אסף קידר ● מרחבים לשחרור וצמיחה ● פסיכותרפיה ומיינדפולנס
WELCOME!
My name is Asaf Kedar, I am an integrative psychotherapist and Mindfulness teacher in private practice in Pardes Hanna and Tel Aviv (Israel) as well as online. In addition to facilitating processes of personal growth through one-on-one meetings, I also occasionally offer workshops, Mindfulness courses, and therapy groups.
I first encountered Psychotherapy and Mindfulness while working on a PhD in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. I personally experienced the ability of these modalities to bring about powerful transformations in our understanding of ourselves and in our way of being in the world. I resolved to become a caregiver myself so I could share these gifts with others. Being a therapist is a way for me to help foster personal growth by softening the sharp edges of our lives, enhancing our self-knowledge, and liberating us from unhelpful patterns of thought and behavior.
I speak English at near-native level, and I am happy to offer personal therapy, mindfulness lessons, and groups activities in English.
PSYCHOTHERAPY
My core professional training is in Body Psychotherapy, which brings together verbal and somatic (body-oriented) forms of therapy. In addition to the verbal channel of communication characterizing traditional psychotherapy, body psychotherapy also includes elements such as movement, touch, meditation, breathwork and so on. This broad array of methods makes it possible to bring about personal growth and transformation by building connections between body, heart, and mind.
MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness meditation offers effective tools for reducing stress, regulating emotions, handling physical pain and illness, and fostering beneficial mental states such as self-confidence, stability, and joy. I consider these tools to be an important part of what I have to offer as a therapist. But beyond these specific tools, meditation is a gateway to a whole way of life, one which has the capacity to introduce greater degrees of freedom, depth, meaning and joy into our lives. I walk this path in my personal life, and I am happy to offer it to others through mindfulness courses and private mindfulness lessons.
ABOUT ME
I am a graduate of the training program in Biosynthesis (Body Psychotherapy) at Broshim Campus, Tel Aviv; and of the Mindfulness Teacher Training Program at IDC Herzliya in collaboration with Bangor University (UK). I have been practicing Dharma (Buddhism) and mindfulness meditation since 2008.
Over the years I have been engaged in the service of various social and political causes, especially around Jewish-Palestinian relations. I have also been active with the Israeli Engaged Dharma group which combines meditation practice with social engagement.
Before turning to the caregiving professions, I spent many years in academia. I received a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley, and worked as a Lecturer in the Humanities at Kibbutzim College of Education, Tel Aviv.
Having spent years living in international environments, both as a child and as an adult, I am intimately acquainted with life-issues related to living away from home, immigration, cross-cultural experience, identity and belonging.
Another field in which I specialize is that of social and political engagement. With my long-time experience in social engagement and my academic background in the social sciences, I am deeply sensitive to the social and political contexts in which our personal lives unfold, and I bring this sensitivity with me into the clinic. As a therapist I currently participate in a special project led by the Israeli organization “Psychoactive”, which offers low-cost therapy for activists. In order to apply for therapy in the framework of this project, please contact Psychoactive here.