Collaborative counselling for LGBTQ+ and questioning young people, and the families who support them, in person or online. Psychologists registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), Canadian Certified Counsellors certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists. In person in Edmonton and St. Albert, or virtual across Alberta.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether LGBTQ+ Youth Counselling Is Right for You

You may not be sure whether what you are dealing with is "big enough" to bring to a counsellor. You might also be wondering whether a counsellor would really understand, or whether they would question who you are. If you are a parent or caregiver, you may be unsure whether suggesting counselling would help your child or make them feel that something is wrong with them.

Those doubts make sense. Some young people who look for this kind of support notice things like:

• rehearsing conversations with family or friends that have not happened yet
• changing how they talk or act depending on who is around, at school, online, or at home
• feeling fine one day and worn out the next from keeping so much to themselves

These are understandable responses to not knowing how others will react, or to times when people have not reacted well. They do not mean something is wrong with you. They do not mean your identity is a problem. They can simply reflect how much you have been holding on your own.

If you are trying to decide whether talking with someone could help, or you are gathering information for a young person in your life, you may wish to read on and see what this kind of support looks like.

Who We Help

This service may be a good fit for:

• Youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Two-Spirit, queer, or questioning, or who use other words, or no words, for who they are
• Young people who want to talk about identity, relationships, school, family communication, belonging, stress, or a change in life
• Youth who are not sure yet what they want to talk about
• Families who want help with conversations that have become hard to start
• Parents and caregivers who want to talk about how to support a young person in their life

This service may not be the right fit for:

• Anyone in immediate danger or crisis. Please use the crisis resources below.
• Legal or forensic needs, such as court reports or custody evaluations. These are outside this counselling service. Psychological assessments are a separate service.
• Programs for people who have used violence or abuse in their relationships. These are not part of this service.
• Any goal of changing a young person's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. This counselling does not work toward that goal.

If You Need Help Right Now

Counselling appointments are booked ahead of time and are not set up to respond to emergencies. If you, or a young person you know, are not safe right now, please contact one of these services:

• Call 911, or go to the nearest emergency department, if there is immediate danger.
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7)
• Call or text 9-8-8 for suicide crisis support, anywhere in Canada.
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818 (24/7, toll-free), if home or a relationship does not feel safe.

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What This Service Is

LGBTQ+ youth counselling is talk-based support with a trained clinician. It offers time and space for a young person to talk about what matters to them, whether that is identity, friendships, dating, school, family, or the stress of a change in life. Sessions follow the young person's own questions and goals. Being LGBTQ+, gender diverse, or questioning is not treated as a problem to be fixed.

It also helps to be clear about what this service is not:

• It is not a legal service or an investigative process.
• It is not crisis intervention. Crisis options are listed above.
• It does not include psychological assessment or diagnosis. Psychological assessments are a separate service at Wholesome Psychology.
• It does not include medical care, medication, or medical decisions.

The young person sets the pace. They decide what to talk about and when, and they do not need to use a particular label to take part. What is said in sessions is kept confidential, with some legal limits that are explained at the start and described in the confidentiality and privacy section below.

Each clinician works within the scope of their own training and professional registration. If a young person's needs fall outside that scope, the clinician can talk about other options, such as a different clinician or service.

Signs That Stress Around Identity, Family, or Belonging May Be Affecting You

You do not need a diagnosis, or a crisis, to look for support. Some young people, and the adults around them, notice patterns like these:

• Feeling on guard at school, online, or at home, depending on who is around
• Going over "what if" conversations with parents, friends, or classmates again and again
• Pulling back from friends, teams, or activities you used to enjoy
• Worry, sadness, or low mood that hangs around longer than you expected
• Feeling as if you have to keep parts of yourself separate in different places
• Feeling tense or tired from holding things in
• Questions about identity that feel exciting one day and overwhelming the next
• Distance or tension at home that no one quite knows how to talk about
• As a parent or caregiver, wanting to support your child while worrying about saying the wrong thing

These experiences are common reactions to stress, uncertainty, or difficult interactions with other people. They do not mean something is permanently wrong, and they say nothing bad about who you are. Talking them through with someone, in a structured way, may make them easier to understand and manage.

How Treatment Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can use the Match with a Therapist tool or browse clinician profiles on our Our Therapists page. If you would rather talk it through, the admin team can help at 780-904-4880.
• Book your first session. In the first session, the clinician explains confidentiality and its limits, reviews consent, and asks what you hope to get from counselling. For younger clients, this conversation also covers who will be involved and how information is shared with parents or guardians. You can ask questions before sharing anything personal.
• Build your plan together. You and your clinician agree on goals that matter to you. The plan belongs to both of you, and it can change.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes, usually weekly or every two weeks. The schedule can be adjusted as needs change.
• Progress check-ins. Your clinician checks in with you regularly about how things are going. If something is not working, the plan adapts.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Counselling is a shared effort, and the young person's voice matters at every stage. For more about the process, see Getting Started with Therapy.

Evidence and Approaches

The research gathered for this page is limited. It supports a respectful, non-pathologizing way of working and gives some Canadian context. It does not include reviews that measure how well specific therapies work for LGBTQ+ youth, so this page describes the approach rather than claiming results for any one therapy.

Identity-Affirming, Non-Pathologizing Counselling

What it helps with: It gives a young person room to talk about sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or questioning without that identity being treated as the problem.

Evidence summary: In the World Health Organization's ICD-11 classification, the category related to gender identity is listed under conditions related to sexual health, not under mental, behavioural or neurodevelopmental disorders (World Health Organization [WHO], n.d.). Counselling on this page follows that framing and does not treat identity or questioning as something to fix.

Limitations: A classification system describes how health conditions are grouped. It does not show how well any counselling approach works.

Attention to Social Context and Support

What it helps with: It looks at the young person's surroundings, such as family, friends, school, and community, along with what is happening inside.

Evidence summary: A Canadian study describes differences in mental health difficulties between 2SLGBTQ+ youth and their cisgender heterosexual peers, and identifies minority stress, social support, and negative social interactions as relevant to understanding these differences (Statistics Canada, 2024). Canadian public health work has also framed LGBTQ2+ health equity in terms of the social determinants of health (Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC], n.d.).

Limitations: The available summaries do not include numbers, methods, or evidence that counselling changes these outcomes. Not every young person shares these experiences.

Collaborative, Youth-Led Counselling

What it helps with: It lets the young person set the topics and the pace, whether that means identity, relationships, school, family conversations, or day-to-day stress.

Evidence summary: Wholesome Psychology describes its care as collaborative, client-centred, and inclusive, with goals agreed in the first session and plans adjusted over time. This reflects the clinic's stated way of working. It is not presented here as a research finding.

Limitations: Clinicians differ in training and style. How much any approach helps varies from person to person.

For related support, you can also read about LGBTQ2S+ therapy, gender identity counselling, and coming out support.

What Results to Expect

Change in counselling is rarely a straight line. A young person may have weeks where things feel clearer, then weeks that feel harder, especially around big conversations or transitions. That can happen, and it does not necessarily mean counselling has stopped helping.

Some people notice a shift within a few months. Others find longer-term support more useful, particularly while school, family, or friendships are changing. Outcomes vary, and no form of therapy can guarantee a particular result.

A few things can shape how counselling goes:

• what is happening at home, at school, and in the young person's friendships
• how much support the young person has outside of sessions
• the fit between the young person and their clinician

Counselling cannot promise how other people will respond, including family members. What it can offer is a place to think things through. If the fit with a clinician does not feel right, changing therapist or approach is always an option.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What a young person shares in counselling is kept confidential. Psychologists at Wholesome Psychology are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and follow the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. Personal and health information is protected under Alberta law, including the Health Information Act (HIA) and the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), depending on the clinician and the type of information.

Confidentiality does have legal limits. A clinician may need to share information without consent when:

• there is a risk of serious harm to the young person or to someone else
• there is a suspicion that a child is being abused or neglected, which must be reported under Alberta law
• a court orders the release of records

For young people, privacy can also depend on age, understanding, guardianship arrangements, and safety. These factors affect what parents or guardians may be told. The clinician will explain these limits clearly in the first session, including how topics like identity are handled, so the young person can decide what to share.

You are welcome to ask questions about privacy before sharing anything personal. You can also ask them when you call the admin team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to describe what has happened, or explain my identity, in detail?

No. You decide what to talk about and how much to share. Some young people start with something happening right now, like a hard week at school or a tense conversation at home, and never go into the full background. Your clinician will follow your lead and check in with you about pace.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, with some legal limits. Information may be shared without consent if there is a risk of serious harm, a suspicion that a child is being abused or neglected, or a court order. For young people, what parents or guardians may be told can also depend on age and circumstances. Your clinician explains this in the first session, and the confidentiality and privacy section above has more detail.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no set number. Some young people come for a short stretch to work through one question or situation. Others prefer longer-term support while things at home or school are changing. Your clinician will review progress with you regularly, and you can decide together what makes sense.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and it is okay to say a clinician is not right for you. The admin team can help you find someone else, and you can also use the Match with a Therapist tool to look at other options. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can I access counselling online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available anywhere in Alberta, and the same confidentiality standards apply online as in person. It may help to choose a spot where you will not be overheard. You can learn more about online counselling.

Do I need to identify as LGBTQ+, or use a label, to book?

No. A young person may be questioning, exploring, using a label, or not using one at all. Some come in to talk about relationships, school, or family rather than identity. What matters is what feels important to them.

Can a parent or caregiver be involved, and will they be told what I say?

Caregiver involvement can be discussed when it seems helpful and appropriate, and it might include some shared conversations. How much is shared with parents or guardians depends on the young person's age, understanding, consent, and safety. The clinician will explain this at the start, before anything personal is discussed. Parents who want guidance of their own can also read about parenting support.

What if home or school does not feel safe right now?

If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. The Family Violence Info Line (Alberta) is available at 310-1818, and the Alberta Mental Health Help Line is available at 1-877-303-2642, both 24/7. Counselling can be one part of a wider support plan, but it is not a substitute for emergency help.

Meet Your Clinicians

Wholesome Psychology has clinicians with several credential types: Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists. All psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists. Provisional psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist. Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), and Student Therapists are master's-level practicum students.

Training and experience vary from one clinician to the next. To find someone whose background fits what you are looking for, such as experience with youth, gender identity, or family relationships, you can read individual profiles on our Our Therapists page or use the Match with a Therapist tool. The admin team can also help at 780-904-4880.

Children and Youth

Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for children, adolescents, and young people, as well as adults. Clinicians who work with younger clients can adjust how sessions run to suit the young person's age, comfort, and stage of development.

When it is appropriate, and with attention to the young person's privacy, clinicians can work with parents and caregivers to support the young person at home. You can read more on our child and youth counselling page.

Taking a Next Step

If you would like to learn more, or you feel ready to begin, here are a few ways to start:

• Book a session online
• Match with a therapist
• Call the admin team at 780-904-4880
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read Getting Started with Therapy

Starting the conversation is enough.

New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

References

• Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.). Programs and interventions promoting health equity in LGBTQ2+ populations in Canada through action on social determinants of health. Government of Canada.
• Statistics Canada. (2024, November 20). Mental health and access to support among 2SLGBTQ+ youth.
• World Health Organization. (n.d.). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics.