Andrew Kucy
Canadian Certified Counsellor (C.C.C.)
Hi! My name is Andrew, and I am a Canadian Certified Counsellor (C.C.C.) who is excited and enthusiastic about supporting everyone’s journey towards improved mental, physical, and emotional well-being. I have a desire to ‘be the change I want to see’ and combine my psychology and engineering backgrounds to support individuals, couples, and groups to better understand themselves, and through that the world around them.
I previously worked for over ten years as a professional engineer in the Alberta oil and gas industry; this experience provides me with insight into some of the challenges associated with job and career development, striving to achieve a work-life ‘balance’, feeling burnt out and/or demotivated at work or home, potential career/industry transitions, and relationship issues. I have recent experiences as a mature student and working remotely, which help me empathize and appreciate the difficulties facing students, remote workers (including shift work in oilfield camps, remote worksites, and accessibility issues for disabled individuals), jobseekers, and others who feel isolated and lonely in this era of so-called ‘social’ media and ‘dating’ apps.
I practice from a trauma-informed perspective and have a special focus/interest in anxiety, depression, burnout, men’s health, and relationship/couples’ issues; these are of special interest because I have lived experience with all these themes and topics. I have experience as a client with individuals, couples, and group counselling; these shape my practice and help me connect with my clients through an appreciation of how intimidating and scary therapy can be. I also have experience supporting children and youth and recognize that counselling young people and families requires different strategies than working with adults.
I use a non-judgmental and person-centered approach to hold space for the emotions and stories clients are willing to share, encourage deeper self-reflections and self-awareness, and collaboratively develop and implement a combination of therapeutic techniques and psychoeducation to help clients navigate personal challenges and pursue growth opportunities in their lives. I primarily utilize a combination of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Solution Focused Therapy (SFT), and skills development topics and interventions from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) in my sessions with clients.
That is a long-winded way of saying that I work with you, at a pace you are comfortable with, to help you learn more about your own thoughts, emotions, and associated behaviours; once you are more aware of yourself, you will be empowered to effectively change your behaviours and life.
In my spare time I enjoy walking with my dog Apollo, remaining active through organized sports, gardening, paddleboarding, snowboarding, and playing modern and retro video games.