Avneet Sandhu
MA, RCC
Counsellors
Hi, I’m Avneet! I’m a Punjabi-speaking Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) based in the Lower Mainland, BC, offering compassionate counselling for youth, adults, couples, and families. I offer warm, culturally responsive, trauma-informed counselling with a multicultural lens, providing a safe, non-judgmental space where you feel truly heard and valued. I help clients navigate anxiety, depression, trauma, ADHD, autism, grief, stress, self-esteem challenges, and personal growth, tailoring each session to your unique needs. With over seven years of experience in mental health, trauma services, schools, and community organizations, I bring expertise, empathy, and understanding to every session.
If you’re looking for a culturally aware counsellor in the Lower Mainland who understands Punjabi culture, book a free 15-minute consultation today to see if we’re the right fit!
Brenda Lao
MC, RCC
Counsellors
I’m Brenda Lao, a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC #23001) offering culturally responsive, trauma-informed counselling for youth, adults, and individuals navigating relationships. I support clients experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, identity and self-worth concerns, family conflict, and life transitions.
I identify as a Chinese Canadian, second-generation immigrant, and as a person of colour, I’m especially mindful of how culture, intergenerational experiences, and social expectations can shape mental health. Creating a space where clients—particularly those from racialized and immigrant communities—feel genuinely seen and understood is central to my work.
My approach is person-centred, trauma-informed, and attachment-based. I believe healing happens through safety, trust, and authentic connection. Clients remain the experts of their own lives, and I work alongside them with warmth, curiosity, and care, integrating evidence-based approaches such as CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and emotion-focused strategies when helpful.
With over ten years of experience across government, nonprofit, and educational settings, I bring a relational, strengths-based perspective to therapy. I aim to support clients in developing deeper self-awareness, healthier patterns, and greater emotional resilience.
Devisha Nadan
MC, RCC
Counsellors
Devisha is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) with the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors. She holds a Master’s in Counselling and a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Indigenous Health. With over eight years of experience in mental health and social services, Devisha has supported children, youth, and adults navigating complex mental health concerns, life transitions, and relational challenges.
Devisha is dedicated to creating a safe, inclusive, and compassionate therapeutic space. Her work is grounded in trauma‑informed and culturally responsive care, with an emphasis on reducing barriers and making therapy feel accessible, collaborative, and empowering.
As a member of the Indo‑Fijian diaspora, Devisha brings a multicultural lens to her practice and thoughtfully addresses intergenerational trauma, identity, grief, and cross‑cultural experiences. She integrates evidence‑based and relational approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing, Emotion‑Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), narrative and solution‑focused therapy, attachment‑based work, inner‑child healing, and grief and bereavement counselling. Her approach is client‑centred, strengths‑based, and tailored to each individual’s unique needs and lived experiences.
Languages: Fluent in English and Fijian Hindi; able to understand other Hindi dialects.
How It Began
Vanua Wellness was established to address the critical need for accessible, culturally sensitive mental health support, particularly for marginalized communities. Recognizing the barriers created by stigma and the lack of trauma-informed care, our goal is to provide a safe, inclusive space where individuals can receive holistic, evidence-based counselling. We are committed to empowering clients through a compassionate approach that promotes healing, personal growth, and resilience.
Our story started in Child and Youth Care studies, where three women from different cultural backgrounds met not as friends, but as strangers united by a shared passion for supporting young people and communities. Through long days of learning, reflection, and shared challenges, we discovered a deep connection, sisterhood rooted in empathy, curiosity, and the values of care that first drew us to CYC.
As second-generation immigrants, we each carried our own experiences of navigating identity, culture, and mental health, and we realized the gap in support for people like us. That understanding became the heart of our multicultural counselling practice: a space where everyone can feel seen, heard, and supported, where stigma is challenged, and where healing happens together.
Why You Matter
We believe healing happens in connection — in building your village and feeling the support of a caring community. You don’t have to face your mental health journey alone; we’re here to walk beside you, every step of the way.
