Michaela (Mic) Deane

About Michaela (Mic)

Hey, I’m Mic (she/her)! I’m a Vancouver-based Registered Clinical Counsellor offering in-person and virtual therapy for queer and trans adults. I specialize in queer relationships (couples/partners and individuals), identity exploration, sex and intimacy, and problematic substance use.

Maybe you’ve been to therapy before and it was fine but your queer or trans identity stayed outside the room. Like it was separate from the real issues, when actually it’s the context everything else lives inside. I’m a queer counsellor, and in our sessions that context is always part of the conversation!

Some people do a few counselling sessions, learn the coping skills, and still feel stuck. Did you ever play whack-a-mole as a kid? That’s how I think about anxiety when you quickly apply a coping skill without exploring what’s underneath it. You push it down, but it keeps popping up somewhere new, getting louder each time. Deep breathing might take the edge off but it won’t make the issue go away if what you’re really worried about is coming out to homophobic or transphobic parents. I work from an anti-oppressive, feminist lens, and I’m not in a rush to skip to solutions before we’ve explored your issues in depth.

I’m warm but direct, comfortable with dark humour, and I promise won’t bat an eyelid at you swearing in session!

I work Tuesdays & Thursdays in my Mount Pleasant office, and offer a limited number of sliding scale spots to make sure counselling stays accessible. I give priority to clients who identify as trans, non-binary, gender-diverse, or BIPOC, including couples where one or more partners holds these identities. Please contact me to enquire about sliding scale.