compassion alongside practical boundaries, strategies, and routines.

Services Offered

Centrepeace provides 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming individual, family, and relationship therapy for children aged 10+, teens, adults, parents, caregivers, and couples/partners. We offer in-person sessions and virtual sessions online. When needed, some of our therapists will provide telephone therapy.

Our therapists have diverse training and broad lived experiences. If you are looking for expertise in a specific area, please contact us to learn more about our team. We assist folks with many issues, such as:

Trauma

Childhood Trauma
Religious Trauma
Relational Trauma
Acute Trauma
Discrimination
Substance Abuse
Sexual Abuse

Emotional

Anxiety
Depression
Regulation
Mood Issues
Overwhelm
Life Transitions
Suicidal Ideation

Interpersonal

Communication Skills
Family Conflict
Boundaries
Work/School Issues
Parenting
Caregiver Burnout
Social Anxiety

Self-Identity

Self Esteem
Self Worth
Gender Transitions
Sexuality
Cultural Identity
Neurodivergence
Coming Out

Relationships

Relationship Strain
Polyamory
Nonmonogamy
Sex + Kink
Intimate Partner Violence
Divorce/Separation
Trust Issues

Therapeutic Approaches

Our team uses a variety of therapeutic approaches depending on the client’s needs and goals. We involve the client in decisions regarding the treatment approach to ensure informed consent, comfort, and confidence.

Family Systems Theory
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Sand Tray Therapy
Art Therapy
Critical Race Theory
Attachment Theory

Feminist Theory
Narrative Therapy
Queer Theories
Somatic Therapy

Brief Solution-Focused Therapy
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Circle of Security International

Frequently Asked Questions

For many people, making the decision to see a therapist comes after some thought and deliberation. Please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re happy to answer any of your questions.

  • What should I expect during my first appointment?
    Our aim is to have you feel comfortable and safe to talk openly about your concerns. So we will work at your pace. The initial appointment involves getting to know each other, reviewing policies and procedures, and beginning a conversation that helps us understand you and your particular situation, current problems, background, and your strengths and resources. We use this information to co-develop a plan for therapy with you.
  • How long are the sessions?
    Sessions are either 50 minutes or 80 minutes long and typically occur once every to 1-3 weeks, depending on your therapeutic needs, your and your therapist's availability, and your financial situation.
  • How long does therapy last?
    This is a reasonable question and difficult to predict. Research shows that the duration of therapy is variable and can be influenced by the specific therapy interventions used, the strength of the relationship with your therapist, as well as factors specific to you. These other factors may include your goals, personal characteristics, the nature, severity, chronicity, and complexity of the problem(s) you are experiencing, external factors such as what else is happening in your life and available social support, the extent to which you actively engage in therapy both inside and outside of sessions, and how comfortable you are with making changes.
  • How do I know if counseling is right for me?
    Counselling is an investment in yourself, and sometimes your relationships with others. It is a personal choice and is often most helpful when a person feels ready to commit to the journey. Feel free to contact us for a free 15-minute consultation to discuss what you're looking for and how we might be of support to you. If you'd like, you can use our online calendar to book a free consultation with our director and therapist, Pamela Bailey, by clicking the red "free 15-min consultation" button at the top right-hand side of this page.
  • Do you offer direct billing?
    Yes. We currently have therapists who can direct bill to Canada Life, Blue Cross/Medavie, Greenshield, CINUP, NIHB, & Beneva/SSQ. This avoids clients having to pay for therapy upfront. We can discuss your specific situation, eligibility for direct billing and our processes during your free 15-minute consultation.
  • What forms of payment do you accept?
    We take payment by etransfer, credit card, and direct billing by some insurance companies. We will talk with you about your situation during an initial consultation.
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At Centrepeace, we are committed to being anti-racist and anti-oppressive in our work. We recognize that we work in a field created by and maintained by colonization and that there is much to do at all levels to effectively decenter the white narrative.
 
We are actively working at an individual and an organizational level by continuing to take part in relevant trainings, events and professional development opportunities, listening to our community, and keeping an open door and mind when talking about these issues with our clients and community.
 
We respectfully acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron people. We acknowledge all the treaties from our area: the Two Row Wampum Belt Treaty of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy/Silver Covenant Chain; the Beaver Hunting Grounds of the Haudenosaunee NANFAN Treaty of 1701; the McKee Treaty of 1790, the London Township Treaty of 1796, the Huron Tract Treaty of 1827, with the Anishinaabeg, and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum of the Anishnaabek and Haudenosaunee.
 
We also recognize that there are three Indigenous Nations that are neighbours to London. They are the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation; Oneida Nation of the Thames; and the Munsee-Delaware Nation.
 
This land acknowledgement is a small step toward reconciliation and a reminder that we must take the necessary steps towards decolonizing our practices. For ideas on how you can take action today, check out this list of 150 Acts of Reconciliation:
 
https://activehistory.ca/blog/2017/08/04/150-acts-of-reconciliation-for-the-last-150-days-of-canadas-150/