The Politicized Practitioner

05/12/2026

LOVE.
FEAR.
ENVY.
SHAME.
UNCERTAINTY.
CURIOSITY.

The Politicized Practitioner Series () had its official launch in Toronto yesterday at ! With three panels comprised of contributors from all three volumes, we had some of the richest and most meaningful clinical conversations I’ve had in years.

We asked:

How do you understand the relationship between politics and intimacy? Political unrest and mental health? Being a therapist that shares a similarity of nonprivilege with clients/patients?

What does it look like to access your own empathy for a homophobic parent when you’re triggered, but must see the family unit as the client? How does anti-fatness show up in therapy; and why might a fat therapist’s mere presence disarm a client’s shame around sexual dysfunction?

Why do we assume love is good when it can be used to regulate citizenship? And assume envy is bad even though it can make structural inequity visible and lead to coalition building?

We talked about all the things. And there was still energy for more!

If you haven’t gotten your books, check out in Toronto, or another independent bookstore.

04/29/2026

Celebrating the launch of “Queer and Muslim”, a powerful collection works by and for LGBTQ+ Muslims.

Eventbrite link in bio :)

Please join us, along with co-editors Rahim Thawer and Maryam Khan, as they launch their new book “Queer and Muslim”.

Talkback guest David Lewis Peart will be in conversation with Rahim, Aaron El Sabrout, and El-Farouk Khaki to celebrate the essays, poems, letters to past and future selves, and more, that make up “Queer and Muslim”. The book explores the emotional and spiritual dimensions of q***r Muslim life and challenges the perception that faith and q***rness are inherently incompatible.
elsabrout

Books will be available for purchase and signing.

This event is free and open to the public. Eventbrite link in bio.

Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Time: 7:00 PM EDT

Place: Glad Day Lit, 32 Lisgar Steet, Toronto, ON

04/22/2026

Between The Prayer Rug And The Afterparty
What’s the difference between a prayer rug at dawn and a dance floor at 2 a.m.?

April 22nd, 2026
Written By Rahim Thawer

I used to tell myself it was social. Harmless. A way to take the edge off after long days of holding other people’s stories. When I finally admitted to my psychoanalyst that the first sip of red wine immediately calms my nerves and opens me up to connect with others, he paused and said, “What if...

04/21/2026

04/18/2026

04/18/2026

Consider attending if you’re in the GTA:)

https://politicized.eventbrite.ca

04/08/2026

Celebrating the launch of “Queer and Muslim”, a powerful collection works by and for LGBTQ+ Muslims.

Please join us, along with co-editors Rahim Thawer and Maryam Khan, as they launch their new book “Queer and Muslim”.

Rahim will be joined by community voices Sanifa Holaki, and Aaron El Sabrout to celebrate the essays, poems, letters to past and future selves, and more, that make up “Queer and Muslim”. The book explores the emotional and spiritual dimensions of q***r Muslim life and challenges the perception that faith and q***rness are inherently incompatible.

Books will be available for purchase and signing.

This event is free and open to the public. Eventbrite link in bio.

Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Time: 7:00 PM EDT

Place: Glad Day Lit, 32 Lisgar Steet, Toronto, ON

04/06/2026

Cognitive restructuring isn’t wrong—but timing matters.

CBT supports sexual wellbeing best when it reduces pressure first and questions beliefs second.

03/29/2026

What does it mean to practice therapy and social work in a deeply politicized world?

Join us at for an afternoon of conversation and reflection with contributors to The Politicized Practitioner series ( ). Through three panel discussions, speakers will explore the costs and possibilities of politicized practice, moments when our clinical frameworks break down, and how research, narrative, and lived experience shape the knowledge that informs our work.

This event welcomes social workers, therapists, counsellors, students, educators, and practitioners across helping professions, as well as allies and supporters interested in critical conversations about mental health and social justice.

The symposium will conclude with celebration of the series’ launch, including time to meet contributors and connect with colleagues and community.

We’re thrilled to also welcome as our onsite bookseller!

03/14/2026

Avoidance isn’t always resistance.
Sometimes it’s wisdom shaped by experience.

CBT becomes useful when it listens to avoidance instead of arguing with it.

03/10/2026

Shame isn’t always a thinking error.
Sometimes it’s a strategy that once made sense.

CBT can help when it approaches shame with curiosity instead of correction.