Imogen Chudyk-Barr

I’m a registered social worker from BC who has been in practice in one form or another since 2018. Over the years, I’ve worked as a health promotion and anti-violence educator, harm reduction support worker, drug checker, women’s shelter support worker, as an acute care social worker in a senior’s mental health unit, and as a primary care social worker. Perhaps because of my personal experiences as well as my professional background, my approach encourages animated exploration of feelings. I don’t believe in toxic positivity and welcome you to talk about the stuff that feels messy and for you to laugh, cry, and get angry as you need to. I use an eclectic mix of therapies including CBT and ACT, but above all else my process is client-lead and guided by your goals and needs. Not every strategy works for every person, so we’ll work together to find what resonates most with you. If you feel simultaneously supported and gently challenged, we’re on the right track. My career path has lead me to work alongside folks who are multiply marginalized due to the many systemic barriers and injustices they face, such as criminalization, stigma, and housing insecurity. This has shaped my practice to not only look at individual issues people face, but how their experiences are contextualized by intersecting issues rooted in colonialism (white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy, homo/transphobia, classism, ableism, etc.). Our personal struggles don’t happen in a vacuum, so I look at people in their context: both interpersonal, such as your family of origin and relationship to community, and structural. When I say my practice is trauma informed and integrated, what I mean is I acknowledge experiences of systemic oppression as trauma and that much of our trauma and interpersonal issues are a direct result of structural violence. I offer virtual services for couples and individuals in Ontario and BC, and in-person counselling from my office in Victoria, BC. If you’d like to learn more, you can get in touch with me to schedule a free 20 minute consultation by getting in touch with me here: https://towardshope.ca