General Care: Family Doctors & Nurse Practitioners
For some guys, the best homebase for accessing care and support is a family doctor, or a nurse practitioner. These providers hold general knowledge about which specific services are where, and can provide you general support for healthcare-related needs (e.g., anorectal health, regular STBBI screening). You can typically find a general care provider by Google searching for family doctors, and nurse practitioners near you. You can also register with Health Care Connect, and a nurse will search for family doctors and nurse practitioners accepting new patients in your community.
Mental Health: Social Workers, Counsellors, Psychologists & Psychiatrists
If you’re looking for support specifically related to your mental health, your best options will be social workers, counsellors, psychologists, and/or psychiatrists, depending on your needs. Social workers and counsellors represent spaces to chat about how partying fits into your life, and if any mental health concerns or life stressors are influencing your partying or your relationship with PnP. Psychologists represent more specialized and in-depth care, and are useful for diagnosing any mental health or substance use-related concerns, and for offering long-term treatment and support for mental health and PnP. Finally, psychiatrists are doctors who specialize in mental health, and are able to offer mental health diagnoses, and prescribe prescription medication to support your mental health in relation to your partying.
Specific for Gay, Bi, and Queer Men and LGBTQ+ People
In cities like Ottawa and Toronto, you’ll find more supportive services specific for us. These organizations and programs are your best bet for accessing affirming and meaningful care related to your partying. In Toronto, HQ and the 519 offer wraparound programming that supports the mental health, sexual health, and safe substance use of guys in Toronto. HQ offers online self-assessments to reflect on your substance use, as well as individual assessment and group therapy supports. The 519 offers S&M, a weekly community support group for LGBTQ+ people who use substances and have a mental health condition, and Double Recovery, a peer-based program offering anonymous support to LGBTQ+ people who use drugs and have mental health concerns. ACT offers SPUNK!, a support group for gay/bi/queer and trans men who want to make positive changes regarding drug use, whether those changes are harm reduction or abstinence. BlackCAP offers one-on-one sessions and workshops around sexual health and harm reduction for Black gay, bi, queer, questioning and trans guys. ACAS offers SLAM, a men’s program providing sexual health and harm reduction resources for gay, bi, and queer Asian cis and trans men. As well, Rainbow Services at CAMH offers group therapy and individual support for LGBTQ+ people looking to make changes to their drug and/or alcohol use. In Ottawa, MAX offers Spill The Tea, which provides safer partying education and awareness and aims to get guys into guys in the Ottawa region connected to information and resources. For more resources, check out the Rainbow Health Ontario service directory for a guide to affirming treatment options for LGBTQ+ people across Ontario.
Watch our video above with Dr. Tim Guimond & Vincent Franceour to get some more information about where to go and who to access for treatment support related to your partying, and outlets for friends, loved ones and family to gain support and information about PnP.
