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Alex Leslie - Understory Counselling

  •   604-757-0342
  •   Website
  •   Email

Summary

  • Individual counselling Individual counselling
  • Crisis counselling Crisis counselling
  • FNHA  FNHA
  • LGBQ+ Affirming  LGBQ+ Affirming
  • Trans Affirming Trans Affirming
  • Online resource Online resource
  • Remote services  Remote services

I offer individual counselling focussed on people experiencing anxiety, LGBTQ2S+ people, and neurodivergent people including autistic people and people with ADHD. I am experienced in working with OCD, burnout and and depression. My approach is neurodiversity-affirming -- this means that I approach neurodiversity as a natural part of human diversity and not as something that needs to be fixed.

In my counselling, some things I focus on are how to better understand your emotional responses in terms of your sensory needs (for example, are you anxious when you're overloaded?), how to shift your reactions to people by looking at roles you tend to fall into, and how to work with negative, frightening or repetitive thoughts. My counselling incorporates approaches from narrative therapy, DBT, and mindfulness. I believe that a person can heal when they are seen in all of their sensitivity and complexity.

Want to learn more about this service’s work with Two-Spirit, trans, LGBQ+ people?

We invite all service providers listed on MindMapBC  to answer the following questions. These questions were developed in collaboration with community members, researchers, and mental health and other service providers. They're intended to help us understand what a service provider or organization is doing to affirm and support sexual and gender diverse service users.

See below for responses for this listing.

Want to learn more about our screening questions and filters?


Do you collect and use preferred names (rather than legal names) for all communications?

—Yes

Are the forms used in your practice inclusive of various sexual orientations and gender identities (e.g., opportunities to fill in pronouns, etc.)?

—Yes

Are you and your colleagues aware of what specific barriers may exist for trans individuals accessing your services?

—Yes

Are you and your colleagues aware of what specific barriers may exist for Two-Spirit individuals accessing your services?

—Yes

Do you offer Indigenous 2S/LGBTQ+ specific resources, for example Indigenous Elders or Knowledge Keepers?

—Yes, to some extent

I am familiar with resources and access points and am happy to bridge you there.

Are you and your colleagues comfortable asking relevant questions about gender identity and sexual orientation?

—Yes

Are you and your colleagues aware of what specific barriers may exist for LGBQ individuals accessing your services?

—Yes

Do you and your colleagues ask clients about pronouns and use them appropriately?

—Yes

Do you and your colleagues have experience working with people who identify as living with a disability or chronic illness? Please tell us more about your experience and any training you have received. (For example, do you have experience working with people with diverse physical or cognitive abilities, or those who are living with specific chronic illness(es)?)

—Yes

My practice focuses on working with people who have ADHD or/and are autistic.

I worked in the public health system for a long time, including working as a clinical social worker on inpatient medical and surgery units, primarily with people marginalized due to poverty and systemic discrimination.

Can you and your colleagues distinguish gender/identity dysphoria/distress from mental health conditions?

—Yes

Does your practice have gender-neutral washrooms?

—Yes

Are there clear anti-discrimination policies that include gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation in your organization or practice?

—Yes

Are all individuals involved in service provision actively engaged in decolonizing their practices and/or organization? If yes, please type below what actions you and/or your organization are taking.

—Yes

I am transparent about my heritage as a white Jewish settler with clients when asked. I am registered with the FNHA service providers program as I believe strongly in the importance of access to mental health service for Indigenous people who often feel unsafe or unwelcome in public mental health services. I completed Sanyas Indigenous safety training.

Are all individuals involved in service provision actively engaged in anti-racist practices, policies, and systems in their care model?

—Yes

Address

Second Floor - 1892 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
V6J 1Y9

Languages

Services available in these languages

  • English

Last updated: January 25, 2022
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