Havenwood Counselling
Lasting Change is Possible
Experiential Therapy for Trauma & Emotional Change
In Person on Vancouver Island & Virtually Across Canada.
Who This Work Is For
This work may be a good fit if you:
• feel stuck in emotional patterns that talking alone hasn’t changed
• want to understand the deeper emotional roots of stress, anxiety, or reactivity
• are open to experiential approaches that work directly with emotional experience
• are interested in meaningful and lasting change rather than short-term symptom management
This work tends to resonate with people who are thoughtful, self-aware, and ready to engage actively in their own growth.
Meet Rubeena
I’m glad you are here. When someone arrives at this point, it often means something in life is asking to change, along with the recognition that guidance and support can strengthen what is possible.
My work is grounded in experiential therapy. I work primarily with adults navigating the complex pressures of modern life, as well as with youth. Through my study of the neurology of emotion and a lifelong path of meditative inquiry, I integrate contemporary therapeutic practice with presence and authenticity. Even within the pressures of modern life, the human experience remains sacred.
Much of what shapes our lives lies beneath conscious awareness. Emotional patterns formed earlier in life continue to influence how we experience stress, relationships, and our sense of self.
In a safe and thoughtful therapeutic relationship, we work directly with these deeper patterns. Rather than only managing symptoms, the work focuses on the emotional experience that gives rise to them.
When these experiences can be felt and worked with in new ways, change becomes possible and new ways of living begin to emerge.
You are welcome to learn more about my work and book a free 15-minute consultation to see whether working together feels like the right fit.
Adult Therapy Services
Experiential Therapy
Individual 1:1 TherapyWe begin with what is already present—the patterns, symptoms, and emotional responses that arise in daily life. From there we move toward new ways of experiencing and responding.
Whether you are navigating anxiety, burnout, depression, life transitions, trauma, or relationship challenges, experiential therapy helps uncover emotional patterns that keep problems in place and supports lasting change.
Sessions may integrate experiential approaches such as AEDP and ACT
Arts - Informed Therapy
Individual 1:1 TherapyA creative, experiential approach that supports emotional understanding through structured creative processes.
Memory and imagination are closely linked. Sessions may explore past experiences while opening new ways of experiencing inner life and relationships.
Art materials may be used to support reflection and emotional processing.
No art experience is necessary. The focus is on process, not artistic product.
Coherence Therapy
Individual 1:1 TherapyCoherence Therapy is a neuroscience-informed therapeutic approach designed to support deep and lasting change.
A structured process helps identify the emotional learning driving persistent symptoms. Once this learning is fully experienced and brought into awareness, it can be updated through memory reconsolidation so patterns change at their source.
A minimum of three sessions is required. This approach is not suitable for individuals currently experiencing acute trauma or high levels of emotional activation.
Child & Youth Services
Experiential Therapy
Individual 1:1 TherapyTrauma-informed experiential sessions focused on building a genuine and trustworthy therapeutic relationship.
We gently explore emotional and behavioural patterns that feel overwhelming or difficult to manage.
Sessions may integrate experiential approaches such as AEDP and ACT.
Arts-Informed Therapy
Creative processes such as drawing, collage, watercolour, or clay may be used to support emotional expression and regulation.
These activities allow young people to express emotions symbolically while benefiting from the calming and regulating qualities of art-making.
Individual 1:1 Therapy
Fibre Arts - Informed Therapy
Individual 1:1 TherapySessions begin with structured fibre arts instruction such as knitting, crochet, or embroidery.
The rhythmic nature of fibre arts supports nervous system regulation and sustained attention. As a calm state develops, emotional reflection can occur more naturally.
Havenwood Therapeutic Approach
Experiential
This work focuses on feeling and experiencing rather than analyzing alone.
Targeted
Therapy works directly with the emotional roots of problems.
Evidence-informed
Approaches draw on contemporary neuroscience and research on emotional learning and memory reconsolidation.
Call to Action
Begin with a free 15-minute consultation.
This conversation gives us a chance to see whether the work feels like a good fit and to answer any questions you may have.
Havenwood’s Professional Ethical & Commitment. We follow 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 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.