Counselling

ACT provides free, confidential counselling about issues concerning HIV, sexual health, mental health and substance use.

ACT’s counsellors are among the best in Toronto and have a generation of experience in their practice. All sessions are free and confidential. We can provide one-on-one counselling or counselling with you and someone else.

ACT Counselling

Counselling services

counselling for people living with HIV. This can be done either at ACT, over the phone or another location.
counselling for people concerned about their risk of HIV, or for a friend or family member of someone living with HIV. Also available either at ACT or another location.

ACT provides free, confidential counselling to anyone who knows someone with HIV, or is concerned about their risk of HIV. Counsellors will meet with you at ACT offices, over the phone, or in other locations, such as coffee shops. There is no need to give a real name if anonymity or confidentiality is a concern. Couples counselling, grief/bereavement counselling, and counselling for a partner of someone with HIV, are all available.

Given the recent tragedy unfolding in Toronto's LGBTQ communities, ACT is also available for grief counselling. This is on a drop in schedule, which works on a first come first served basis.

There are two ways of accessing our counselling services:

book an appointment with a counsellor by calling 416-340-2437 or drop by our offices, located at 543 Yonge Street, on the 4^thfloor
drop in! A counsellor is available without an appointment, on a first come first served basis, Monday through Friday. Call ahead at 416-340-2437 for the ‘drop-in counselling’ hours for the day.

Community counselling

ACT provides counselling in a number of community settings specifically for gay and bisexual men (regardless of their HIV status). These counselling services can talk about sexual health, mental health, and substance use issues. Here’s where:

Gay men’s mental health and substance use counselling at Maple Leaf Medical Clinic & Church Wellesley Health Centre:

ACT’s Community Counsellors spend four days a week at Maple Leaf Medical Clinic and two days a week at the Church Wellesley Health Centre, providing counselling services for gay and bisexual men on a range of mental health and substance use issues. If your doctor is at Maple Leaf Medical or Church Wellesley Health, you can access this free service – just tell your physician you’d like to be referred to the ACT Community Counsellor. This is open to all gay, bisexual and queer-identified men, including trans men, who are patients at these clinics.

Bathhouse Counselling Program:

Provides free, confidential and anonymous mental health counselling to diverse populations of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men in bathhouses. You can drop in any of the participating bathhouses and talk to a professional counsellor if you feel like talking to someone, or you can book an appointment with them at our offices or in another location, such as a coffee shop. For more information about when and at which bath house a counsellor will be present, or to book an appointment, call 416-340-8484 ext. 274 or just go and see the counsellor when they are at the baths!

To connect with counselling call 416-340-2437, drop by our offices or email ask@actoronto.org . You can call ahead to find out about the ‘drop-in counselling’ hours for the day – this is counselling where you are not required to make an appointment in advance.