Queer Health Initiative
What is the Queer Health Initiative?
The Fernie Pride Queer Health Initiative focuses on whole health supports and resources that broaden the view of health and extends outside of the doctor’s office. Whole health encompasses physical, social, and behavioural aspects of health — it aims to improve outcomes for people AND communities and to advance health equity.
There is substantial evidence that 2SLGBTQ+ people experience worse total health outcomes relative to non-2SLGBTQ+ people, likely related to sexual and gender minority stress. Minority stress theory predicts that 2SLGBTQ+ people will experience worse mental and physical health outcomes due to chronic stress caused by anti-2SLGBTQ+ victimization and stigma in society as well as internalization of these biases.
Whole health systems are cross-sectoral, spanning physical health care, mental health, health behavior promotion, public health, community care, social services, sexual health, the built environment, education, religion, and the financial and economic sectors. This means whole health systems cannot just be located in hospitals and offices but need to span community settings that include where people live, work, and play. Whole health systems work to identify how people, families, and communities define what health and well-being means for them and what they need to achieve it.
Whole Health centers around what matters to you, not what is the matter with you.
There are seven components to Whole Health:
- COMMUNITY: Working with the community in general (home, workplaces, facilities, etc) to support initiatives that improve health and wellness for all.
- SELF-CARE: Empowering people to identify their own needs.
- SPIRITUAL HEALTH: Being mindful of each person’s spiritual needs.
- PHYSICAL HEALTH: Embracing nutrition, fitness, activity, and sleep
- FINANCIAL HEALTH: Helping people navigate the complex financial landscape
- MENTAL HEALTH: Connecting people with the programs and resources they need to maintain a state of well-being.
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH: Providing information and screenings designed to create healthier surroundings at work and at home.
The Fernie Pride Queer Health Initiative wants to be a part of your journey to empowerment and help provide the equipment for you to take charge of your health and well-being.
If you have any suggestions, opportunities, or would like to be involved in the Queer Health Initiative, please reach out to info@ferniepride.ca.
COMMUNITY
SELF-CARE
SPIRITUAL HEALTH
PHYSICAL HEALTH
FINANCIAL HEALTH
MENTAL HEALTH
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Table of Contents
Mental Health Subsidized Care
2SLGBTQ+ people in the Elk Valley and South Country are now able to access a $100 subsidization per therapy/counseling session for up to 10 sessions per person, per year.
Funding is limited and renewed on an annual basis for mental health supports, so unfortunately, there is no guarantee on how many people we are able to support. Fernie Pride is working hard to ensure additional funds are earned and directed towards mental health subsidization efforts.
If additional funds become available, we will be able to increase subsidization amounts and the number of sessions per person.
All of the Fernie Pride Queer Health Initiative are 2SLGBTQ+ affirming.
Fernie Pride subsidization will be paid directly to your selected counsellor through direct billing. The Client is responsible for the outstanding payment portion as agreed upon with the counsellor.
If you would like to access the Queer Health Initiative Mental Health Subsidized Care please complete the Support Request Form.
If you are unable, for any reason, to complete the Support Request Form or have any questions contact Courtney (she/her) at info@ferniepride.ca. We are happy to provide assistance with completing the Support Request Form or any other intake forms.
If you are currently seeing a therapist and would like to remain with them, we potentially are able to facilitate this. Please complete the Support Request Form and indicate this in the questions provided.
Once the Support Request Form is completed, Fernie Pride will forward your info to your selected therapist option(s). They will contact you when they are able and response time may be varied. If you are in crisis, or require assistance sooner than we are able to provide, please visit ferniepride.ca/resources or call 9-1-1 or 9-8-8.
Queer Health Initiative Participating Therapists
Kate McDermott (she/her), RP, CCC (BC and Ontario)
- Location: Virtual Practice
- Clientele: Individuals (12+), couples, groups and families. Modalities: EFFT, Gottman, CBT, Narrative, Family Systems, Solution Focused.
- Specialities: 2SLGBTQIA affirming care, gender and identity exploration, anxiety, life stressor and transitions, depression, relationships, communication, connection, CNM, conflict, separation/divorce, and family dynamics.
- Price: $150-$170 with sliding scale options.
- Website
David Combden (he/him), Reg. Psych (Alberta)
- Location: Crowsnest Pass, AB
- Clientele: Individuals (8+)
- Modalities: Client-Centered Therapy, CBT, EMDR, Feminist
- Specialities: Trauma, anxiety, depression, relationships
- Price: $75-$220 with sliding scale options
- Website
Paula Turcasso (she/her), Reg. Psych (Alberta), RCC (BC)
- Location: 361A 1st Ave, Fernie, BC
- Clientele: Individuals (16+)
- Modalities: DBT, CBT, Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), Client-Centered
- Specialities: Trauma, Perinatal Mental Health, Reproductive Health, Relationships, Gender and Identity Exploration, Depression, Anxiety, Self-Worth, Life Stressors or Transitions, Chronic Pain or Illness
- Price: $170 +GST (sliding scale options)
- Website
Mirey Faema (she/her), RCC, CCC
- Location: Fernie, BC
- Clientele: Individuals (12+), couples
- Modalities: EMDR, Narrative Therapy, Client-Centred Therapy, Solution-focused, CBT, DBT, Art-based therapy
- Specialities: Trauma, identity, self-esteem, grief, anxiety, relationships
- Price: $150-$180
- Website
Our Landing Place – Collective of 2SLGBTQ+ identified counsellors
- Location: Virtual Practice
- Clientele: Individuals (13+), families, relationships
- Modalities: Please visit individual counsellor pages for more info
- Specialities: Please visit individual counsellor pages for more info
- Price: Please visit individual counsellor pages for pricing. Intern pricing is $40/session
- Website
Our Landing Place counsellors who are taking clients (does not include the intern program – their books are always open.)
Curtis Pittman (he/him)
- Location: Virtual Practice
- Clientele: Individuals (15+), couples
- Modalities: Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Developmental Model for Couples Therapy
- Specialities: 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming care, anxiety, depression, life transitions, relationship counselling (monogamous and consensually non-monogamous), neurodivergence, anger.
- Price: $145 (with limited sliding scale spots starting at $100)
- Website
Jess Sherman (she/they)
- Location: Virtual Practice
- Clientele: Individuals (16+), couples
- Modalities: Attachment-based, Psychodynamic, Narrative Therapy, Developmental Model for Couples Therapy, Mindfulness-based, Cognitive-based
- Specialities: 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming care, relationships, consensual non-monogamy, kink, parenting and pregnancy, ADHD, trauma
- Price: $150 (with limited sliding scale spots)
- Website
Sawah Danniels (they/them)
- Location: Virtual Practice
- Clientele: Individuals (18+), couples
- Modalities: Feminist theory, Parts work, Developmental Model for Couples Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Therapy
- Specialities: 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming care, ADHD, Autism, relationship therapy (monogamous and consensually non-monogamous), kink, chronic illness and chronic pain
- Price: $185 (with limited sliding scale spots)
- Website
Annie DeRuyte (she/they)
- Location: Virtual Practice
- Clientele: Individuals (16+)
- Modalities: EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), artistic and non-western modalities
- Specialities: 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming care, Dissociative Identity (also known as DID), living with multiplicity (Functional Multiplicity), Trauma or adverse experiences, chronic illness and chronic pain, neurodivergence, CNM
- Price: $180 (with limited sliding scale spots)
- Website
Jade Giff (she/they)
- Location: Virtual Practice
- Clientele: Individuals (16+)
- Modalities: harm-reduction, trauma-informed care, strengths-based, feminist theory
- Specialities: 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming care, Ethical Non-Monogamy and non-traditional relationship dynamics, intersections between race, gender, and sexuality, ADHD, Autism, communication and interpersonal skills, intimacy (sexual and non-sexual)
- Price: $180 (with limited sliding scale spots)
- Website
Mackenzie Kuzyk (they/them)
- Location: Virtual Practice
- Clientele: Individuals (14+)
- Modalities: Indigenous Counselling, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Narrative Therapy, Somatic and Body-Based Therapy, Developmental Model for Couples Therapy
- Specialities: 2SLGBTQIA+ affirming care, Indigenous and Indigiqueer experiences, Trauma (intergenerational, racism, impacts of cisheteronormativity), cultural identity exploration
Price: $180 (with limited sliding scale spots) - Website
Inclusive Washrooms
Inclusive washrooms are, most often, a self-contained single-user washroom like in a home, open to anyone.
Access to inclusive washrooms are very important for the physical and mental health of individuals who identify as male, female, transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, or any other gender identity. These are washrooms people can use without fear or discrimination, violence or discomfort.
With the help of the community we are creating a guide to all of the inclusive washrooms in Fernie, found here online and once completed, physical copies will also be available.
Visit ferniepride.ca/washrooms for full information and the Inclusive Washroom Guide.
Community Care Funds
Everybody at some point in their life could find themselves needing assistance to meet basic needs such as housing, nutrition, transportation, medication, and others. A person is unable to return to, or remain, in a healthy state without a proper diet, housing, etc. The stress associated with being unable to meet these needs compounds existing intersectional health disparities.
Fernie Pride Community Care Funds offer up to $200 per month to be used for things such as the above. You know your needs best. We will not direct you how to use Community Care Funds but we do request a general idea for reporting and transparency purposes.
People are able to apply for these funds once per month and they must have a personal bank account at a Canadian institution where they can deposit a cheque or accept e-transfers. We are unable to distribute cash at this time.
Our goal is that the Community Care Funds ensure that the people in need of relief are able to access support quickly and effectively.
If you require assistance with completing the funding Request Form, we are happy to assist with this. Please email info@ferniepride.ca or message us on Facebook or Instagram if required.
Pay What You Can Health & Wellness
The Fernie Pride Queer Health Initiative is focused on a person’s whole health. This includes elements of what often gets labeled as self-care. Self-care is the practice of taking care of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of your life to promote health and wellness. Practicing self-care regularly can bring about both short and long-term benefits that lead to improved well-being and improved health status. The act of caring for oneself is an important part of overall well-being with the main goal of self-care to prevent or control disease and preserve health through consistently taking care of various aspects of your person, of which there are many.
For the month of June 2024, extending if possible and as needed, we are excited to partner with @thundermeadowshealth for Pay-What-You-Can treatments including massage, craniosacral therapy, fascial work, physiotherapy, pelvic health physiotherapy, acupuncture, relational health counselling, and dietician services.
Thunder Meadows Health & Wellness practitioners have all completed gender affirming therapy training in their respective discipline and offer a safe space where they can work with you to become mentally and physically stronger. Thunder Meadows seeks to help you achieve optimal health and function while working together to lift up the community.
To learn more about Thunder Meadows Health & Wellness or to book an appointment, visit www.thundermeadowshealth.ca or call 250-423-2673. The clinic is currently not accessible as there are stairs to be navigated.
Remember, you are able to access all available services on a Pay-What-You-Can scale but in the ‘Note’ section of the online booking form, please indicate, “FERNIE PRIDE QUEER HEALTH INITIATIVE” for invoicing purposes.
Fortunately, there is a shift towards understanding the human body as a whole to be treated holistically. So take care of the whole of yourself and give yourself the time and care that the fine folks at Thunder Meadows Health & Wellness are able to provide.