If you’re tired of explaining, justifying, or bracing yourself before you can even begin, you deserve a space where none of that is necessary. Here, who you are is the starting point, never the thing in question. You’re welcome exactly as you are.
No pressure, no commitment. Just a calmer first step.
Manulife
Canada Life
Industrial Alliance
Johnston Group
Alberta Blue Cross
ClaimSecure
NIHB
Green Shield
Desjardins
Does this sound familiar?
You might come to therapy for something tied to your identity, or for something every person faces. Both are welcome here. You might recognize yourself in a few of these, or in something that isn’t here at all.
The exhaustion of always bracing yourself
The constant low-level vigilance, reading every room, anticipating reactions, deciding how much of yourself is safe to show. That weight is real, and carrying it day after day is genuinely draining.
Navigating identity, coming out, or self-understanding
You're exploring or affirming who you are, your sexuality, your gender, your sense of self, and you'd like a supportive space to do it in, at your own pace and without any agenda but your own.
The hurt of rejection or not being accepted
Strained or broken relationships with family, friends, or community over who you are. That kind of rejection cuts deep, and you'd like support to process it and to grieve what it's cost you.
Discrimination, stigma, or experiences of harm
The cumulative weight of discrimination, microaggressions, or worse takes a toll on mental health. You're carrying the effects of how the world has treated you, and that deserves care.
Relationship, family, or community dynamics
The particular complexities of your relationships, your chosen family, or your place in community. You'd like support that understands these without you having to explain the basics first.
Everything else a person comes to therapy for
Anxiety, depression, grief, self-worth, life transitions. Sometimes what you need support with has nothing to do with your identity, and you simply want a therapist who gets it, so you can focus on the actual work.
You don't need every one of these to deserve support.
Our approach
Too many 2SLGBTQIA+ people have sat across from a therapist and had to educate them, defend themselves, or quietly wonder whether they were truly safe. That is not therapy. Affirming therapy starts from a different place entirely. Who you are is never in question, never something to be fixed or explained. It’s simply the ground we begin on.
What deserves attention is everything you’ve had to carry because of how the world can treat people who are 2SLGBTQIA+. The vigilance, the rejection, the discrimination, the weight of minority stress that builds quietly over time. We make space for all of it, and for everything else you might bring, whether or not it’s connected to your identity. Here, you can put down the bracing, stop translating, and use your energy for the work that actually matters to you. You get to just be yourself and be supported.
Sessions your way
In person in Calgary, or securely online across Alberta and British Columbia.
Our process
We believe every person holds three aspects of self. Lasting healing means caring for all three.
01
Past self
Honoured
We honour what you’ve navigated and carried, and the resilience it took, without judgment.
02
Present self
Met
We meet you exactly as you are, with who you are as the starting point, never the question.
03
Future self
Freed
We help you set down the bracing and move forward with more freedom and more support.
How it works
STEP 01
Book a free 15-
minute discovery call
Book with the therapist of your choice. Not sure who’s the right fit? Book with our clinical director, Shianne, and she’ll match you with an affirming therapist, in person in Calgary or online across Alberta and BC.
STEP 02
Meet for your consultation
Your consultation happens online, so you can talk from wherever feels most comfortable for you.
STEP 03
Your first appointment
Your therapist works with you to create your personalized self-discovery plan. Continue in person in Calgary or virtually via telehealth.
Life during therapy
For many people, the first relief is simply walking into a space where they don’t have to brace, translate, or educate. When who you are isn’t in question, you can put that energy somewhere else entirely, into the actual reason you came.
In the early sessions, your therapist takes time to understand you and what you’re navigating, without making assumptions or asking you to carry the work of teaching them. Whether you’re here for something tied to your identity or something every person faces, there’s room for it, and you’re met where you are.
The bigger changes build over time. The weight of always being on guard begins to ease. You process the hurts and the pressures you’ve been carrying. And you find more freedom to live as fully yourself, supported by someone who genuinely has your back.
Life after therapy
The weight of vigilance eases
The constant bracing and self-monitoring you’d come to think of as normal start to lift. You carry less of that exhausting low-level guard, and more of your energy returns to you.
You process what you've carried
The rejection, the discrimination, the accumulated weight of minority stress finds a place to be felt, understood, and worked through, rather than quietly absorbed and carried alone.
You live more fully as yourself
With support from someone who genuinely gets it, you move through your life with more freedom and more confidence in who you are, whatever you came to work on.
You deserve a space where being yourself is the easy part. This is that space.
The team
Psychologists, counsellors, and social workers who offer genuinely affirming care, where who you are is the starting point and never the thing in question. Not sure who’s the right fit? Your free call will match you.
Alysha Dosanjh
Founder
Helena Morris
Jennifer Seniuk
Khanjan Pandya
Lyndsay Mckerracher
Brittni Marshall
Shaambhavi Sharma
Our space
You’re already doing the hard part by showing up. Our Calgary office is designed to do the rest, with quiet rooms, soft light, and a sense of privacy that lets you settle in before the session even begins.
Dorchester Square · 1333 8 Street SW, Calgary
Our services & fees
Direct billing is available to 9+ insurers, so most clients pay little to no out-of-pocket costs.
Individual Therapy
30 minutes
$125
50 minutes
$225
90 minutes
$300
Relationship Therapy
50 minutes
$225
90 minutes
$300
Family Therapy
50 minutes
$225
90 minutes
$300
Every journey starts with a free 15-minute discovery call.
A free 15-minute call is the easiest first step. We’ll listen first, then help you find the right support for what you’re going through.
Good to know
It means your identity, your sexuality, your gender, who you are, is fully respected and is never treated as a problem to be examined or changed. Affirming therapists understand 2SLGBTQIA+ experiences and the particular pressures that come with them, so you don't have to educate or defend yourself. You get to focus on the actual work.
Not at all. Many people seek affirming therapy for things every person faces: anxiety, depression, grief, stress, relationships, and simply want a therapist who gets it so they don't have to explain the basics. Whether your reason is tied to your identity or not, you're equally welcome.
No. The whole point of affirming care is that you don't have to do that work. Your therapist comes with an understanding of 2SLGBTQIA+ experiences, so you can spend your energy on what you actually came for, rather than on teaching or defending.
That's a fair and important question, and you're welcome to ask it directly. Your free discovery call is a good place to get a feel for whether a therapist is the right fit and feels safe to you. You're never obligated to continue with someone who doesn't, and we'll keep helping you find the right match.
Yes. We offer online sessions across Alberta and British Columbia, which many people value for both convenience and privacy. In-person sessions are also available at our Calgary office.
Our sessions are covered by most extended health plans, and we offer direct billing to a number of insurers. Coverage depends on your specific plan, so it's worth checking what your provider includes for your therapist's designation.
It's a free, no-pressure conversation where we learn a little about what you're going through and help you find the right therapist for it. There's no commitment and nothing to prepare. Just a chance to ask questions and see if it feels like a fit.
In a crisis, please call 911, or call or text 9-8-8 (Suicide Crisis Helpline), available 24/7. Inspire Wellness Therapy does not provide emergency services.
Begin when you're ready
Book a free 15-minute discovery call, and we’ll help you find an affirming therapist where being yourself is the easy part.
In person at our Calgary office · Online across Alberta and British Columbia · Direct billing is available to 9+ insurers
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Inspire Wellness Therapy respectfully acknowledges that what we call Alberta is the traditional and ancestral territory of many peoples, presently subject to Treaties 6, 7, and 8. We acknowledge the many First Nations, Métis and Inuit who have lived in and cared for these lands for generations.
We are all-inclusive, striving to create safe, affirming, and anti-oppressive spaces to welcome and provide equal care for all members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
