Our Team

All Rainbow Brain therapists are committed to:

• Affirming queer and trans people
• Supporting different neurotypes in therapy
• Providing excellent, anti-oppressive care

To find the right therapist for you, you can read the descriptions below and reach out directly, or contact Helen Hargreaves, who will help match you with a therapist. Or click below to shedule a free 30 minute consulation with an avalable therapist.

Helen Hargreaves (she/her) MSW RSW

I work directly with clients in Ontario.

I offer trainings for organisations, and supervision/ consultation to therapists internationally.

My therapy experience:

I graduated with my Master of Social Work in 2008, and I have been working as a therapist since then. I started working with Neurodiverse kids and their families in 2003. I am registered with The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.

My commitment to working with queer, trans, and neurodivergent people:

I am queer and neurodivergent, I was diagnosed with a learning disability and identified as gifted when I was 8 years old, and I came out when I was 16. Most of the people I love are queer, trans, and/or neurodiverse. I founded Rainbow Brain because I was tired of watching the people I love struggle to find therapists who can support all the wonderful aspects of themselves.

What I support people with:

I support people to process their own feelings. I also support people to help their family members, especially children process their feelings. This includes youth and adults working through trauma, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), procrastination, or in need of supportive counseling. I also support Parents (and other adults) supporting kids who are struggling with anger, anxiety, and other feelings. 

Who I work with:

I work directly with clients from 9 years old to adults.

I work with adults supporting children from 3 years old into adulthood. These are often parents, but can also be other care adults including grandparents, aunts, and uncles. 

I love learning how a new client understands the world and am open to all neurotypes. I have the most experience with autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, and Tourette syndrome.

Kinds of therapy I use:

I primarily use Emotion Focussed Therapy (EFT) and its related approaches Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT); Emotion Focused Skills Training (EFST)  and Emotion Focused Therapy for Trauma (EFT-T).

I also bring in elements of Solution Focused Therapy, Collaborative Problem Solving, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT).

Fee: $200* per 50-minute hour

Treatment location:  Virtual sessions over Zoom. 

You can also call her at 647-667-7241, email is preferred.

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James (Jamie) Myslik (he/him) MSW RSW

My therapy experience:

I am a registered social worker who has provided counselling professionally since 2008, and before that as an MSW student and peer support counsellor. Throughout this time I’ve worked almost exclusively with folks in 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, as well as their friends and family, and folks living with and affected by HIV and AIDS. I’ve provided support to folks in rural, urban, and suburban communities over the phone, online, and in-person.

My commitment to working with queer, trans, and neurodivergent people:

I’ve worked with 2SLGBTQIA+ folks for my whole career, and before that was a peer support counsellor and safe-space coordinator for queer, trans, and other gender-diverse youth. Throughout that time I’ve worked with folks at the intersections of queerness, gender diversity, and neurodiversity. I’ve learned much from all of my clients, and am committed to ongoing learning.

I believe in supporting people to find meaningful and sustainable wellness, not helping patch people up to go back to broken systems, only to be hurt again. Sometimes this means finding new ways to interact with ourselves or the world, and sometimes it can mean making changes both easy and difficult.

I myself am queer (though I use the term “gay” with those for whom the term “queer” is painful, or for whom it is not familiar). I grew up and have lived as an adult in rural, suburban, and urban communities, and am grateful for how that has enriched my understanding of 2SLGBTQIA+ lives, and my ability to work with folks in diverse geographical areas within Ontario.

What I support people with:

Anxiety, depression, relationship concerns, grief and loss, trauma, finding contentment, navigating life transitions; as well as building compassion and connection with ourselves, others, our feelings, and the natural world.

Who I work with:

Adults in general, and especially those who would feel safer with a counsellor who has personal experience and an inside understanding of 2SLGBTQIA+ lives, and the lives of those living with HIV. This includes the children, partners, and other family members (including family of choice and family of birth) of queer, trans, and other gender- and sexually-diverse folks. 

Kinds of therapy I use:

I’m trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, ecotherapy, behaviour therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (particularly concerning trauma), and others, including the applications of attachment theory and neuropsychology in counselling.

Regardless of the modalities I use with clients, presence and self-study are primary tools I use with clients to help them explore their goals, discover how to make meaningful and lasting change, and build compassionate connection with the many facets of themselves.

Fee: $200* per 50-minute hour

Treatment location:  At present, virtual only.  I hope to offer walk-and-talk sessions, and sessions in forested settings soon.

You can also call him at 289-939-5838, email is preferred.

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Leah Guastavino (She/Her) MSW, RSW

My therapy experience:

I started working in children’s mental health in 2014. I have worked in several public organizations were I provided child, parent, and family therapy as well as pregnancy and postpartum therapy. I have facilitated 30 groups, 8 different kinds, some with parents, some with kiddos, some with both. 

My commitment to working with queer, trans, and neurodivergent people:

As a queer neurodivergent person myself, I believe everyone deserves access to mental health care that gets them. A space where they don’t have to educate their therapist, and where they can be their authentic selves with all their messiness and whatever needs or desires they may have.

What I support people with:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Parenting
• Self-esteem
• Emotion dysregulation
• ADHD
• Family planning
• Perinatal mental health
• Infertility
• Pregnancy loss

Who I work with:

Kids 6-18, parents with kids of all ages. Special interest in perinatal mental health for gestating parents and parents of babies. Also strong interest in supporting queer and trans parents as they navigate their family building journey, especially when planning donor conception, managing fertility treatments, and coping with grief and perinatal loss. 

Kinds of therapy I use:

I provide treatment drawing from a range of theoretical modalities, namely:

• Emotion Focused Family Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• Mindfulness

Fee: $180* per 50-minute hour

Treatment location:  Virtual sessions over zoom, on inperson sesion near Bayview and Eglington

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Torie Patterson (she/her) MSW RSW

My therapy experience:

I am a registered social worker who has been working as a therapist with children, youth, families, and parents since 2016. I also provide community workshops about neurodiversity, particularly learning disabilities and mental health. Prior to this, I supported children and youth in many different settings including shelter services and therapeutic wilderness and recreation programs.

My commitment to working with queer, trans, and neurodivergent people:

Throughout my career as a therapist I have most often been working with neurodivergent and/or queer, trans, or gender-diverse folks. My approach to therapy is collaborative, anti-oppressive, and strengths-based. I strive to provide clients with a nonjudgemental, affirming space for exploration and growth which welcomes and celebrates all aspects of their identity.

My passion for providing affirming care to neurodivergent and 2SLGBTQIA+ folks is grounded in my own identity and experiences as a queer cis-woman, my relationships with neurodivergent and 2SLGBTQIA+ family members and friends, and the clients with whom I have been privileged to work.

What I support people with:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Emotion dysregulation
• Self-esteem/self-compassion
  Parenting
• Interpersonal concerns
• Stress
• Life transitions
• ADHD, LDs, Autism

Who I work with:

• Children and youth (aged 8+)
• Young adults
• Parents and caregivers

Kinds of therapy I use:

I have training in Emotion Focused Therapy (and Skills Training), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy and Collaborative Problem Solving.

Fee: $180* per 50-minute hour

Treatment location: Virtual sessions over Zoom.

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Em Iannucci (she/they) MSW RSW

My therapy experience:

I have been working clinically in child and youth mental health agencies in Toronto since 2020, providing therapy to parents, families and young people. Before becoming a social worker, I worked to bring social and emotional learning supports to children and youth in community and classroom settings.

My commitment to working with queer, trans, and neurodivergent people:

I became a social worker because I am motivated to challenge systems of power including white supremacy, cis heterosexism and ableism. As a queer, non-binary weird human therapist, I strive to include a fight for social justice in my practice. I see my job as centring and supporting people on an individual level to understand what changes would make their lives better and what gets in the way of making those changes, without losing sight of systemic factors. Ultimately, I think therapy helps you to better understand your emotions so you can make the choices you want to make and live the life you want to live. And I want all queer and neurodiverse folks to live their best lives!

What I support people with:

Parents of kids with big feelings (and big behaviours)

Kids and teens who are struggling with depression, anxiety, or other big feelings related to school, identity, family or friends

Who I work with:

• Kids and teens ages six to eighteen
• Parents for kids ages 5+

Kinds of therapy I use:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Unified Protocol (UP)
• Emotion Focused Therapy for Youth (EFT-Y)
• Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)
• Emotion Focused Skills Training (EFST)

Fee:$180* per 50-minute hour

Treatment location:  Virtual sessions over Zoom. Walk-and-talk sessions in west Toronto, for an additional fee.

You can also call them at 647-455-4438, email is preferred

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*Rates are accurate as of January 2025. Rates are subject to change without notice