Rahim THAWER (HE/HIM)

Rahim works as a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, facilitator and public speaker, sessional lecturer, writer, and community organizer. Rahim loves all things mental health and is particularly interested in examining innovation in queer relationships. 

Facilitator & Speaker

Whether in a classroom or therapy consulting room, he strives to operate from a harm reduction, sex-positive, anti-oppressive and trauma-informed approach. This is complemented by his vast public speaking portfolio, which is both thematically and regionally diverse spanning from Canada (Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Vancouver) to the US (New York, Austin, Atlanta, Lexington, Washington) to the United Kingdom (London, Glasgow) and South Africa (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban).

Academia

Rahim has taught as a post-secondary lecturer at George Brown College, Centennial College, Toronto Metropolitan University, St Jerome’s University (at the University of Waterloo), and the University of Toronto. He developed the curriculum for several courses in Centennial College’s Addiction and Mental Health Worker Program (AMHW) before its launch in Fall 2016. He was appointed as a Fellow at the Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto in 2021 for his contributions to the field of sexuality. Rahim was also appointed an International Visiting Scholar with the South African College of Applied Psychology (SACAP) for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Clinical Supervision

Nearly half of Rahim’s clinical practice has evolved into clinical supervision and consultation work. He has supervised graduate students from Ontario's MSW and MA/MEd programs. He has provided consultations to provider teams in various settings within education, child welfare, housing/shelter and health service sectors. His relevant training in clinical supervision includes completion of the following training programs: The Supervisory Relationship (2022/2023), Gestalt Institute of Toronto; Clinical Supervision (2021), Institute for Self-in-Relationship Psychotherapy; Clinical Social Work Supervision (2017), University of Calgary.

Resource Development & Innovation

Community and research-based nonprofit organizations have hired Rahim to develop key resources and curricula that combine his clinical expertise and population-based knowledge. Over the years, he’s developed a nuanced guide for newcomer/immigrant GBTQ guys (2010); a 2SLGBTQ+ youth mental health group curriculum (2021); a mental health and system navigation guide for international students who are gender and sexual minorities (2022); and a group curriculum for GBTQ guys that are 50+ who are exploring connection in the age of online apps. In Rahim's portfolio, resource and program development remain a strong passion and skill set.

Organizational Development & Training

Rahim has largely worked in community-based and healthcare settings with a focus on HIV and 2SLGBTQ+ services. He's been providing training to teams and organizations since 2010. Rahim has sat on numerous hiring committees, conducted needs assessments, and mediated employee conflicts. He has offered external clinical supervision to teams and engaged them in stream mapping exercises to enhance workflow and patient flow procedures. While primarily offering direct client services throughout his career, Rahim appreciates the importance of providing teams with the support they offer their communities.  He has completed the Pittsburgh Balint Group Leader Intensive (2023) through the American Balint Society and is now offering Balint groups to physicians and nonprofit managers across Canada.

Community Work & Writing

Rahim dedicated over ten years to community organizing with Salaam Canada, a national volunteer-run LGBTQ Muslim organization. He is on the faculty team and advisory committee for the Contemporary Relationships Conference (2019 to present) based in Austin and the Board of Directors at the Gestalt Institute of Toronto (2023 to present). He was a co-editor and essay contributor in a local history anthology entitled Any Other Way: How Toronto Got Queer, which was shortlisted for the 2017 Toronto Book Awards.

Rahim has four books under contract with Thornapple Press, Blue Cactus Press, New Harbinger Press and University of Regina Press.