Facilitated by Isha Saini, MCP, CCC and Ginelle Foskin

July 12th, 2018

the grounding stone.

This workshop invites participants to explore and expand their relationship with race.  Through a combination of presentations, facilitated discussion, and sharing of resources, we will aim to unpack how our relationship with race and multiculturalism can impact our work as clinical counsellors and the ways that we are with our clients of color. We will also examine the barriers practitioners may face when attempting to understand the impact of racial bias on their clients, and how to overcome these barriers.

Facilitated by Robin Beatch

September 13th, 2018

the grounding stone.

Part 1: Breaking Down the Basics

What is BDSM? What does it mean to those who dabble, and to those who consider it their lifestyle? In this discussion based workshop, we'll break down the meaning of BDSM - Bondage & Discipline, Dominance & Submission, and Sadomasochism, along with a collection of other vocabulary from the kink world. How do intensely heavy Dominant/submissive relationships differ from abusive ones?

Part 2: Navigating Shame and Supporting Clients

In this part of the workshop, we'll examine and identify the intents, needs, and motivations of BDSM - along with the well known saying, "Kink can be therapeutic, but it is not therapy.". Together we'll discuss the topics of shame in alternative sexualities; where it comes from, what it feels like, and how to support a person through it.

Facilitated By: mj, MCP, RCC

Guest Speaker: Robin Beatch

October 19, 2018

Adler University

mj is the Founding Director of The Grounding Stone Healing Center in East Vancouver.  mj identifies as queer with a big polyamorous heart, and she uses her lived experience of navigating these realities to support dialogue within and between her communities.  

mj was born into a conservative Christian world with a strong aversion to convention coursing through her being.  The incongruity between her environment and her felt self has enabled her to be best used as a bridge between tradition and non-tradition for individuals and communities.  She believes that we find connection, compassion and understanding through uncovering our parallels, at an individual level.

In this workshop, mj will facilitate a journey through the roots of the systems that have framed our understandings of ourselves and our concepts of “norms” within relationships, gender and sexuality.  We will focus our exploration on why these norms do not work for so many people, how that discrepancy manifests, and how we may thoughtfully witness folks presented with this struggle.

We will look to the research, while also engaging with the reality that these topics, although growing in attention, are very under-researched.  We will therefore, explore present issues that arise in clinical work within our local Vancouver queer, trans, and non-monogamous communities.  We will discuss the implications of doing therapeutic work that is potentially  isolating, and we will discuss bold ways to engage with this work and ourselves as therapists.

In this workshop we will also hear from guest speaker Robin Beatch.  Robin is an international sex educator with a background in nursing and experience working within the sex and adult industry as a stripper, pro domme, former Vice President of MVK (Metro Vancouver Kink) and creator of the queer and trans event known as The Rainbow Connection.  Robin will break down the meaning, intention and motivations of BDSM (Bondage & Discipline, Dominance & Submission, and Sadomasochism), along with a collection of other vocabulary from the kink world. We will discuss navigating intensely heavy dominant/submissive relationships and how these differ from abusive relationships. We will explore shame, it's origin, presentation, and implications for supporting folks who feel it deeply.

Facilitated by mj, MCP, RCC

December 3, 2018 / February 8, 2019

Various Locations, and ongoing.

mj offers training for folks in helping professions to raise competency and awareness around issues relating to LGBTQ2S+ communities.

Facilitated by Renee Hock, RCC, Anti-Homophobia and Diversity Mentor for the Vancouver School Board

February 12, 2019

the grounding stone.

There has been a great deal of discussion about SOGI these past two years, and I thought it would be helpful to bring in Renee to clarify the work that is being done, the successes, and the challenges within the VSB to ensure the safety, visibility, and inclusion of LGBTQ+ youth in schools.  

Renee (who is also an RCC) works within the VSB to ensure that the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identities (SOGI) Policy is implemented and that teachers and administrative staff are supported in understanding and adhering to the policy.  Renee’s role and in-house expertise ensures not only succinct communication of the policy but also project management for what continues to be an ongoing process of advocacy and innovation for the safety and inclusion of LGBTQ+ youth in schools.

The Anti-Homophobia and Diversity Mentor position has inspired similar positions in school districts around Metro-Vancouver and the VSB’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identities Policy is looked upon as an example of what inclusive schools can look like.

Facilitated by Kyle Jespersen, mental health worker with PHS Community Services Society

April 18, 2019

the grounding stone.

"The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection." - Johann Hari, author "Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs" (Bloomsbury, 2015)

Our city is a global leader in harm reduction. What are the facets of this strategy, and what responsibility do we have as citizens to support it? Whether we consider drugs as holding a place in our lives or not, how can we build trust in our community amidst ongoing crisis? How can we repair disconnections and decrease stigma? These questions will help us to share inspiration and clear misinformation, with the goal of advocating for those who are marginalized, and improving the quality of our relationships, and our lives, here in Vancouver. 

This discussion group is open to all, and will be led by Kyle Jespersen, a mental health worker with PHS Community Services Society. Kyle has worked in various housing models & social initiatives in East Vancouver and the DTES, and for the past several years has been serving as a coordinator at Insite Supervised Injection Site and Onsite Detox & Transitional Housing.

Facilitated by Nazanin Moghadami, MCP, RCC

October 22, 2019

the grounding stone.

Violence in queer relationships hardly gets meaningful airtime. There is not a whole lot of literature, research, or community conversation on the topic, especially dating violence. This workshops aims to provide the participants with a nuanced understanding of the topic and to open a conversation on clinical considerations. 

This workshop will be facilitated by Nazanin Moghadami.  Nazanin is a feminist, activist, Registered Clinical Counsellor and supervisor practicing in Vancouver. Her passion for equity and social justice paired with her lived experiences and philosophies manifest in many different ways in her life, from serving as the Regional Chair of the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors, to running queer competency workshop for agencies, to providing supervision to sexual assault support workers. You can find Nazanin by searching her name online, walking her dog, or riding her bike in East Vancouver.

Facilitated by mj

February 21, 2020

the grounding stone.

Please join us for an intimate gathering with Christine Waymark, a 79 year old lesbian elder and recently retired supervisor and therapist of over 40 years.

mj, founder of The Grounding Stone and protégé of Christine, will facilitate our conversation.  With forty years between them, Christine and mj share a special relationship as they both experienced trauma at the intersection of religion and queerness.

Christine will share her lived experience as a member of, and as a therapist within our allegedly small queer community in Vancouver, during a time when there were no protections from discrimination in place under Canadian law. 

Christine will share her memories of surviving a war, surviving incest, being kicked out of the ministry in the United Church when she was outed as a lesbian, supporting clients during the AIDS epidemic, and her response to her recent diagnosis of dementia.

The first half of the evening will be dedicated to Christine’s sharing, and the second half of the evening will be open to any questions that participants may have for Christine.  If you have a question that you would like to ask Christine more anonymously, please send it to me via email, and I will read the question for you during the second half of the evening.

May 14 - July 23, 2020

Virtual Gathering

This Spring, we are offering a LGBTQ2S+ Youth Support Circle for folks (ages 18-25) who identify as belonging to the LGBTQ2S+ Community and have experienced sexualized violence. This is an open group designed to support folks with strategies to manage the impacts of COVID-19 isolation, to encourage the development of a peer support community, and to provide folks with the space to develop skills to manage the impacts of sexualized violence.

Meets the second Tuesday of every month online (via Zoom) from 7-8:30pm 

This is a Drop-In/Open Group so folks may join us whenever they choose.

The Grounding Stone is a queer-owned, queer-run Counselling Center and Community Space that provides counselling and workshops facilitated by a diverse group of counsellors. We are offering an ENBY Peer Support Circle for folks working in mental health who identify as ENBY.

This is an open group (join whenever you like) designed to support folks by creating a community of peers. The structure and function of the group with be further defined after consulting with the folks who join in the first session(s).

2022 Dates: February 8, March 8, April 12, May 10, June 14, July 12, August 9, September 13, October 11, November 8, December 13

COST: Free

If you have questions or would like to join, please contact us here.