Nathan MacRae
MSW, RSW
Nathan MacRae,
MSW, RSW
My name is Nathan. I am a queer trans person who is passionate about giving back to my community and making the world a safer space for non-normative identities.
My Story
I’m a Registered Social Worker providing online counselling anywhere across Ontario, British Columbia and Yukon. My approach is grounded in connection, collaboration, and care. I primarily support adults and young adults navigating life transitions, anxiety, self-exploration, identity, relationships, mental health challenges, and addiction I also work with couples and partners seeking support with communication, conflict, and connection.
Many of the people I work with are seeking a space to better understand themselves, navigate change, strengthen their relationships, or move through difficult experiences with greater confidence and self-compassion. Together, we explore the patterns, challenges, and strengths that shape your life while working toward meaningful and sustainable change.
I recognize that seeking support is an act of courage, and I strive to create a space where you feel seen, heard, and supported in a way that feels right for you. Therapy is a collaborative process, and we'll work together at your pace to create meaningful change.
I have a particular interest and specialized knowledge in supporting queer and trans clients, as well as people within the 2SLGBTQIA+, lesbian, gay, bisexual, kink, two spirit, neurodivergent, and non-monogamous/polyamorous communities. I also specialize in supporting men through a range of challenges, including mental health concerns, identity exploration, relationships, and major life transitions. While these are areas of focus within my practice, I welcome people from all backgrounds and lived experiences.
I humbly live, work, and play on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Songhees, Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples in Victoria, BC. I hold deep gratitude for the land and the communities that have shaped me.
When I’m not working, you’ll often find me at the gym, cycling along the coast or out to Sooke, exploring local trails, or spending time with family. I’m a lifelong learner who enjoys reading counselling books, queer poetry, and ghost stories. I also love supernatural podcasts. These practices help keep me grounded and remind me of the importance of joy, movement, balance, and rest.
"I am out with lanterns, looking for myself."
-Emily Dickenson
My Approach
I believe that everyone has the capacity for growth, healing, and meaningful change. Together, we can work toward building self-compassion, strengthening relationships, navigating life’s challenges, and creating a life that feels more aligned with your values and who you are.
My approach is warm, relational, curious, and trauma-informed. I support individuals in exploring identity, processing trauma, managing PTSD, navigating relationships, relationship stress, burnout, low mood, and intimacy concerns, building resilience, regulating emotions, and working through experiences of anxiety, depression, and addiction. Our work will be guided by your goals, your pace, and what feels most meaningful to you.
I draw from a range of evidence-based approaches, including mindfulness, self-compassion, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), strengths-based therapy, attachment theory and elements of polyvagal theory. I also have a particular interest in attachment and somatic-based approaches, which recognize the ways our relationships and life experiences can shape both our emotional and physical responses to the world around us. By tuning into the body and nervous system, we can deepen self-awareness, build regulation skills, and create space for lasting change.
As a counsellor, my role is to work collaboratively with you by drawing on your strengths, offering practical tools and psychoeducation, and helping you find approaches that fit your unique needs and circumstances. I believe in understanding experiences within their broader context rather than reducing people to labels or diagnoses. Guided by your goals, I offer insight, support, and accountability as we work together toward meaningful growth.
It is a privilege to walk alongside clients through the challenges, joys, and everyday moments that make up life.
My services are covered by most extended health benefit plans.
"I think I knew right then, but sometimes knowing comes in layers."
-Leslie Feinberg
My Training & Experience
I hold a Bachelor's Degree from Simon Fraser University in Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies and a Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Victoria. I am a Registered Social Worker in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. I have also completed the Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level 1, the Sexually Competent Therapist Training with Allura Sex Therapy Centre and Essentials of CBT and CBT for Anxiety with the Beck Institute. I have completed the Somatic Attachment Psychotherapy Two Year Training with Bringing the Body into Practice under Dr. Lisa Mortimore.
I come to this practice with over 13 years of experience in mental and health and addiction services, including:
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Various organizations in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
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The Kelty Mental Health Center at the BC Women and Children's Hospital
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Mental health/Substance Use units at the Royal Jubilee Hospital
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The Catherine Assertive Community Treatment Team at the Royal Mental Health Centre
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Flexible Assertive Community Treatment Team - Dual Diagnosis at the Royal Mental Health Centre
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Family Information and Support Services at the Royal Mental Health Centre
I have also co-authored research with the Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Center at the University of British Columbia.
In 2021, I delivered the keynote address at the Client and Family Centred Care Virtual Conference at the Royal Mental Health Centre on the topic of Gender Diversity and Healthcare. I also regularly provide Gender Inclusivity Educational Workshops to healthcare workers, support workers and educators.
In addition to this work, I also have a background as a community activist. At Simon Fraser University, I was the lead organizer of the Trans Inclusive Committee, whose efforts culminated in policy changes allowing students to use their names and gender on student identification, as well as the creation of gender-inclusive washrooms on campus.
I also delivered a TEDx talk on the topic of gender-inclusive washrooms, which highlighted the limited narratives we allow trans people to tell and how we can move past that framework.
"I don’t know what it is like to not have deep emotions. Even when I feel nothing, I feel it completely."
-Sylvia Plath