Rebekah Bender (she/her)
Occupational Therapist, Psychotherapist
As an Occupational Therapist, I work with my clients to support them to engage in the activities that are meaningful to them. The term “occupation” to me means any activities that you spend your time doing or any roles you take on. From work to school, engaging in relationships, eating meals, parenting, or exploring activities that provide joy, anything that a person does is an “occupation”. In therapy, it is important for me to understand how your daily activities are impacted in order to support healing and meaningful engagement. I believe that understanding what brings meaning to your life provides an important foundation for therapy. I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Health Studies from the University of Waterloo and my Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy from McMaster University. I am a current member with the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario.
I have clinical experience working with individuals with a variety of mental health related concerns including anxiety, stress, disordered eating, perfectionism, depression, and emotion regulation difficulties. I have worked with clients to discuss many topics including but not limited to wellness at work, wellness at school, life / role transitions, parenting, friendships, building self-care into daily life, and exploring new activities that promote meaning. I love to read and learn, and consider it a privilege to learn alongside many of my clients as we explore their goals together.
"I become incredibly excited when clients recognize meaningful progress has been made in their life. I set intentional goals with clients at the beginning of therapy, and check on the progress we’ve made regarding these goals at various points throughout sessions"
Rebekah officially came to be part of our team in January of 2022. Joining us with a full list of clients waiting for her, she was worth the wait. Rebekah's support of CCP's vision and desire to work this work collaboratively has been integral to our growth.
Rebekah was the first Occupational Therapist on our team. She brings a new and valuable approach to Psychotherapy that we have all learnt from.
Rebekah has a wealth of experience, and her commitment to her clients is unmatched. We are truly very lucky to have her on our team.
What areas of practice and populations do you enjoy working with?
Some populations I enjoy working with include clients with: disordered eating or body image concerns, anxiety, perfectionism, ADHD, people going through life transitions, and expecting / new parents or parents with young children.
Something I really enjoy doing with clients is exploring values. I love exploring and understanding the type of life clients want to live. I believe that understanding one’s values can support us to prioritize goals, strategies, and changes which may help clients create a life that is filled with meaning.
As a mother of young children myself, I enjoy working with expecting or new parents as they navigate this large life transition. I enjoy supporting them to explore and create a life that aligns with their values, while honouring both baby and parent’s needs.
What prevents people from coming in and doing this work?
I think coming to therapy can feel really vulnerable. Clients are trusting therapists, who at first they don’t know, with significant stories and emotions, and that can feel very hard. As a therapist, I think it’s important to start slow and ensure the client only shares as much or as little as comfortable.
Finding the right fit for a therapist can be hard. I personally have been matched with a therapist who was not the best fit for me at that time, and it took courage to advocate for myself to connect with someone different who ended up being a better fit. I think being in a team like CCP can support this challenge - if one therapist isn’t the right fit, we can work together to find someone who hopefully is.
What modalities do you use? How would you describe your approach/style to this work?
When working with clients, I strive to understand who each person is and create a sense of meaning in their life. Working with clients to identify their strengths and challenges, their environmental supports (both social and physical contexts), and their meaningful activities/ roles allows us to identify specific areas to address and then create meaningful change. I have training and experience using cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behavioural therapy skills, acceptance and commitment therapy, and mindfulness and relaxation strategies. I will collaborate with each client to determine an approach that is best for their specific goals.
On a more personal note, I believe I bring a warm and compassionate approach to this work. I believe clients can strive for change while also being kind and compassionate with themselves. I love finding client strengths that we can continue to foster in order to support living a life that aligns with one’s goals and values.
How do you know you're the right fit for a client?
For some clients, I can tell that my approach is the right fit when they express a yearning to connect therapy to meaningful goals and values in their life. I sometimes have clients say to me that this is a different approach than they’ve experienced in past therapy, and that they have found it very helpful.
In a less direct way, it feels like a good fit when clients are comfortable being vulnerable with me- for example sharing difficult thoughts of expressing painful emotions. Finally, when clients tell me that they feel more calm or a sense of peace after our sessions, that can also be a helpful indicator that it’s a good fit.
What Made you want to work with CCP?
I first met Carly when I was a student, and she was speaking at a conference on health advocacy. I was immediately struck by her knowledge, passion, kindness and approach when discussing psychotherapy and eating disorders. A few years later, we connected again, and these qualities continued to stand out to me. Joining CCP means working alongside a group of compassionate, thoughtful, and hardworking individuals with goals that align with mine professionally. I am excited to work with this team as I believe this environment creates space for meaningful work.
What is the most rewarding part of your job as a therapist?
I become incredibly excited when clients recognize meaningful progress has been made in their life. I set intentional goals with clients at the beginning of therapy, and check on the progress we’ve made regarding these goals at various points throughout sessions. These check-ins often provide opportunities for clients to reflect and recognize that they have made meaningful change even when they perhaps did not realize it themselves. Seeing clients recognize and celebrate progress of any kind is very rewarding.
What’s the most surprising thing about you?
I enjoy participating in many different types of activities or “occupations”, many of which have been important pieces of my own personal mental health journey. While there are too many things I enjoy to list, one that sometimes surprises people is I really enjoy making music and am a part of a ukulele/ singing trio. This is a way for me to connect with people socially and have a creative outlet for myself. While I am certainly an advocate for engaging in activities that bring joy and meaning, I am also a huge advocate for rest, setting boundaries in life, and finding balance between activities and rest. This is an art that I am continually trying to work on for myself individually, and one that I continually explore with my clients.
