Nurse Psychotherapist, Mental Health Coach and Mindfulness Teacher
Hello, my name is Rebecca aka Becs
(she/her)
About Me.
I am an RN with 10 years of experience working in the mental health and addictions field, where I have gained experience in psychotherapy and general nursing care. This holistic perspective that I bring to my work allows me to help people through the complexities of their lives and experiences. I am passionate about supporting people in their mental health and wellness journey and I truly believe that everyone has the right to feel better and thrive. I also know how hard it can be to go on this journey alone.
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Along with my experience as a mental health practitioner, I have also struggled with mental health challenges, traumatic life experiences and unfair treatment based on one or more of my identities. These lived experiences help me to genuinely understand and empathize with people I work with. I personally find that working with therapists with lived experience in my own wellness journey helped me feel less alone and made me feel like they could truly understand what I was going through. I hope that you can feel the same while working with me.
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I am also a mother to a teenage boy. I am a daughter, a sister and a friend. I love playing soccer and being active. I love dancing and playing the drum (samba/samba reggae). My top 5 character strengths are: honesty, creativity, love of learning, fairness and appreciation of beauty and excellence.
Education and Training
Learning does not just happen in institutions. I value learning in all forms, including self-guided and experiential. I have a mix of formal and informal educational experience, below are just some highlights.
2009-2013
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Toronto Metropolitan University
My nursing degree helps me to understand people in a holistic way. As a certified Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse, I have specialized knowledge and expertise in this area, and have committed to lifelong learning.
2019-2022
Master of Health Evaluation
University of Waterloo
The knowledge and skills gained in this program allows me to ensure I deliver my practice with utmost quality and that I evaluate it to ensure it is equitable and it meets the needs of clients.
2013- Present
Ongoing learning
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Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training
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Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
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Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing Certification
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Centering Black Youth Wellbeing: Combating Anti-Black Racism
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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
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Motivational Interviewing (MI)
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Measurement-based care (MBC)
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Tobacco cessation
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I continue to read books and attend workshops frequently that can allow me to better serve you.
How my identities are located in society
In order to foster transparency and trust, I share my social location based on my intersecting identities. This is by no means a full picture of who I am and what my life experience has been, but I am hoping it gives you a brief idea and helps make your therapist-finding process a little bit easier.
I am a non-disabled, mixed-race (Portuguese and Afro-Brazilian), middle-class, cis woman in my early thirties. I am a second generation immigrant, living and working on the traditional lands of many Indigenous nations. Given my privileges, I am constantly in the process of unpacking my own biases. I do this through self-reflection, education, advocacy and action.