Kitakits: Toronto
Filipino/a/x Therapists, One Long Table, and a Community That Was Long Overdue
“I think I’m starting to talk to my plants too much, and I’m craving human connection.”
That was the sentence that started all of this.
Not in a dramatic way, just a quiet moment during a catch-up with my friend and colleague Elda of Laro Therapy. We were talking about work, life, and the reality of being therapists who work mostly from home.
Working from home has many benefits. It’s flexible, convenient, and peaceful. But it can also be isolating. Some days, the quiet stretches longer than expected. And when most of your day is spent holding space for others, it can be easy to realize you haven’t had much space for connection yourself.
So somewhere in that conversation, an idea came up. What if we just met a few Filipino therapists for coffee?
That was the original plan. A small café meetup. Maybe five or eight people.
But the idea slowly started growing. A few messages were sent. A few invitations were shared. People started expressing interest. One person told another person, who told another person. Before we knew it, the small coffee meetup had turned into something much bigger.
A group of Filipino/a/x-Canadian therapists and social workers gathered together for lunch at Tinuno in Toronto.
And it was beautiful.
Therapists arriving and socializing
The Energy in the Room
When people first arrived, the energy in the room felt exactly the way you’d hope it would when people who somehow share a similar experience finally meet. The first few minutes were spent doing what Filipinos do best:
Talking. Laughing. Introducing ourselves. Realizing how small the world can be.
Some people had travelled from Ottawa, Hamilton, Newmarket, Durham, and other areas outside the GTA just to be there.
Elda and I welcomed everyone and shared a little about how this gathering came together. We introduced ourselves and, at one point, shared our secret talents, which ended up being a surprisingly good icebreaker.
People exchanged social media handles, talked about their work, and connected in ways that felt easy and genuine.
It felt like a reunion of people who hadn’t met yet.
When Your Brain Stops Working Because You Skipped Breakfast
We also admitted something slightly embarrassing.
In preparation for the kamayan feast, Elda and I had both skipped breakfast. Some others at the table confessed they had done the same.
In theory, it seemed like a great idea! Save room for the food.
In practice, it meant that by the time we were welcoming everyone and trying to say a few opening words, our brains were… glitching!
There were moments when one of us would start a sentence and then suddenly pause mid-thought, trying to find the right word. Then the other would do the exact same thing. We looked at each other, realized what was happening, and burst out laughing.
Apparently, hosting an event while extremely hungry is not the best strategy!
Thankfully, the room was warm, forgiving, and full of good humour.
But at that point, it was very clear.
Food was needed.
The Kamayan Feast
While we were socializing, the restaurant staff were preparing our long table inside Tinuno’s function hall.
The space itself was beautiful. Rattan décor. Pendant lights glowing above us. A long row of plants along the window. Pinoy music playing in the background.
And then the food arrived.
A kamayan feast laid out across banana leaves along a long table that seated all twenty of us.
Garlic fried rice. Grilled seafood and meats. Steamed vegetables. Mango salad. Sarap!
And of course, the condiments that make everything even better: alamang, sili, and all the flavours that make a Filipino meal feel complete. Mas masarap pa lalo!
Something About Sharing Food
There’s something about eating kamayan that changes the atmosphere of a gathering. People lean across the table to talk. Hands reach in together. Conversations flow easily between bites.
People started sharing more about the work they do: art therapy, somatic therapy, EMDR, couples work, group therapy, working with children and families.
The range of expertise around that table was incredible. And yet the feeling in the room stayed simple.
Not competitive. Not performative. Just people connecting.
A long table of kamayan at Tinunos with Pino/a/xy Therapists
The Most Filipino Ending
As the meal came to an end, something very Filipino happened.
We packed leftovers. Hehehe.
Sharon made sure nothing went to waste. Containers were passed around, and people happily claimed what would later become bangsilog, longsilog, dinner later, or even breakfast tomorrow.
Another small but comforting reminder of the culture we carry with us wherever we go.
Highlight video of Kitakits:Toronto
What I Felt After
Before everyone left, we thanked everyone for coming and mentioned the possibility of doing this again in the summer. Judging by the smiles in the room, it felt like people were hoping the same thing. When the afternoon finally wrapped up, I sat with a simple feeling.
Warmth.
Not the loud kind of excitement, but the quiet kind that settles in your chest when something meaningful happens. This gathering reminded me that I’m not alone in the experience of being a Filipino therapist working in private practice, often from home.
It reminded me that many of us are navigating similar paths, holding space for others while sometimes working in isolation ourselves. What struck me most during lunch was hearing about the different ways people are showing up in their work. The diversity of care in that room was incredible.
And it gave me hope.
Hope that our community continues to grow.
Hope that the work we’re doing is meaningful.
Hope that we’ll keep finding ways to support each other.
As helpers, we spend so much time holding space for others that we sometimes forget how important it is to create space for ourselves, too.
But on that afternoon, around a long table at Tinuno, something simple and meaningful happened.
We gathered. We ate. We laughed. We connected.
And it felt long overdue.
I’m deeply grateful to Elda for reaching out and helping bring this idea to life. What started as a simple catch-up turned into something much bigger than either of us expected.
And to everyone who came, especially those who travelled from Ottawa, Hamilton, and beyond, thank you for helping create something special.
Our Filipino community has so much to be proud of!
And if this lunch showed us anything, it’s that when we make the time to gather, something meaningful can happen.
Hopefully, this was just the beginning.
Filipino/a/x Canadian Therapists meetup in Toronto, March 2026
