The Centre for Gay Counselling

04/24/2024

Let us know in the comments what else you'd add to the list! 🏳️‍🌈💜

Exploring the Vancouver gay scene: 28 activities to try today

02/02/2022

HIV is one of the most stigmatized health conditions there is.

In fact, I’ve seen HIV stigma impact people’s mental health regardless of their HIV status.

In this article, I cover some of the most common mental health challenges related to HIV that I’ve worked through with clients in counselling.

You can read the article here: https://www.centreforgaycounselling.com/2022/01/28/what-gay-guys-need-to-know-about-hiv-and-mental-health/

~ Victor

What things can actually help your mental health?

08/25/2021

Does anyone else view September as a sort of second "new year?" 🙋‍♂️

A lot of gay men will be thinking about starting counselling in September as they strive to make their lives and relationships easier, more productive, and just overall better. 🌱☀️

But knowing where to start is where you might be stuck. You might be wondering:

❓If I’m gay, does my counsellor need to be gay?

❓How do I know if a counsellor is even “good?”

❓And how do I know if a counsellor isn’t right for me?

I know that choosing a counsellor can be difficult. So I wrote an article about how to find a gay counsellor (and if your counsellor even needs to be gay) that you can read here: https://www.centreforgaycounselling.com/2020/12/20/how-to-find-a-gay-counsellor/

Knowing how to select the right counsellor is such an important topic because your fit with a counsellor is one of the biggest factors in determining a beneficial counselling outcome.

Have a read and let me know if you have any questions. 🙂

PS here’s a link to the article again: https://www.centreforgaycounselling.com/2020/12/20/how-to-find-a-gay-counsellor/

~ Jordan

Does your counsellor even need to be gay? And how do you actually find the right fit?

06/28/2021

Iced coffee has often been humorously stamped as a part of gay culture. 🏳️‍🌈

And although there are no actual statistics on the proportion of gay men who enjoy iced coffee, I can confirm that this post was written while sipping one.

Jokes aside, one of the counselling intake questions I ask people is if they consume caffeine regularly. I ask this question right alongside questions about other substances.

And there’s good reason for this. 💁‍♂️

While caffeine’s prevalence in many people’s everyday lives can make it seem like a neutral fixture, it's important to remember that it’s actually a powerful psychoactive substance.

So what are the ways caffeine might be affecting your mental health? 🤔

Read this article I wrote to learn what research suggests are the potential benefits and drawbacks of that iced coffee you might be sipping: https://www.centreforgaycounselling.com/2021/06/28/iced-coffee-gay-mental-health/

~ Jordan

Keep sipping while you read what research has to say on caffeine and mental health.

06/01/2021

The historical and current treatment of the Indigenous people of land now called Canada is a human rights astrocity.

For too long, our leaders have said performative words of allyship and failed to take meaningful action.

We at The Centre for Gay Counselling are done with this. We know our role as settlers and our responsibility to reconciliation. We’re hoping you’ll join us in learning more and doing better.

Indigenous crisis supports: https://www.lifevoice.ca/crisis-supports/indigenous-crisis-supports

Additional information for settlers: www.ONCANADAPROJECT.ca/SettlersTakeAction

05/28/2021

These words were first published in 1997…

Brian McNaught in their book “Now That I’m Out What Do I Do?”