Havenwood Counselling
Rubeena Sandhu (RCC)
"Change is a process."
In-person Duncan, BC & virtually anywhere
Trauma Informed, Process-Based Therapy
Real inner change rarely comes from insight alone, it emerges when deeper emotional patterns begin to shift.
Our work will draw on process-based, experiential therapies that are grounded in neuroscience and focused on lived experience. Sessions begin with what’s already present: the patterns, symptoms, and emotional responses that show up in day-to-day life. These become the entry point for deeper integration and lasting transformation.
Whether you’re navigating burnout, reactivity, stress, low mood, hopelessness or creative disconnection, this kind of therapy is designed to help uncover emotional blocks and support sustained, meaningful change—without bypassing the complexity of being human.
Therapeutic Approaches
I work with three key therapies—Coherence Therapy, AEDP and ACT—each offering a unique path to lasting change.
Coherence Therapy
Uncovers the emotional logic behind stuck patterns like anxiety or self-criticism. Through guided exploration and memory reconsolidation, we transform these patterns at the root—without needing to "try harder."
AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy)
Supports emotions you’ve learned to avoid by creating a safe space to feel and shift overwhelming experiences, often bringing relief and a stronger sense of self.
ACT (Acceptance & Commitment Therapy)
Helps you move forward despite difficult thoughts and feelings by building psychological flexibility, so you can take meaningful action—even when life feels uncertain.
Session Options
Individual Counselling (Adults & Youth)
One-on-one sessions to gently explore and shift the emotional patterns holding you back. Grounded in neuroscience, this work helps transform long-held beliefs and behaviours for lasting change.
Individual Art-Based Counselling (Adults & youth)
Neuroscience increasingly confirms the power of art and symbolic exploration for psychological processing. No art skills needed—just a willingness to explore and heal through creativity.
For youth and adolescents, I offer safe, creative spaces to support processing in gentle, indirect ways.
Process Based Therapies
Process-Based Therapies (PBT) are an emerging framework in clinical psychology that move beyond traditional diagnosis and symptom-focused treatments. Instead, it targets the core, underlying psychological processes (like cognitive patterns, emotional regulation, learning mechanisms, and social behaviors) that drive mental health problems across different diagnoses.
Key points of Experiential Process Based Therapies:
They are transdiagnostic — focusing on processes common across disorders instead of specific diagnoses.
They prioritize mechanisms of change: cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and biological processes that maintain suffering.
They draw from multiple therapeutic traditions (ACT, psychodynamic, emotion-focused, etc.) to target what matters most for each client.
Why Process Based, Experiential Therapies Works
Grounded in research.
These approaches draw from neuroscience, cognitive science, and years of clinical insight.Flexible and Responsive.
Because no two people are the same, these approaches adapt as you grow — supporting you through stuck points, patterns, and breakthroughs in a way that feels relevant.Personalized.
By focusing on your specific memory experiences and learning processes that are keeping you stuck — whether that’s emotional regulation, unhelpful thinking patterns, anger, avoidance, or anything else - the transformation comes from you.
Book for the Fall of 2025
Havenwood’s Professional Ethical & Commitment. As a registered clinical counsellor, Rubeena follows the ethical guidelines of the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) and adhere to all privacy and confidentiality standards, including the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), to protect your sensitive information and ensure your trust in our work together.
Havenwood acknowledges with deep respect that we practice on the unceded and ancestral territories of the Coast Salish Peoples. Our downtown Duncan location rests on the traditional lands of the Quw’utsun (Cowichan) peoples, whose enduring relationship with this land continues to guide and shape its life.
Our Sahtlam location, nestled in the forested hills west of the city, lies within the broader territories of the Quw’utsun, and neighboring Nations including the Ts’uubaa-asatx, Halalt, Stz’uminus, Penelakut, Lyackson, and Malahat peoples. We recognize that this land was never ceded, and that colonization—including displacement, residential schools, and ongoing systemic harms—continues to affect Indigenous communities.
Havenwood honours and affirms the dignity, identities, and lived experiences of all people, including those who are Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and beyond (LGBTQIA2S+). We recognize and respect each person’s right to self-identify and express their gender and sexuality freely and authentically. We are committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and affirming space where all individuals are valued and supported in their journeys of healing and growth.
Havenwood is spiritually affirming. Havenwood recognizes that healing often involves more than just the mind and emotions—it can include the spirit as well. These sessions create space for your personal spiritual or existential beliefs to be explored and supported, without judgment or agenda. Whether you draw from a specific religious tradition, nature-based practices, meditation, or simply a sense of meaning or connection beyond yourself, this approach honours your inner life as a vital part of your healing process.