Please join us in welcoming Alexandru “Andrei” Dandescu, our new GME Wellness Counselor!! Andrei comes with strong clinical skills as well as many unique experiences that include working as a therapist in varied settings.
Andrei starts his new position with us today, August 3 and will work three days a week. His office will be at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Dipti Chrastka, our GME Wellness Service Director will work with Andrei to get him oriented to GME and open up his schedule to Wellness appointments in the next few weeks. Here is a bit of what Andrei shared with us.
Thank you for the opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Alexandru Andrei Dandescu, please call me Andrei.
I was born and spent my early years in Campulung Muscel, a small medieval town nestled in the forests of the foothills of the Carpathian mountains.
The idyllic peaks, bucolic valleys, jagged canyons and lively mountain streams of the Carpathians formed part of the natural borders between Walachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia the early nations that later became part of modern day Romania in 1918. Their serene, unspoiled natural environment fascinated me as a child, just as much as the vibrant local folklore and ancient lines of people.
I have a strong sense of origin and yet I see myself as an amalgam of diverse and constantly emerging interests. I am a proud Husky psychology undergrad and hold a Master’s Degree In Clinical Psychology from Radford University.
Exploring the Cascades and the greater Pacific Northwest helped me reconnect to the healing power of nature and the exuberant joy of hiking, skiing, biking and sailing. I feel compelled to research the therapeutic effects inherent in outdoor natural environments and the possible clinical and ecological impact of our species’ increasing disconnect from nature.
Over the course of the past twenty-something years, I have worked in various clinical settings, such as community mental health, private practice, residential care facilities, detention facilities, and hospitals.
My clients, co-workers, friends, and family, ongoing multicultural experiences and occasional world travel helped me better appreciate the individual complexity, numerous struggles and amazing potential of the always expanding human consciousness.
At this time, I feel happy to be part of the Resident & Fellow Wellness Graduate Medical Education team and contribute to the wellbeing of our future healers and their partners.