Michael provides counseling and psychotherapy to adults, 18 years and older. He can support you in learning practical skills in managing mood and dealing with experiences of oppression. Michael is also here to help you build tools in working through grief and loss, non traditional relationships (i.e. open, polyamorous), gender journey, and complex health/mental health challenges including addictions. He is also a goal oriented therapist and works to ensure that each therapy session is productive.

Michael supports the idea of positive engagement through compassion, collaboration, connectedness, and humor between therapist and client. He believes that this leads to better mental health outcomes. His goal in therapy is to create a safe and comfortable space so you can talk about difficult things with care, kindness and no judgment.

Michael grounds his practice in anti-oppression, anti-racism and harm reduction frameworks. As a racialized queer and bilingual speaker (English and Tagalog), Michael uses a culturally sensitive and responsive approach to support you in therapy.

Michael provides counseling and psychotherapy to adults, 18 years and older. He can support you i... Read More

Joelleann (Joelle) Forbes, MSW, RSW is a registered social worker, a psychotherapist, and one of the co-founders of Hope Leads Mental Health Care. Joelle provides counseling and psychotherapy to adults across the gender spectrum, 18 years and older. Her therapeutic approach highlights the importance of empowerment, healing generational wounds, and nurturing the authentic self. She has experience supporting clients with navigating grief and loss, depression, anxiety, trauma, burnout, self-esteem, life transitions, and various forms of oppression. Throughout her years of practice, she has worked with adults from across the gender spectrum, and with many different cultural backgrounds and life experiences.

Joelle practices collaboration and compassion throughout the entire therapeutic experience. She has received professional training in culturally-adapted cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), narrative therapy, motivational interviewing, and trauma processing strategies.

Joelle aims to create a non-judgemental space to unpack past and present experiences that are contributing to mental health concerns, in hopes of finding a better way forward. If you are interested in starting your therapy journey with Joelle, please schedule a free, 15-minute meet and greet!

Joelleann (Joelle) Forbes, MSW, RSW is a registered social worker, a psychotherapist, and one of ... Read More