Andrew Kun
MSc, RYT, RPC (Cand.)
You were born with wings
You are not meant for crawling, so do not.
You have wings
Learn to use them, and fly - Rumi, 13th century poet
Româneşte
It is my belief that we are meant to be happy and accomplished, and that we are perfect within. “So why,” you may reasonably ask, “am I not feeling that way? Why do I feel angry, hopeless, fearful, lonely?”
To deal with life’s challenges, we all instinctively picked up any tools we could find to help us cope. These tools may have included behaviours like confrontation or withdrawal, beliefs like “I’m not good enough”, attitudes like “duty comes first”, and thought patterns like “I have to be vigilant”, all accompanied by a distinct emotional charge. And since these tools served their purpose at the time, we kept using them.
Some questions to consider now are whether the tools you are using today are still serving you and whether there are better ways to deal with life’s events and circumstances. In my practice, the therapeutic process often starts from areas that are not working as well as they could for you today. Then, I help you bring awareness to the “tools” you usually rely on and help you release what is no longer useful, and guide you to discover within you a better way to deal with life’s challenges.
What to expect in a session
In my practice, I am guided by my training as a psychotherapist, by the wisdom of eastern introspective traditions, by modern research and insights into the mind-body connection, by my life experience and by my intuition. My style is open, welcoming and compassionate, creating a setting in which you can feel safe to explore the issues that are concerning you.
The range of issues brought up in sessions reflects the spectrum of human struggles, including self-confidence, family and relationship difficulties, anxiety, anger and also finding meaning and a lot more joy in life. My past experience in the corporate world has been helpful in dealing with clients’ workplace challenges, career direction and transitions.
My own journey
I grew up immersed in a mix of cultures, learning three of the four languages spoken in my hometown in western Romania, and having good friends across the mix. This ability to relate is still helpful today, in my psychotherapy practice, where my clients reflect the cultural diversity of our city.
I found my calling in helping people overcome obstacles and reach their highest potential. After graduating from university, I focused on building what became a successful career in technology and executive leadership. Some of my greatest sources of satisfaction were mentoring and coaching people to help them define their goals and thrive and changing organizations to become more open and caring for everyone working there.
My wife and son have been a source of great support. I have learned a lot from them, as well as from some difficult periods in my life, such as my father’s passing through Alzheimer’s disease and my mother’s fight with cancer and heart disease.
Over the years, I explored more ways to help, by training for and then practicing as a yoga teacher, volunteering at a distress centre, and learning Reiki, an energy healing modality. A turning point for me was taking advanced training in the deeply relaxing and healing meditative practice of Yoga Nidra to become a yoga therapist. It opened my horizons, helping me to expand my range of tools for emotional, mental and spiritual healing and leading me to take psychotherapy training. The many hours of personal therapy (required as part of psychotherapy training) have further contributed to my personal growth to support my counselling practice.
I offer in-person psychotherapy sessions at my office at Markham Road and Ellesmere Road in Scarborough, and in mid-Toronto at my Yonge and Lawrence office. On-line sessions via Skype are also available after an initial face-to-face consultation. I am looking forward to supporting you on your quest.
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