This event takes place in person at Charis and on Crowdcast, Charis' virtual event platform. This event is free, but registration is required for virtual attendance. Please read the in-person event guidelines at the bottom of this page to be sure you can participate in the event. 

Charis welcomes Rahim Thawer in conversation with Ethan Coston for a discussion of The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys: Skills to Cope and Thrive as Your Authentic Self, an inclusive, evidence-based guide to healing and thriving as a cis or trans queer man.

As a cis or trans man who loves men, you face unique and challenging circumstances, including homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia, struggles with body image, and rejection from family. In addition, the lingering effects of bigotry, discrimination, microaggressions, and hate crimes can have a traumatizing and devastating impact on your mental health and well-being. This compassionate guide offers powerful skills to help you heal the pain of trauma and thrive authentically in a world that often misunderstands or marginalizes your identity and experiences.

The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys offers you a safe, inclusive space to examine, understand, and heal from systemic and interpersonal threats to your mental well-being. Based on proven-effective cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), this book provides proven-effective tools and exercises to help you reflect on, confront, and manage difficult emotions; improve self-image and self-esteem; and develop healthy coping skills.

Heal emotional wounds and build resilience

Challenge heteronormativity and gender role rigidity

Also included is a #DiggingDeeper community wellness campaign to help you reflect on the deeper questions of the book and share your own challenges and triumphs with others on social media.

If you're struggling with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, or trauma--or feel oppressed or misunderstood by the world around you--this book can help you overcome the negative internalized messages that are causing you emotional pain, and build the self-awareness, confidence, and courage needed to embrace your unique identity and thrive.

Rahim Thawer (he/him) is a registered social worker (OCSWSSW) and Canadian Certified Supervisor (CCS) who works as an instructor, psychotherapist, consultant, public speaker, podcast host, and writer. He founded Affective Consulting & Psychotherapy Services in 2014 and has delivered nearly 200 presentations and talks since then. His community workshops have inspired critical conversations and opportunities for reflection on mental health, interpersonal effectiveness, systemic oppression, and innovation in queer relationships.

Rahim calls Toronto home and teaches at The University of Alabama where he is also enrolled as a doctoral student. As a queer Muslim, his clinical work and writing continually examines the intersection of mental health and systemic oppression, and his doctoral research considers how anti-racist, queer-affirming psychoanalytic frameworks can support social workers, training therapists, and organizational leaders.

Rahim was a co-editor of Any Other Way: How Toronto Got Queer (Coach House Books, 2016), which was nominated for the Toronto Book Awards. More recently, Rahim has self-published four clinical guides related to assessment, treatment planning, documentation practices, and using reflexivity in examining countertransference. He also three books slated for release in 2025: The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys (Newharbinger), The Politicized Practitioner: The Essential Reader for Social Workers & Psychotherapists (Blue Cactus Press), Queerituality: LGBTQ+ Muslims on Mental Health & Healing (Co-Editor, University of Regina Press).

Ethan Coston (he/they) is an Associate Professor of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. For more than 15 years, Ethan has been collaborating on and leading inter-and-transdisciplinary projects to develop and implement community-based programs supporting thriving among people, who—like himself—are survivors of violence, 2SLGBTQIA+, disabled and/or neurodivergent, and systems impacted. Among the many hats they wear, Ethan is PI and Founding Director of The Sexual Health Exploration Project, Associate Editor (of LGBTQ Health) for the American Journal of Public Health, and member of the Board of Directors for the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood. When not teaching or engaging in public science pursuits, you can find Ethan enjoying the local music scene, taking photographs on their grandfather's vintage Nikkormat, making Midwestern casseroles for community gatherings, or hanging out at home with their elderly dog.

The event is free and open to all people, but we encourage and appreciate a donation of $5-20 in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Donate on Crowdcast or via our website: www.chariscircle.org/donate or in person at the event.

Charis Books is a fully wheelchair accessible space with on site van accessible parking, two ramps, and additional overflow accessible parking nearby. Additional accessibility information can be found on the Accessibility page of our website. 

In-person event guidelines:

All attendees must wear a face mask during the event.

We will begin seating people at 6:00 PM ET.

This event will be live-streamed via Crowdcast. 

As a reminder: If you are not feeling well, please do not come to the event.

If you have any questions regarding these guidelines or to request specific accessibility accommodations, please contact info@charisbooksandmore.com or call the store at 404-524-0304.

Please contact us at info@chariscircle.org or 404-524-0304 if you would like ASL interpretation at this event. If you would like to watch the event with live AI captions, you may do so by watching it in Google Chrome and enabling captions: Instructions here. If you have other accessibility needs or if you are someone who has skills in making digital events more accessible please don't hesitate to reach out to info@chariscircle.org.

By attending our event, whether in person or virtually, you agree to our Code of Conduct: Our event seeks to provide a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), class, or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Unsolicited sexual language and imagery are not appropriate. Anyone violating these rules will be expelled from this event and all future events at the discretion of the organizers. Please report all harassment to Charis staff immediately or email info@chariscircle.org.

Donation

Charis Books and More/Charis Circle

Business Year

The Mental Health Guide for Cis and Trans Queer Guys: Skills to Cope and Thrive as Your Authentic Self --  Rahim Thawer in Conversation with Ethan Coston