I offer clinical and group consultation to adult, youth, family and group therapists, as well as to agency teams. I specialize in working with LGBTQI2S+ communities, healing from the traumas of oppression (including supporting white people to heal from the trauma of patriarchal white supremacy culture), family therapy, attachment/developmental wounding and complex trauma. I have worked for the past 20+ years doing counselling and therapy work with youth, families and adults in community and private practice settings.

My clinical orientation is somatic, attachment-focused, polyvagal-informed, mindfulness-informed and trauma-focused. My lens is gender affirming, intersectional, anti-racist, anti-oppressive, harm reductionist, feminist, sex-positive, decolonial and neurodiversity affirming. I am certified in Dr. Janina Fisher’s Trauma Informed Stabilization Treatment, Dr. Stephen Porges’ Safe and Sound Protocol and in Brainspotting therapy. I have completed Level 2 of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. I have advanced training in and have consulted with the developers Attachment Based Family Therapy to adapt their model for trans / non-binary youth and their families.

In addition to my consultation work, I have trained other mental health providers across Ontario about supporting parents of trans/non-binary youth from a trauma-informed, gender-affirming, attachment-focused lens. More more information about my training services, please visit this page.

I enjoy supporting therapists to build their competency working in the following areas:

• trauma-focused, attachment-informed, anti-oppressive assessment, treatment planning, case transfers and closings
• shifting from being more “cognitively oriented” to more embodied/somatically oriented
• integrating parts approaches into their practice
• supporting clients to develop self-compassion and work towards internal secure attachment
• supporting clients in early transition or questioning their gender identity / sexual orientation, and/or grappling with shame and/or fears about impact on family, parents, partners and children
• working with parents of trans/non-binary youth from a nervous-system / attachment-informed, trauma-informed lens while engaging skillfully with use-of-self-related issues
• supporting children, parents and partners of trans/non-binary people while engaging with cissexism, transmisogyny and transphobia
• helping clients build tools for self regulation and managing trauma symptoms (including triggers and flashbacks, suicidality, self harm, substance use, dissociation and attachment-related issues)
• supporting clients navigating open relationships, polyamoury, kink and BDSM in the context of trauma-and attachment-informed work
• engaging openly and in an embodied, relational way with issues of power, whiteness, oppression, therapeutic ruptures, client anger and self-of-therapist issues within the therapy session
• conducting and writing surgical readiness assessment letters for transition related surgeries while engaging critically with cissexism (“OHIP second assessors”)

I am always pleased to provide referrals to trans/non-binary / BIPOC clinicians who do similar consulting work.

Please see my “About my services” page for more information about my background in these areas, or contact me to discuss whether your supervision or consultation needs fall within my scope of practice. I look forward to hearing from you.

Lindsay Elin (she/her)

lindsayelinMSW@gmail.com