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Kitakits: Toronto
What happens when twenty Filipino therapists gather around one long table for a kamayan feast? A room filled with laughter, connection, and the realization that many of us have been navigating this work more alone than we needed to.
Blog #52
Many second-generation Filipinos grow up hearing stories about sacrifice, gratitude, and making the struggles of previous generations “worth it.” While these messages often come from love, they can also create a quieter emotional pressure underneath, the feeling that your life has to justify everything your family went through.
For many Filipino-Canadians, this can show up as guilt when choosing your own path, setting boundaries, or making decisions that look different from family expectations.
In this article, Filipino-Canadian therapist Kurt Hamblosa explores how intergenerational immigrant stories shape identity, obligation, and belonging, and how second-generation immigrants can begin to honor their family’s sacrifices while also building lives that reflect their own values.
Blog #51
This article explores Filipino-Canadian mental health through the lens of diaspora identity, faith, family expectations, and people-pleasing. Many second-generation Filipino-Canadians struggle with guilt, boundary-setting, and balancing collectivist values with autonomy. If you’ve ever felt caught between Filipino culture and Canadian independence, this reflection offers validation and insight.
Blog #50
Our in-person therapy space in Vaughan was intentionally designed to support nervous system regulation and emotional safety, creating the conditions for deeper, more meaningful therapeutic work. Here, healing doesn’t start with what you say. It starts with what your body feels the moment you walk in, set your things down, and realize you don’t have to brace anymore.
Blog #47
As the holidays approach, many people imagine slowing down, celebrating, and being surrounded by family. But for countless healthcare providers and first responders, Christmas doesn’t bring rest. It brings another shift.
If you’re working this Christmas, I want to take a moment to acknowledge you.
As someone who spent years working holiday shifts as a psychiatric emergency nurse, I understand the mix of duty, exhaustion, pride, and grief this season can bring.
Blog #46
For many Filipino-Canadians, Christmas carries a unique mix of joy and quiet heaviness. The lights are beautiful, the snow feels magical, and yet, there’s a part of us that aches a little. We’re celebrating here in Canada, but our hearts are stretched across oceans, memories, and expectations. Between the pressure to give, the guilt of being far from family, the desire to look “okay,” and the longing for the noisy, comforting chaos of Christmas back home, the holidays can feel more emotional than we expect. This blog explores why the season feels both masaya and mabigat through the lens of Filipino culture and psychology and why your experience makes complete sense.