How the Ottawa Pastoral Counselling Centre is serving the LGBTQ+ community

The Ottawa Pastoral Counselling Centre (The OPC) is one of five Anglican Community Ministries, but due to the confidential nature of counselling, their important work often goes unsung. This is the second in a series of articles introducing readers to the OPC’s team members and highlighting the range of therapies they offer.

The Rev. Kerri Mooney is a priest in good standing with the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa. She left full-time parish ministry in 2024 to work full-time as a Registered Psychotherapist. After serving on the OPC’s board of directors for many years, she joined the team in 2024, serving clients both in person and online. She also holds a private practice in the Russell-Embrun area. We asked Mooney how the OPC serves members of the LGBTQ+ community:

“The Ottawa Pastoral Counselling Centre’s mission is to affirm the dignity and self-worth of all people. This includes offering safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community,” she wrote in an email to Perspective.

“LGBTQ+ clients come for psychotherapy for the same range of issues as anyone else—depression, anxiety, relationship problems, trauma, identity questions, stress management, life transitions, etc. But they may also face unique concerns shaped by minority stress, social stigma, and marginalization. At the OPC, we support clients coming out, navigating questions around sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, internalized homophobia, biphobia, or transphobia. They may be facing strained or rejected family relationships after coming out, challenges in parenting or family planning, or navigating romantic relationships in contexts where LGBTQ+ relationships aren’t fully accepted or understood.

“We understand that members of the LGBTQ+ community face higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation linked to minority stress. Gender dysphoria and body image concerns, medical transition decisions, and navigating social transition, and access to affirming healthcare are additional issues these clients may be confronting. Our priority as psychotherapists is to create safe spaces for all clients’ self-expression.

“The cancellation of Ottawa’s August 2025 Pride Parade—due to route-blocking by pro-Palestinian protesters—represents more than just the loss of a celebratory event. For many LGBTQ+ people, Pride is a profound space for community connection, identity affirmation, and mental health rejuvenation. Its abrupt cancellation can ripple through emotional well-being in several meaningful ways and the therapists at OPC are prepared to support clients through these impacts.

“In addition to serving members of the LGBTQ+ community, OPC also provides pastoral and therapeutic support to the family members and friends of LGBTQ individuals. Even when the person themselves is not LGBTQ, their loved one’s identity can bring up a range of emotions, challenges, and growth opportunities, such as grief, challenges to core beliefs and values, fear for the safety and well-being of their loved one, or identity shifts.

Although therapy at the OPC is not faith-based, how could its position as an Anglican Community Ministry benefit clients, we asked Mooney.

“As a Community Ministry of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, we are uniquely sensitive to any potential religious trauma clients may have experienced within their faith communities. This can lead to exploring the client’s relationship with God, acceptance and equality within their faith community, or supporting them as they navigate feelings of grief, anger, rejection, or disillusionment related to past experiences of harm.”