Dr. Deone Curling
Nominated for the award: Community Activism
Company: Women’s Health in Women’s Hands
Position: Mental Health Therapist
Biography: Deone Curling is a mental health therapist at Women’s Health in Women’s Hands (WHIWH) Community Health Centre in Toronto that provides primary
healthcare to racialized women in Toronto since 1998. She holds a Doctorate degree in Counselling Psychology and works from an inclusive feminist, pro-
choice, anti-racist, anti-oppression, and intersectional framework in addressing the issues of gender, gender identity, race, class, violence, sexual orientation,
religion, culture, immigration status and socio-economic circumstances. Dr. Curling provides a unique approach to mental health therapy. Her therapeutic
model identifies racialized women’s distinct and unique ways of experiencing, coping, and healing. Her research suggests that healing from trauma is a
relational phenomenon involving self, family, and community.
Dr. Curling has helped hundreds of lives through her therapeutic engagement. She is considered one of the foremost leaders in Canada in the area of
multicultural counselling.
Dr. Curling also has an excellent academic and scholarly record on issues relating to race and culture. She has researched and disseminated her findings in
several different audiences here and abroad. She is passionate about positive and creative change to existing policies and practices that do not work, and work towards transformation that is beneficial for all citizens of Canada.
Dr. Curling is a thought leader - she has facilitated a legion of similar thinkers, leaders, and protégés who reflect her life work. A mentor to numerous mental
heath practitioners, she continues to serve the community and guide the next generations of anti-oppressive therapists.