Becky Idems

PsychotherapistAffordable Therapy Intern

Aug 12

Written By Boulevard North

Registered Social Worker, Intern Therapist

Accepting New Clients

Are you looking for support with gender identity, neurodivergence, or trauma?

If the cost of therapy been holding you back, Becky offers affordable therapy.

Do you feel small, stuck? Is your life causing you anxiety, pain, and exhaustion, but you’re not sure how to make changes? Do you feel like you can’t be your authentic self because you are worried about what others think? Maybe you have a hard time even putting your finger on what “authentic self” might mean, but you have a sense that there is something missing?
I work with queer women, nonbinary & trans folk, to challenge patterns rooted in past experiences that can keep us stuck in small and inauthentic relationships and ways of being. As an experienced trauma counsellor, I can help you to feel safe to get to know the parts of yourself that have taken a back seat to external people and events, so that you can focus on what you want from your life.
As a neurodivergent person, a survivor, and a recovering people pleaser, I know how hard it can be to focus on ourselves and to heal our relational trauma—but you don’t need to stay small or stuck. Therapy can be an important first step in understanding yourself, identifying and prioritizing your own needs, and learning to feel safe in creating a life that aligns with your values and desires. I would be honoured to join you on this journey.
- Master of Education in Counselling & Psychotherapy (In Progress)
- Masters of Social Work (2010)
- Assaulted Women & Children Counsellor/ Advocate Diploma (2004)
- Bachelor of Arts, Psychology (2002)
My passion for therapy started very young, with a fascination for human psychology, and a deep belief in the healing potentials of learning and relationships. As a social worker, I spent time working in one on one support roles, before detouring into community building and post secondary education. It is so exciting and affirming to be closing the circle and moving more fully into a therapeutic role.
As a queer, agender, neurodivergent person, and a survivor of multiple traumas—including religious abuse, relationship trauma, loss, infertility, and pregnancy loss— my personal therapy journey has been essential in embracing all parts of myself and creating a safe, affirming life. Outside of work, I’m a single parent to a fabulous child and a cranky cat, happiest when I’m exploring nature, learning, gardening, or creating art.
I believe that a healthy therapeutic relationship is the core of transformative therapy. Our sense of self and possibility can be dulled and warped by our experiences of unhealthy relationships—kind of like looking into a fun house mirror. I see my role as a therapist as holding up a well lit, unbroken mirror for my clients, in which they can clearly see their strengths and opportunities reflected back at them.
My work is rooted in an integrated framework that combines techniques from Emotion-Focused therapy (EFT) and feminist, trauma-informed approaches. I believe that we all carry in us echoes of our early life and ongoing experiences. Whether these are attachment wounds from early childhood, or traumas rooted in systemic violence against any parts of our identity that don’t fit with the status quo, our nervous systems have developed many coping strategies to keep us safe, that can also keep us stuck in the past. I work from a harm-reduction, client-centered, anti-racist, anti-oppressive, sex-positive, and body-affirming framework to support my clients in gently integrating their self knowledge, and creating change.
From my own experiences of therapy, I know that there is a wide chasm between having a cognitive sense of what isn’t working, and being able to actualize change. This has led me back to the classroom, where I am working to incorporate DBT, somatic, and internal family systems (IFS) techniques to better support my clients to experiencing nervous system safety and shift their coping patterns.