Hope is not an afterthought at Hope Leads—it is a methodology. It is the compass, the curriculum, and the call to action.

Founded by Joelleann Forbes (MSW, RSW) and Michael Adia (MSW, RSW), Hope Leads Mental Health Care is a virtual psychotherapy and consulting practice based in Ontario that centers anti-racist, intersectional, sex-positive, and anti-oppressive frameworks. What sets them apart is not only who they serve—but how they serve. With a focus on clients across the gender spectrum, those impacted by racial trauma, and those navigating systemic harm, Hope Leads delivers mental health care that is as rigorous as it is tender.

“We seek to provide support that is kind, empowering, and hopeful,” says Joelleann. “That’s not just poetic language. That’s our operating standard.”

In a time marked by collective grief, political volatility, burnout, and widespread anxiety, the idea of hope may feel abstract. But for the Hope Leads team, hope is not wishful thinking. It’s a practice. A healing orientation. A set of values that show up in how they deliver care, how they show up in community, and how they build systems for others to do the same.

Hope Leads doesn’t treat people in isolation. Instead, they work at the intersection of personal healing and systemic accountability. Their clinical team includes registered social workers and psychotherapists who are trained not just in trauma and substance use—but in the structural conditions that produce them: racism, queerphobia, economic instability, carceral systems, and workplace violence.

The impact is felt deeply across a wide spectrum of needs. Whether supporting someone through grief and loss, burnout, educational stressors, or navigating racial and gender-based trauma, Hope Leads meets people where they are—and walks with them toward where they want to be.

“The times we’re living in call for multidisciplinary and community-rooted responses to mental health,” says Joelle. “That means dismantling what people expect therapy to look like and giving folks something better—something more aligned.”

The organization’s commitment goes beyond 1:1 counselling. Hope Leads also provides wraparound consulting and training services for schools, workplaces, and advocacy organizations. Their team partners with clients to facilitate healing-informed approaches to policy, organizational culture, and team dynamics—an often-missing layer in the corporate mental health conversation.

It’s in these spaces that Joelleann and Michael’s leadership shines. They model a kind of care that is not reactive, but visionary. One rooted in interdependence, informed consent, and the lived wisdom of communities long pushed to the margins of health care.

As part of Beyond Data’s Pride 2025 edition, this spotlight honors Hope Leads Mental Health Care not just as a provider—but as a practice of resistance. Their emphasis on kind care, transformative advocacy, and hopeful navigation speaks directly to the political moment we’re in—a moment where so many are exhausted, disillusioned, or uncertain where to turn.

For questions about psychotherapy, consulting, training,  and wrap-around care for your organizations or teams, our Co-founders Joelle and Michael would be happy to chat with you! Send us an email at info@hopeleads.ca or for more information, please visit our website: https://www.hopeleads.ca/