About Ruby Au, MA, RCC
Registered Clinical Counsellor | OCD & Anxiety CBT & ERP Specialist in Greater Vancouver
Guiding You Toward Clarity, Calm, and Meaningful Connection
Ruby Au, MA, RCC is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC #3429) specializing in OCD treatment, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). She brings almost two decades of clinical experience from hospital psychiatry, community mental health, and primary care settings, offering clients a grounded, evidence-based, and culturally attuned approach to recovery.
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Ruby’s work is centered on helping individuals reclaim their lives from intrusive thoughts, excessive worry, compulsive patterns, and emotionally overwhelming situations. Her style is structured and collaborative, helping clients see clear pathways toward emotional resilience and meaningful change.
Clinical Training and Expertise
Ruby completed her Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology and has extensive postgraduate training in:
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Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
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Trauma-informed care
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Cross-cultural mental health
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Anxiety and mood disorders
Her specialized training in ERP, the gold-standard treatment for OCD, allows her to provide highly targeted, measurable, and effective care for those living with obsessions and compulsions. Ruby also supports clients working through generalized anxiety, health anxiety, relationship challenges, and communication difficulties—all through a CBT-based lens.
A Strong Clinical Foundation Across BC Health Care Systems
Before focusing on her private practice at Pistos Counselling Services, Ruby worked in multiple major healthcare settings throughout British Columbia:
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Vancouver General Hospital — Cross Cultural Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic
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Royal Columbian Hospital — Group Therapy Program
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Vancouver Coastal Health — Community Mental Health & Substance Use Teams
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Fraser Health Authority — Adult Mental Health & Substance Use Services
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Vancouver Primary Care Networks (PCN), collaborating with family physicians in an integrated care model
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Her diverse clinical background allows her to assess complex presentations, recognize medical-psychological interactions, and deliver structured, evidence-based treatment plans.
Research in Cross-Cultural Mental Health
Ruby’s interests in multicultural identity and mental health led her to conduct research on:
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Mental health issues among Chinese Canadians in Metro Vancouver
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Acculturation stress and identity differences across Chinese subgroups
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Cultural barriers to help-seeking
Her work was published in the World Cultural Psychiatry Research Review (WCPRR) and presented at the 14th Pacific Rim College of Psychiatrists Scientific Meeting in Brisbane, Australia. This research continues to shape her client-centered, culturally sensitive practice.
Specialized Support for ICBC Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVA)
​Ruby is an approved ICBC health care provider and offers direct billing for MVA-related counselling. She assists individuals processing trauma responses after accidents, including:
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Anxiety and hypervigilance
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Intrusive memories
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Avoidance or driving phobia
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Emotional distress affecting daily functioning
Her ERP and CBT background inform her structured, gentle approach to restoring safety, confidence, and normal routines.
Counselling in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin
Ruby provides counselling in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin, supporting clients in the language that feels safest and most natural. This is especially beneficial for clients navigating cross-cultural identity, family expectations, or multilingual environments.
Therapy Rooted in Collaboration and Empowerment
Ruby believes in strengthening the whole person—emotionally, mentally, socially, and spiritually. Her counselling approach empowers clients to recognize their strengths, gain new skills, interrupt unhelpful patterns, and create long-term change.
Clients often describe Ruby’s style as:
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warm yet structured
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compassionate yet direct
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deeply knowledgeable
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culturally attuned
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grounded, steady, and clear
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