Practice Owner, Registered Counselling Therapist & Supervisor
Erica Baker-Gagnon - RCT
Erica (they/them) is a queer, non-binary, neurodivergent, plus sized, able-bodied, white therapist working in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq peoples. They are a dynamic and empathic counselling therapist responsive to diverse contexts and clientele. Erica is entirely nonjudgmental and works with many clients with diverse issues, including exploration around mood and/or personality disorders, depression, anxiety, trauma, ADHD/ASD, gender identity, sexual orientation, relationship configurations and dynamics, systemic issues, social justice and many others. They are comfortable working with individuals from all communities, including BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, kink, consensual non-monogamy, sex work, etc. They see individuals and couples/people in relationship dynamics. The main approaches that Erica's work is informed by are Internal Family Systems (IFS), systemic, attachment-based, Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) and psychodynamic. Erica is also comfortable with and happy to write the letters of support required for GAC and works under the WPATH 8 SoC.
Erica currently supervises Masters’ level students who work at the practice and who see clients from the practice's waiting list. They also supervise new therapists - RCT-Cs. Erica is passionate about training future and current therapists to do affirmative, informed work with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Erica is a Registered Counselling Therapist with the Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists (NSCCT), license #RCT-19-004. They got their Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counselling in 2015 and then began seeing clients in Montreal. Erica has been working in private practice in Nova Scotia since 2019. They have also provided many workshops and presentations to various groups and organizations on topics related to mental health, 2SLGBTQIA+ issues, relationship issues and more.
Erica is currently accepting new clients for Monday and Thursday daytime availability.
Practice Managers
Heather Ouellette - SWC
Heather (she/her/elle) is a queer social worker and therapist. She is a white settler in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Heather is femme, cisgender, mid/plus sized, and bilingual in English and French.
Heather operates from an anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, non-judgemental lens, and is passionate about gender affirming care, inclusivity, accessibility, and intersectional approaches to practice. Heather completed her Master of Social Work, Bachelor of Social Work, and Bachelor of Science in Psychology (Honours) at Dalhousie University.
Heather’s approach to therapy is meeting clients where they are at and using a person-centered approach. She takes an eclectic approach to practice, informed by narrative therapy, person-centered practice, parts work, and creative expressions through art and play. Heather’s goal is for people to feel safe, heard, and respected within the therapeutic space. Her practice is creative, empathetic, sex-positive, queer and trans affirming, and rooted in understanding the social, political, familial, and personal aspects of trauma informed care.
In her spare time, Heather loves to be creative, making clay earrings and dabbling in crocheting and knitting. She also likes to read and watch reality tv. She loves plants and gardening, crocs, spending time with family and friends, and on occasion just do nothing because we all need that sometimes.
Heather works with children, teens, adults, and families. Heather is accepting new clients, and her license number is SWC #10370.
Luna Crandall - RCT-C
Luna (they/them) offers an empathetic, gentle, non-judgemental, and affirming space with the aim of making clients feel safe and welcomed. Luna is passionate about helping people in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, as well as survivors of violence, people with ADHD, autism, chronic pain, diverse disabilities, and chronic illness.
As a person who has experienced therapy personally, Luna understands the immense bravery and vulnerability it requires to seek out therapy. As a queer, non-binary, neurodivergent, chronically ill, disabled, and plus-size therapist, Luna believes that it is crucial to provide a safe, trauma-informed, and neurodivergent friendly practice aimed towards healing and learning together.
Luna has a focus on intersectional, somatic, compassion-focused, and anti-oppressive approaches to counselling. They aim to use a client-centered approach to help foster self-compassion, recognize strengths, and improve emotional regulation and communication skills.
Luna is a white settler living in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq peoples. They have a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Biology from Dalhousie University and a Masters in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University. In their free time, Luna can be found reading fantasy novels, cooking yummy vegan meals, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and swimming at any chance they get. They love singing at the top of their lungs and collecting an absurd amount of plants. Luna is excited at the prospect of working together and hopes that they can meet your therapeutic needs.
Luna is accepting new clients and their license number is RCT-C25-129.
Therapists (Registered Counselling Therapists and Social Workers)
Al (Alicia) Quin - RCT-C
Alicia (they/them) is a queer, non-binary, and neurodivergent therapist working on the unceded land of Mi’kma’ki. They hold a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Hons.) from Saint Mary’s University.
At the core of their philosophy is an understanding of the significance of childhood experiences and early attachment on lifelong wellness; they lead with curiosity in exploring how early childhood experiences and attachment system formation may be connected to current difficulties in relationships, communication, emotions, and repeating patterns that clients feel stuck in. Al approaches counselling with a trauma-informed, nonjudgmental stance that builds the safety and trust necessary for deeper exploration and reflection.
Realms of counselling that Alicia feels drawn to include Internal Family Systems Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Somatic Therapy. Their approach is queer-allied, neurodivergence-affirming, and rooted in intersectionality, inclusivity, accessibility, and anti-oppression. Sessions are collaborative, consent-focused, and incorporate a variety of strategies depending on each client’s unique needs which may include verbal processing, somatic experiencing, and parts work.
Outside of the office, Al can be found hiking with their dogs, drinking oat cappuccinos, kayaking, swimming in the ocean, or writing music.
Al is happy to write letters of support required for gender-affirming care and work under the WPATH 8 SoC. Their license number is #RCT-C25-017, and they are currently accepting new clients (individual or couples) both virtually and in-person in Dartmouth.
Chalace Slipp - RCT-C
Chalace (they/he) is a queer, non-binary and poly counselling therapist who approaches therapy from a place of groundedness and play. They are warm, curious and open to finding ways to best support their clients through on-going consent and care for their therapeutic relationships. Chal holds a person-centered, psychodynamic, anti-oppressive lens that encourages their clients to gently unravel parts of themselves through creative interventions, mindfulness and psycho-educational tools. Chalace is also comfortable with and happy to write the letters of support required for GAC and works under the WPATH 8 SoC.
Chal has a background in drama therapy, a therapy modality that allows them to offer unique techniques to manage and improve stress, personal blocks and interpersonal patterning that no longer serves their clients. While remaining trauma informed and queer-centered, Chal supports clients in connecting with their subconscious through integrative practices. They have been practicing for almost three years and are learning new modalities and ways to decolonize their therapy practice since graduating with their Masters in Creative Arts Therapy from Concordia University in Montreal.
They spend their time living off-grid with their cat, dog and other wild creatures who also live on the gay north mountain. They enjoy hosting ecstatic dance evenings, open-mic nights and are a performance art nerd. They appreciate good food, cozy evenings with loved ones by the fire and long soaks in any body of water. Chal hopes to find the most supportive and consistent way to engage with the therapeutic process and to collaborate with folks who are polyamorous, kink-centered, neurodivergent, LGBTQIA2S+ and within the disability community.
They are available virtually and in-person at their office in the so-called ‘Annapolis Valley’. They are a settler and acknowledge their roots are on Mi’kma’ki territory where they grew up and live today. They are currently seeing clients from their office in Bridgetown. At home, they practice their newbie carpentry and homesteading skills. Chal looks forward to connecting and seeing if they could be a good fit for your therapeutic needs. Their license NSCCT # is RCT-C23-073.
Chalace will be accepting new clients in person in Bridgetown and virtually as of January 2026.
Delaine Tiniakos-Doran -RCT-C
Delaine Tiniakos-Doran (they/she) is a queer, non-binary, and neurodivergent counselling therapist. Delaine is a white settler who immigrated to Mi'kma'ki after leaving her home in Athens, Greece when her parents separated. She holds the responsibility of the treaties with great reverence on these unceded and ancestral lands of the L'nu.
Delaine's approach to therapeutic work centers the agency, dignity, and inherent 'enoughness' of each client. They work with all clients in a variety of topics ranging from gender and sexuality, birth trauma, postpartum mood disorders, parenting, navigating neurodivergence in an affirming way (ADHD, ASD, C-PTSD), as well as anxiety, depression, and disordered eating.
Their main therapeutic modalities include using parts work, the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), and Felt Sense Polyvagal Theory to treat trauma, relational challenges, and to facilitate greater self-understanding. They also weave a generative somatics approach throughout all of their work. Delaine is also comfortable with and happy to write the letters of support required for GAC and works under the WPATH 8 SoC.
Delaine works through a trauma-informed, fat-positive, anti-oppressive, intersectional, and queer affirming lens, working to meet clients right where they are. Her perspective is that you have all the expertise on your experience, your needs, and your life, and she has some expertise to offer on the therapeutic process. Together, they hope you will make a great team. Delaine's license number is RCT-C25-062.
Delaine is accepting new clients with daytime availability.
Emily McBride - RCT-C
Emily (she/her) is a compassionate counsellor with a Master’s in Counselling Psychology from Yorkville University and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology from Queen’s University. She identifies as a queer, able-bodied, cisgender, white settler living in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people.
Grounded in unconditional positive regard, authenticity, and curiosity, Emily creates a warm, respectful, and open therapeutic space. She believes her clients are the experts of their own lives, and her role is to support them as they navigate their experiences, emotions, and challenges. Emily strives to provide affirming, culturally sensitive, and trauma-informed care, offering a personalized experience that honors the individuality of each client. She draws from various therapeutic modalities, including person-centered, emotion-focused, narrative, strengths-based, and internal family systems therapy.
Whether you feel most comfortable meeting in person, virtually, by phone, or even over text, Emily is committed to working with you in the way that feels comfortable for you. Emily is also comfortable with and happy to write the letters of support required for GAC and works under the WPATH 8 SoC. Outside of her practice, she is an avid reader, all-season dog walker, and dedicated meditator.
Emily is currently accepting new clients on a 1-3 month wait list, and her NSCCT license number is RCT-C24-123.
Margo Quinlan - SWC
Margo Quinlan (she/they) is a queer, trans, neurodivergent social worker and therapist dedicated to empowering individuals and communities through compassionate, personalized care. Her clinical practice is kink and sex positive, particularly while she is supporting couples and polycules in building strong foundations of secure emotional attachment. As a marginalized practitioner living in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq peoples, Margo brings a deeply reflective approach to the systemic barriers affecting her clients, and a commitment to fostering collective liberation through personal healing. Margo's license number is SWC #9885.
With a decade of experience in activism and organizing in Baltimore, Maryland, Margo has led transformative efforts to advance queer and trans rights, including improving trans healthcare, advocating for prison abolition, supporting birthing justice and healthcare equity, and promoting housing rights. Her background in community organizing informs her therapeutic approach, providing insight into the systemic roots of minority stress and its impact on her clients.
Margo’s therapeutic practice is rooted in a humanistic approach, emphasizing empathy and a non-judgmental space where clients are encouraged to share their experiences and stories. Her clinical experience spans substance use and addictions counseling, family counseling, and youth and adolescent counseling. Drawing from personal experiences with addiction, homelessness, and survival sex work, Margo practices with a harm reduction standpoint. She believes firmly in the somatic healing potential of BDSM and kink, particularly for queer and trans individuals. Margo is also comfortable with and happy to write the letters of support required for GAC and works under the WPATH 8 SoC.
Margo earned her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore City in 2014 and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Women and Gender Studies at Saint Mary’s University. She has shared her knowledge through workshops, panels, and educational sessions across the US on queer and trans health and wellness. Outside of her professional life, Margo enjoys spending time with her children, her partners, and her precious queer community.
Margo is currently accepting new clients.
Mylène Arseneau - RCT-C
Mylène (she/her/elle) identifies as queer, white, Acadian, able-bodied and cisgender. She lives and works on the ancestral and unceded territories of the Mi'kmaw. Her therapeutic modalities include internal family therapy (IFS), narrative therapy, emotion-focused therapy (EFT) and psychodynamic therapy.
Mylène's goal is to support clients in their journey toward growth and healing in any way this may look like for the clients. She also aims to validate how they are being impacted by the current dominant systems in place and support clients in gaining agency over these narratives.
Mylène's journey in sexual and reproductive health, social justice and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community has brought her here to support clients in their path toward emotional and mental well-being. Mylène is a warm, empathetic and open-minded counsellor who respects clients as the experts of their own lives. She looks forward to collaboratively creating a safer space where clients can deepen their understanding of themselves.
Mylène est bilingue et est en mesure d'offrir de la thérapie en français! Si vous désirez recevoir de la thérapie en français qui prend aussi en considération votre identité queer, Mylène est outillée pour vous supporter dans votre cheminement thérapeutique. Étant Acadienne, Mylène comprend aussi la réalité des personnes queers vivant dans des communautés rurales. N'hésitez pas à contacter Diverse Roots Therapy si vous avez des questions ou désirez prendre un rendez-vous avec elle.
Mylène is also comfortable with and happy to write the letters of support required for GAC and works under the WPATH 8 SoC. Her licence number is RCT-C24-018.
Mylène is available for sessions with new and returning clients, only virtually or by telephone.
Therapists in Training (Masters Level)
Celeste Toledo (Yorkville University)
Celeste Toledo (they/them) is a queer, non-binary, polyamorous, white-presenting, mixed Latinx-White settler, living on the unceded territory of the Mi’kmaw. Celeste is a counsellor in training, completing the Master of Arts Counselling Psychology program at Yorkville University. Their undergraduate work at University of Toronto included double majors in Anthropology, and Critical Equity Studies and Solidarity, and a minor in Buddhism, Psychology, and Mental Health, with a strong focus on intersectionality, social justice, and anti-oppressive frameworks, which they carry forward into their work as a counselor in training. Celeste is passionate about community, resilience-building, harm-reduction, and creating safe and affirming spaces for queer and gender-diverse folks.
Celeste’s approach to counselling draws from intersectional queer, feminist, and existential theory, with a humanistic, person-centered approach. Having maintained an ongoing mindfulness practice and a study of mindfulness-based interventions, Celeste is also passionate about bringing some of these practices into the counselling room. Celeste aims to foster a sex-and-relationship-positive, empathetic, non-judgemental, affirming and deeply compassionate atmosphere, where clients can freely explore their personal therapeutic goals and create meaningful change.
In their free time, Celeste enjoys reading (mainly science-fiction), vegan cooking, mindfulness and meditation practices, listening to music, spending time with friends, and all things involved in living on the South Shore with their nesting partner, three magical black cats, and two very funny rescue dogs. Celeste also really likes silly socks, Halloween, analog media, tarot cards, Jeopardy, and Scrabble.
Cortlandt Jackson (Yorkville University)
Cortlandt or “Cort” (he/him) is a white-settler, queer, cis-man committed to building safer, more compassionate spaces for young people through trauma-informed and anti-oppressive care. With a background in peer support and community engagement, his work centers on authenticity, relationship, and deep listening — especially in moments of transition, struggle, or growth. He brings a grounded, relational approach to supporting others, drawing from lived experience, professional training, and ongoing self-reflection.
He is a Master of Counselling Psychology student at Yorkville University, building on an academic foundation from the University of Toronto. He is passionate about mental health, harm reduction, and creating access to affirming support for 2SLGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent communities. Whether in clinical, educational, or grassroots settings, he shows up with curiosity, care, and a commitment to co-creating change that feels meaningful and possible.
Rooted in a deep respect for the natural world, he also holds strong values around protecting animals and the environment, and lives a vegetarian lifestyle aligned with those commitments. His approach is rooted in Emotion-Focused and Humanistic therapies, along with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), all of which support his belief in people’s innate capacity for growth, healing, and connection.
Growing up all around Canada, he understands that transition and change can be difficult, but also incredibly meaningful. Cort is currently accepting new clients as a student intern.
Hayley Wagner (Acadia University)
Hayley (she/they) identifies as a queer, femme, able-bodied, white settler living and working on the ancestral and unceded territories of the Mi’kmaq peoples. She is a Master of Education in Counselling student at Acadia University, with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Dalhousie University. Hayley has experience working in a community mental health setting with young adults on their mental health recovery journeys. They believe that everyone already has what they need in them to heal and that healing occurs within relationships of all kinds.
Hayley’s counselling is rooted in a trauma-informed, queer-affirming, strengths-based, anti-oppressive lens. She draws from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Narrative Therapy, attachment, and parts-work. She is grounded in a relational approach, coming from a place of curiosity and empathy to better understand and support others.
In their free time, Hayley is often crocheting, reading fantasy books, watching nature documentaries, and testing gluten-free recipes. She loves to take walks outside meeting all the neighbourhood cats.
Tyler Tattrie (Yorkville University)
Tyler (He/Him) is a queer, cisgender, white, able-bodied male, who works and lives in
Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people. He works within a
judgement-free, trauma-informed, and anti-oppressive framework, striving to ensure that
diversity is valued within the therapeutic environment. Given that no two people are the
same, he believes in the importance of exploring the unique strengths each individual can
bring into therapy, and discovering the ways these can be used to improve one’s wellbeing.
Tyler is a Master of Counselling Psychology (MACP) student at Yorkville university. He has
multiple years of experience working in a university residence environment, which has
fostered a passion for harm reduction practices both inside and outside the therapeutic
environment.
As for his therapeutic modalities, Tyler uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT),
Psychodynamic Therapy, and Person-Centred approaches. Tyler strives to build a therapeutic
environment which is empathetic, queer and trans affirming, sex positive, and supportive of
whichever way a person wishes to grow or develop.
In Tyler’s free time, he can often be found listening to music, playing the piano, or reading.
He is also an avid coffee drinker, and finds a sense of joy in exploring new cafes or
experimenting with new recipes at home.
Admin Team
Reagan Kuzyk - Billing Coordinator
Reagan (She/Her) is the billing coordinator at Diverse Roots Therapy, located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq peoples. She identifies as a queer, white, cisgendered, plus-size individual who really values and understands the meaning of "come as you are, whoever you are". For years, she's worked with individuals living with physical and intellectual disabilities both in residential and in school settings, and has extensive training on ASD, ADHD, Down Syndrome, Fragile X, and more. She is happy to make new connections and learn other people's stories as part of the human experience.
Reagan also works as a vocal coach and piano instructor, and is an accomplished local singer-songwriter. Her goal through her music is to be relatable and to let people know that they aren't alone in their struggles or in their trauma. Having been trained in mindfulness, she strives to create a safe space for people to explore and learn more about music, and ultimately themselves, in an inclusive and stress-free environment. She works with folks as young as 4 and as old as 69, and while classically trained, she works with a variety of genres including but not limited to metal, punk, pop, jazz, blues, folk and classical.
Fun Fact: Reagan reaaaaaallllyyyy loves Pineapples!