Dr. Amanda Van Der Westhuizen , HCPC

Dr Amanda Van Der Westhuizen is a counsellor with 17 years of clinical experience in the United Kingdom. She draws on long experience helping people through anxiety, depression, trauma and relationship difficulties. She speaks English and Afrikaans and works with people from many backgrounds including those with neurodiversity and co-occurring mental health conditions.

Her manner is warm and respectful. She aims to meet people where they are and move at a pace that feels comfortable. Conversations are tailored so they focus on the issues that matter most to each person, whether that is identity, self‑esteem, grief or coping with life change.

Dr Van Der Westhuizen uses a client-centred stance to build trust and understanding. She also offers trauma-focused work and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing to help process difficult memories when appropriate. Sessions are collaborative and goal oriented when clients want practical steps alongside emotional work.

She has experience supporting people with addictions, anger, intimacy concerns and career stress, and also works with issues such as attachment, abandonment, codependency and compassion fatigue. Practical coping skills and gradual exposure to feared situations are often part of the plan when needed.

People who prefer flexibility can choose video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging. International clients are accepted and Dr Van Der Westhuizen will adapt approaches to suit cultural and personal differences.

How these approaches work online

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on listening and building understanding. In practice this means sessions follow the person's priorities and the counsellor reflects back what they hear to help people make sense of their thoughts and feelings.

Trauma-Focused Therapy concentrates on processing the impact of traumatic events and reducing their hold on daily life. It uses structured sessions to gently work through traumatic memories and the reactions they trigger, helping people regain control over their responses.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, often called EMDR, uses guided bilateral stimulation alongside memory work to reduce the intensity of distressing memories. It is typically considered when trauma memories remain a core difficulty and the person is ready to engage in focused processing.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work. The counsellor will discuss goals, preferences and what feels manageable, then recommend techniques to try. Decisions are made together and plans are adjusted as progress is reviewed.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. Video is useful for face-to-face dialogue and non-verbal cues, phone sessions can suit those with limited bandwidth, and chat or messaging are helpful for quick check-ins or when writing feels easier. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into busy lives and to keep continuity when travel or relocation occurs.