Havenwood Counselling
Therapy at Havenwood Counselling isn’t just about symptom relief—it’s about understanding what lies beneath.
It’s about gently uncovering the emotional patterns that shape your experience and making room for meaningful, lasting change.
Meet Rubeena
RCC (24300), MEd, BFA, BC Certified Teacher
I’m Rubeena, and my approach to therapy is informed by a deep understanding of the effects of emotional distress, as well as the patterns of behavior and addiction that can span multiple generations.
Drawing from Coherence Therapy and Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), I offer a neuroscience-informed approach that works with contemporary emotional transformation and reconsolidation processes. These modalities engage how the brain, emotions, and body learn—and how they can consciously re-learn—to respond to life’s challenges, supporting genuine change.
Rooted in a deep understanding of human development, my approach honours the emotional, mental, physical, and existential/spiritual (non-religious) dimensions of human experience.
Neuro + Science helps us understand the nervous system, trauma responses, and patterns of thought or behavior.
Nature reminds us of cycles, seasons, and the way we are part of something organic and ever-changing.
Spiritual perspective gives space for meaning-making, grief, awe, and the mystery of being human — without having to fit into a particular religion or dogma.
I see our connection to self, others and the natural world as an ongoing process of attunement, where healing arises from understanding and reconnecting to the deeper parts of ourselves.
In our work together, you’ll find a space where your unique experiences are honoured. We will explore the ways your life has been shaped, and where you can transform old habits and automatic responses into new ways of being. Transformation doesn’t take ages, it happens now.
I am honoured to live in the Cowichan Valley, a place that has been part of my family’s lived history since the early 1900s. This valley is woven into the fabric of my life and deeply shapes the work I do. I am grateful to live and work on the unceded, ancestral lands of the Coast Salish peoples — including the territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən, W̱SÁNEĆ, and Penelakut nations — lands that have been cared for and inhabited by Indigenous peoples since time immemorial.
What to Expect
At Havenwood Counselling, healing is not about “fixing” something broken—it’s about uncovering and reshaping the deep patterns that influence your experience.
Why Havenwood?
You want depth, not just coping strategies—you seek real & lasting transformation.
You appreciate a holistic, yet grounded approach that blends knowledge of human nature from scientific, natural, and spiritual (not religious) perspectives.
Sessions
Rubeena offers a myriad of session types to suit you.
Dyad – At its core, conversation forms a dyad - a process— through one-on-one dialogue, clients uncover implicit emotional truths, regulate their nervous system, and engage in self-change.
Experiential & Creative Work – With a background in fine arts, Rubeena can include artistic processes such as collage, watercolor, pastels, and clay work serve as powerful tools for self-exploration, offering a nonverbal pathway to insight and emotional expression.
No art experience is necessary - this is not about making “good” art, but using the power of symbol (a picture is a thousand words) to tap into the limbic brain, our emotional centre where trauma lives.
Contemplative Practices – Honing attention and exercising the mind’s imaginative powers are as essential to well-being as any physical exercise. These practices foster mental clarity, emotional resilience, and a deeper connection to oneself. If you are seeking meditative practices, Rubeena can offer text-based, image based meditative practices that balance thinking, feeling and behaviour.
Booking in May
The emotional field is as real as any tangible thing.