Our Philosophy: Kintsugi
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why the cup? the cup is why.
The cup is a Greek KANTHAROS CUP and the fissures stretching across its surface are KINTSUGI. Together, these represent the philosophy that The MEND Counselling is built upon:
We are more beautiful for how we've been broken and put back together than we ever were before.
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the KANTHAROS CUP
As a child, I was fascinated with Greek mythology and history. I’d spend hours poring over the myths and intricate designs. I desperately wanted one of the patterned vases (like the singing ones from Disney’s Hercules movie) and one of the “fancy cups with the swoopy arms”. They just looked so ~CoOoOoL~. Was it odd for a kid to want housewares? ...ok so I wanted pretty dishes (still do). Whatever. Don’t yuck my yum. ANYWAY. This is where the cup comes in. It makes sense, I promise.​​
​The kantharos cup is also a banqueting cup that represents and celebrates the joy, beauty, and importance of coming together in connection. These cups were also used in rituals as a symbol of rebirth or resurrection. Therapy is, in many ways, a process of rebirth. Transformation. Of coming back to or finding yourself through gentle evolution. As we work through our pain, old patterns, or limiting beliefs, we create space for something new to emerge. So the cup...well, it just makes sense.
the "cracks" - KINTSUGI
Kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold, is a beautiful reminder that our cracks and flaws aren’t something to be hidden—they’re part of our story, making us even more unique.
Therapy works in much the same way. Healing isn’t about erasing the past or pretending our pain never happened. We know that doesn’t work. It’s about acknowledging what we’ve been through, understanding how it’s shaped us, and learning to embrace those experiences with compassion.
Over time, this process helps us build a stronger, more resilient sense of self—where we see our struggles and the ways we’ve been “broken” not as shortcomings, but as meaningful parts of our journey toward growth and wholeness.
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the MEND
The art and philosophy of KINTSUGI fundamentally changed me. I have not one but two tattoos paying homage to it. One of these tattoos is the kintsugi kantharos cup that has come to represent The MEND Counselling. It means that much.
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It shapes the way I understand wounding, healing, and my approach to the therapeutic process.​
Not simply into cups. I also love a big ol’ coffee mug. Amiright?
I believe that the task of mending our wounds makes us powerful. And the scars—be they visible or not—are hard-won badges of honour, mended with the gold that pours out of us when we have the courage to be bravely vulnerable.
So, I’ll say it again for the people in the back:
​​You are more beautiful
for how you’ve been broken
and put back together
than you ever. were. before.
Together we can MEND.
I hope you join me.
​- Stephanie