River Valade  MSW 
 

River is a Mixed-Race (Black, Métis, and Ukrainian) Trans-Masculine Non-Binary person with lived experience of complex trauma, chronic illness & chronic pain, neurodivergence, poverty (generational), and queerness.       River currently lives in Hamilton with their cat, Phoenix.

 

           River's lived experience of existing in-between &       

            outside of binaries of race, gender, sexuality, and

               disability is central to their approach as a

                 therapist. In practicing therapy informed by

                   Indigenous approaches to helping, River

                    believes that strengthening the relationship 

                     between themself and the person they're

                    supporting requires them to share parts of 

                    their own life/story as well. 

 

River's therapeutic approach is rooted in the

Mi'kmaw concept of 'Two-Eyed Seeing'; the bridging of Indigenous & Western knowledges. River applies this through the blending of Indigenous knowledge & practices with Western therapeutic techniques - such as blending Narrative Therapy with Indigenous traditional oral storytelling. 

 

River's professional background includes community organizing, peer support, and Indigenous mental health. River got their Bachelor of Social Work from McMaster University in 2020 and their Master of Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2023.