Do I need to identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ to work with you?

No. I work with children, teens, and adults with a range of identities and experiences. You might identify as queer, 2SLGBTQIA+, be questioning or exploring your identity, use different language for yourself, or not use a particular label at all. We can talk during the consultation about what you’re looking for and whether my approach feels like a good fit.

Do I have to be out to come to therapy?

No. Who you share your identity with, whether you use a particular label, and what being “out” means to you are personal decisions. Therapy can be a place to explore those questions without assuming there is one right next step.

Can we talk about gender without me knowing exactly how I identify?

Absolutely! You don’t need to arrive with a label or a clear answer. We can make room for curiosity, uncertainty, changing language, and whatever questions feel meaningful to you.

What if being queer isn't why I'm looking for therapy?

That’s completely okay. You might want support with anxiety, burnout, chronic illness, grief, relationships, stress, or something else entirely. Queer-affirming therapy doesn’t mean your sexuality or gender needs to become the focus of therapy. It means those parts of you don’t need to be ignored or treated as problems if they do become relevant.

Do you work with queer and neurodivergent clients?

Yes! Queer and neurodivergent children, teens, and adults are a particular focus of my practice. We can make room for the ways identity, neurodivergence, relationships, health, masking, sensory experiences, and everyday life may intersect.

Do I have to use expressive arts in therapy?

No. Expressive arts therapy is one part of my approach and is always optional. We might use conversation, creativity, mindfulness, body awareness, practical skills, or a combination depending on what works for you. You don’t need any artistic experience.

What happens during a free consultation?

A free consultation gives us a chance to briefly talk about what you’re looking for, ask questions about my approach, and get a sense of whether working together might feel like a good fit. You don’t need to have everything figured out before reaching out.

Queer-Affirming Therapy in Toronto & Ontario

You shouldn’t have to leave parts of yourself outside the therapy room.

Maybe you’re looking for therapy where your sexuality, gender, relationships, or identity don’t need to be explained, defended, or treated like a problem to solve.

You might be exploring who you are, navigating relationships or family, dealing with anxiety or burnout, grieving something important, or simply looking for a therapist who understands that queerness can be part of your experience without needing to become the focus of every session.

Here, you get to decide what matters and what we talk about.

Book Your Consultation Today

Maybe You’re Looking for Therapy Where You Can Just Be

You may have had experiences where you had to explain your identity before you could even begin talking about why you were actually there. Or maybe you’re still figuring out what certain parts of your identity mean to you.

You might be:

exploring your gender, sexuality, or sense of self
navigating coming out, disclosure, or deciding who you want to share parts of yourself with
dealing with anxiety, stress, overwhelm, or burnout
questioning what authenticity looks like for you
navigating family relationships, friendships, dating, or partnerships
grieving a relationship, community, identity, expectation, or version of your future
exploring boundaries and what you need from the people around you
navigating the intersections of queerness, neurodivergence, chronic illness, or disability
looking for therapy where your identity can simply be understood as one part of a much bigger person

You don’t have to arrive with the perfect language for who you are. And you don’t need to have everything figured out before we can start.

You Don’t Have to Separate the Different Parts of Yourself Here

Maybe you’re queer and neurodivergent.

Maybe you’re exploring gender while also navigating chronic illness.

Maybe masking happens in more than one part of your life.

Or maybe the thing bringing you to therapy has very little to do with any of those identities.

We can make room for the ways your brain, body, gender, sexuality, relationships, health, and environment interact without needing to separate you into different pieces first.

You are more than any one label you use.

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There Isn’t One Right Way to Be Queer

You don’t need to use particular labels.

You don’t have to come out.

You don’t need to express your gender in a particular way.

You don’t have to feel certain.

You don’t need your identity to be the most important thing about you.

And if the words you use for yourself change over time, there can be room for that too.

Therapy can be a place to explore rather than perform certainty.

Therapy Doesn’t Have to Look One Particular Way Either

You also don’t have to participate in therapy in one particular way. Some days, you might want to talk. Other times, words may feel harder to find or simply not be the most interesting way to explore something.

Depending on what feels useful and accessible, our sessions might include conversation, expressive arts, mindfulness, body awareness, or practical skills drawn from DBT-informed approaches.

We can adjust as your needs, energy, and interests change. Creativity is always an invitation, never a requirement.

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What Is Queer-Affirming Therapy?

Queer-affirming therapy recognizes that your gender and sexuality are not problems that need to be fixed. It also recognizes that being queer doesn’t tell me everything about who you are.

Your relationships, family, culture, body, health, neurodivergence, work or school, community, past experiences, and the environments you move through can all shape what life feels like for you.

Queer-affirming therapy makes room for those intersections without assuming which parts of your identity matter most. Sometimes we may talk directly about gender or sexuality. Other times, they may barely come up.

You get to decide what we explore together.

Colorful stickers and drawings of butterflies, cake, Boba, with the text Savannah Dasilva Psychotherapy Toronto ON individual therapy

What We Might Explore Together

There isn’t one reason queer people come to therapy.

Our work might make space for:

Gender & Identity Exploration - Getting curious about gender, sexuality, identity, expression, or what different language means to you without pressure to arrive at a particular conclusion.
Anxiety, Stress & Burnout - Making room for overwhelm, expectations, masking, uncertainty, or the energy it can take to move through different environments.
Relationships & Connection - Exploring dating, partnerships, friendships, family relationships, communication, boundaries, intimacy, belonging, or changes in important relationships.
Coming Out & Disclosure - Exploring what sharing parts of your identity means to you, including when, whether, how, and with whom you want to share.
Grief & Loss - Making room for endings, transitions, changes in relationships, shifting identities, community loss, or expectations that no longer fit.
Self-Understanding - Getting curious about who you are, what you need, what matters to you, and what living more authentically might mean on your terms.

You don’t need to relate to everything here. We’ll focus on what’s actually happening in your life.

Working With Savannah

Savannah Dasilva sitting down smiling in therapy office holding kerropi mug

I’m Savannah Dasilva, a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) and expressive arts therapist based in Toronto, offering in-person and virtual therapy.

As a queer, AuDHD therapist who also lives with chronic illness, I know personally that identity doesn’t exist in neat, separate categories.

At the same time, shared identities don’t mean shared experiences. I won’t assume I know your story because parts of ours might overlap.

My approach is warm, collaborative, creative, and flexible. I draw from expressive arts therapy, DBT-informed skills, mindfulness, body-based practices, and conversation while adapting our work around your needs and preferences.

You’re welcome to bring uncertainty, contradictions, questions, humour, creativity, and the parts of yourself you’re still getting to know.

Frequently Asked Questions

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You Don’t Have to Have the Right Words Yet.

Maybe you know exactly what you want support with.

Maybe you’re still figuring that out too. You’re welcome to start wherever you are.

A free consultation gives us a chance to talk briefly about what’s bringing you to therapy, what you’re looking for, and whether my approach feels like a good fit.

Colourful oil pastel drawing in sketchbook