Havenwood Counselling Child & Youth Therapy
A calm, relational approach that meets young people where they are. True change is possible.
Child & Youth Therapy Offerings
Evidence-Based Experiential Therapy
Individual 1:1 TherapyTrauma - informed, experiential sessions to build an authentic, trustworthy relationship. We gently explore symptoms to shift the emotional & behavioural patterns that are overwhelming, distressing or unwanted. These therapy sessions utilize a blend of experiential modalities (AEDP & ACT) to align to support healing.
Process Arts-Informed Therapy
A gentle, process-based approach that supports emotional understanding and regulation through simple, structured creative activities.
Sessions may include drawing, collage, watercolour, clay, or other basic art materials. These are used to help young people express and process emotions symbolically, while also benefiting from the naturally regulating and calming effects of art-making.
Individual 1:1 Therapy
In Fibre Arts–Informed Therapy, sessions begin with structured fibre arts instruction, such as knitting, crochet, or embroidery. Rubeena has a lot of experience in teaching young people to knit, crochet, cross-stitch and more!
The repetitive, rhythmic nature of the work supports regulation and sustained attention. As a calm, focused state develops, verbal reflection and emotional processing can occur more easily and organically. Children must be individually motivated and have an intrinsic desire to learn fibre arts skills to qualify for these sessions.
Individual 1:1 TherapyFibre Arts - Informed Therapy
The Havenwood Counselling Approach
At Havenwood Counselling, work with children and youth is relational, experiential, and developmentally attuned. The focus is not on fixing behaviour or pushing insight, but on creating the conditions where young people can feel safe enough to understand themselves and grow.
Rubeena works from the understanding that children and adolescents communicate through emotion, relationship, action, and image as much as through words. Sessions are shaped to meet youth where they are—emotionally, developmentally, and experientially.
What this looks like in practice
1. Safety and relationship come first
Change happens through trust. Early sessions focus on building a warm, respectful relationship where youth feel seen, not analyzed. Humour, honesty, and genuine curiosity help young people relax and show up as themselves.
2. Experiential, not talk-heavy
Many youth find it hard—or unnecessary—to talk directly about feelings. Sessions may include drawing, journaling, simple art, movement, or quiet hands-on activities. These support emotional expression without pressure and often allow deeper material to emerge naturally.
3. Emotion-focused and neuroscience-informed
Havenwood’s approach is informed by contemporary trauma and attachment research. Rather than managing symptoms alone, the work gently supports youth to recognize, understand, and transform emotional patterns that drive anxiety, shutdown, reactivity, or low mood.
4. Respect for autonomy and pacing
Youth are never pushed to disclose more than they want to. The work unfolds at their pace, supporting a sense of agency and inner confidence—especially important for adolescents who are forming identity and independence.
5. Family-aware, child-centred
Parents and caregivers are supported alongside the child when helpful, with care taken to protect the young person’s sense of safety and privacy. The goal is alignment and understanding, not blame.
Areas commonly supported
Anxiety, stress, and emotional overwhelm
School pressure and performance concerns
Low mood, withdrawal, or irritability
Identity and self-esteem challenges
Family transitions or relational strain
Trauma responses and nervous system dysregulation
At its heart, Havenwood Counselling offers children and youth a space that feels calm, human, and respectful—where emotional experience can be met with care, understood more deeply, and gradually transformed into resilience and self-trust.
Meet Rubeena
Rubeena is a Registered Clinical Counsellor, educator, and fine artist with nearly twenty years of experience supporting children, youth, and families.
She is known for her calm, relational presence and her ability to help young people feel at ease—meeting them with warmth, humour, and respect.
In-person and remote options
Our office is conveniently located in downtown Duncan, BC. A place to gather, grow, and reconnect.