Wellness North

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

—Yes

Our practitioners welcome all genders and offer non-judgemental, safe space to folxs who connect with us.

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

—Yes

Absolutely. In order to be inclusive, we've created this space where preferred names are used.

Do you and your colleagues have experience providing services that support clients with navigating gender dysphoria*?

*TransCareBC describes gender dysphoria as a term "intended to describe the distress some trans people experience with relation to their gender identity, particularly if they would like to transition but have not yet done so".

—Yes

We've supported many trans clients and are accepting of everyone's personal choices. We believe in autonomy and giving people 'Voice, Choice, Power' in their work with us.

Please tell us how equipped you feel to support a client in determining if/when their mental health symptoms are related to their gender-related experiences or other factors? Please describe your response choice below.

—Very confident

We seek to understand our clients experiences and what is important for them. Many of our clinicians have decades of work experience in working in/with the system and we use person-centered approach so clients can feel empowered and work collaboratively with them to create a therapy model that suits them.

Do you/your colleagues understand the difference between gender dysphoria and mental health conditions/symptoms that are unrelated to gender dysphoria or distress?

—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.

—Yes

Many of our clinicians have their own lived experiences that they bring to the table as well as we host in-house trainings, continue with consults and supportive conversations around challenging cases. While working with us, clients get to benefit from expertise of various practitioners but in a way that makes sense for them. Within our practice, we share useful resources with the clients and amongst team members.

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

—Yes

To be inclusive, we offer sliding scale and low cost counselling services.

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

—Yes

Additional trainings have been received by our team from various social agencies, schools and in-house to acknowledge the experience of people we support. We are aware of our implicit biases, talk about them, embrace who we are as settlers and work on creating non-judgemental space for healing.

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

—Yes

We do so in a very respectful way and never push client to share something they are not comfortable disclosing. We follow ethical guidelines of BCACC, College of social workers, ACCT and CCPA.

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

—Yes

FNHA approved team and have cultural training.

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

—Yes

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

—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

Our policy manuals are shared with practitioners which outline our practice stance.

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

Additional trainings, Land acknowledgements, Internal discussion and conversation, Learnings within the organizations.

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

—Yes