Dr. Amanda Van Der Westhuizen
Compassionate, experienced therapist for complex issues
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About Amanda
Dr Amanda Van Der Westhuizen brings 17 years of experience working in the UK and South Africa. She approaches each person with respect, sensitivity and compassion. Her style is calm and patient, aimed at helping people feel heard and understood.
She tailors therapy to each individual and moves at a pace that feels right for them. Her work often focuses on complex and overlapping difficulties. She supports people dealing with trauma, depression, anxiety and relationship problems.
Background and approach
She also helps those facing identity and self-esteem issues, and people living with neurodiversity or co-occurring mental health concerns. Dr Van Der Westhuizen uses methods that centre the client’s experience and address traumatic memories when needed. Her approach is practical and person-led, with conversations that aim to clarify what matters most to the person she is supporting.
She works to create achievable steps toward change rather than overwhelming plans. Clients can expect an open, non-judgemental space where their background and differences are recognised. She pays attention to how past relationships and family dynamics show up in current life.
Work together often includes building coping skills, improving communication, and exploring emotional patterns. The therapist also offers support around specific problems such as addiction, grief, anger and career stress. For people struggling with chronic illness, chronic pain or ongoing stress, she looks at how these issues intersect with mood and daily functioning.
Her aim is to walk alongside people as they shape a more fulfilling life.
At a glance
- Years practising
- 17
- Registered with
- HCPC
- Registration number
- PYL040429
- Languages
- English, Afrikaans
- Approaches include
- Client-Centered Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma-Focused Therapy
- How sessions happen
- Online, by video, phone or messages
Details are as listed on Amanda's public professional profile. You can check any number with the professional body.
What Amanda works with
Everything Amanda lists, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Dissociation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Infidelity
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Visually impaired
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Amanda lists
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each counsellor names and does not check training records.
How Amanda works online
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an approach used to process distressing memories. It involves guided attention and structured phases to reduce the emotional intensity of traumatic memories and can be helpful for trauma-related symptoms.
Trauma-Focused Therapy concentrates on understanding how traumatic events affect current feelings and behaviour. It uses targeted techniques to help people make sense of past events and to develop new coping strategies for daily life.
Choosing the right method is part of therapy. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and what feels manageable, and then decide together which approach or combination to try. That collaborative process aims to match treatment to the person’s needs rather than following a fixed plan.
Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week and to keep continuity when life is unpredictable. Please confirm specific session formats before booking, as the biography does not list them. Many people find remote work useful for shorter check-ins, arranging sessions around work or caring responsibilities, and removing travel time so therapy can slot into everyday life.
Questions and answers
What concerns does she commonly help with?
She supports people with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and relationship difficulties, as well as issues like addiction, grief, self-esteem and identity.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is client-centred and patient focused, with an emphasis on listening and tailoring the pace and plan to each person.
What background and experience does she have?
She has 17 years of professional experience working in the UK and South Africa and has supported people with complex and co-occurring conditions.
Where is she based and what credential does she hold?
She practises in the United Kingdom and holds HCPC registration as supplied in her details.
Which languages can sessions be held in?
Sessions are offered in English and Afrikaans.
What session formats are available?
The original biography does not specify session formats; please confirm current session options before booking.
How are fees handled?
Costs vary with location and therapist availability and sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Choose the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.
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