Meet the Founder-Director
Sandy is a psychotherapist, teacher, and founder engaging in pioneering work in how Presence becomes the ground for healing, learning and living.
Founder's Note
"Just Being is not just an organizational name for me—it’s a desired way of life.
Over the years, my work has grown from a deep inquiry into Presence, Mindfulness, and Wisdom, and how these shape the way we listen, relate, and support healing. I am interested in what happens when we bring together psychological understanding and inner practice—not as separate domains, but as a lived, embodied process.
My own journey continues to inform this work. Learning is constant as I engage with myself, clients, students, colleagues, family, cats, and life itself. The exploration of beingness—how we show up, how we listen, and how presence itself becomes a ground for change—remains central to me.
The Just Being Center holds this inquiry at its heart: supporting therapists, educators, and communities to work not only from knowledge and skill, but from Being and Presence."
-Sandy Dias Andrade
Sandy Dias Andrade
Founder–Director, Just Being Center for Mindfulness and Presence
Sandy has been a practicing psychotherapist for over twenty-five years and works with a Mindfulness and Presence-Oriented Psychotherapeutic approach, integrating somatic, attachment-based, and trauma-resolution perspectives. Her specialization is in developmental trauma in adults.
She is deeply interested in merging mainstream psychological processes with wisdom-based approaches, an integration that has shaped the vision and work of the Just Being Center and the professional trainings she has developed for mental health practitioners.
Training & Professional Work
Sandy has developed, designed, and leads the Just Being’s flagship training program- Presence Oriented Psychotherapy(Integrating Mindfulness, Compassion and Wisdom – A Non-Dual Approach), as well as the Mindfulness-Based Counselling: Listening with Embodied Presence.
She also curates and mentors the applied mindfulness-based programs offered through the Center and is a certified Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Teacher.
She holds an international certification in MBCT from the Center of Mindfulness, University of California, San Diego, USA,and is listed on the international MBCT directory. She has also trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Clinical & Somatic Foundations
Her clinical background includes extensive training in somatic and trauma-informed approaches such as Integral Somatic Psychology (ISP), Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST), and Dynamic Attachment and Repatterning (DARe). She is an accredited practitioner in Craniosacral Biodynamics from the International Institute of Craniosacral Balancing (IICSB), Switzerland, and is certified in Focusing Skills by the British Focusing Association (BFA).
She has also trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and trauma-resolution approaches including EMDR and Bodynamic. Her work is also informed by Internal Family Systems (IFS).
Work in Education, Community & Organizations
Sandy has extensive experience in designing and delivering experiential and comprehensive trainings for mental health professionals, educators, and volunteers. She co-designed the Mindfulness-Based Active Listening for Suicide Prevention training for volunteers at Connecting Trust, where she has served as Co-Managing Trustee, Mentor, Trainer, and volunteer. She also established Connecting Trust’s helpline service, which now runs independently.
Her work spans schools, community organizations, and corporate settings. She has contributed to RBA School, Aman Setu, and is currently associated with Swadhaa Waldorf Learning Center, Pune, working with teachers, parents, and students to support the development of wholesome school communities. Through the Just Being Center, she has facilitated Mindfulness Retreats for families, parents, teenagers, and children, and has been closely associated with the Mindful Parenting Program, a collaboration between the Greater Good Science Center, University of California, Berkeley and the Kaveri Group of Institutes, Pune.
She also works with corporate and social organizations in Presence-Based Leadership, mindfulness, and listening, adopting a whole-organization approach. Some of her long-term engagements through the Just Being Center include Tara Mobile Creches, Akanksha, Schlumberger, and Dassault Systèmes.
Teaching, Mentorship & Supervision
Sandy is regularly invited as guest and visiting faculty at universities and professional training institutes, including Pune University, TISS Mumbai, FLAME University, S.P. College, and St. Mira’s College, Pune.
She offers ongoing mentorship and supervision to psychotherapists and counsellors, supporting the integration of Mindfulness and Presence Orientation in individual therapy, organizational contexts, and group work. A central emphasis of this work is cultivating an inner-oriented process, where attention to one’s own Being or Presence is foundational.
Conferences & Writings
Through the Just Being Center and partner organizations, Sandy has curated international and national conferences on mindfulness, presence, education, and mental health. She is a TEDx speaker and is currently writing her book- Mindfulness & Presence Oriented Psychotherapy.
Personal Practice
Alongside her professional work, Sandy remains deeply committed to her own contemplative practice. Her journey that began with Vipassana meditation in the tradition of S. N. Goenka has deepened through Buddhist teachings over the years. She currently deepens her practice and understanding through her current teacher, Mingyur Rinpoche and the Tergar Institute, where she is part of the leadership team in India, and continues on the path of Vajrayana Buddhist practice, which deeply aligns with her work. She remains open to exploring many pathways to `beingness’ along with the wisdom traditions.
