- Client-Centred Therapy
- EMDR for trauma
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
About Amanda
Dr Amanda Van Der Westhuizen is a HCPC-registered clinician in the United Kingdom with 17 years of professional experience. She works with people facing stress, anxiety, trauma, depression and issues with self-esteem, and she lists social anxiety and phobia among her concerns. She offers help for a wide range of difficulties and accepts international clients.
Her practice supports people living with overlapping problems, including neurodiversity and co-occurring mental health conditions. She also works with relationship strain, identity challenges, grief, addiction issues and compassion fatigue. She uses straightforward conversation and practical steps rather than jargon.
Dr Van Der Westhuizen draws on client-centred ways of working. Sessions focus on what the person wants to achieve and on adjusting pace to suit each person. She also uses Trauma-Focused Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing where appropriate for trauma-related concerns.
People who choose her often want help managing strong emotions, improving self-esteem, or coping with life changes. She pays attention to attachment and abandonment themes when these come up, and she works with issues such as codependency, dissociation and chronic illness where relevant.
Her approach is collaborative: she listens, suggests options, and revises plans as needed. Practical goals and small steps are a common feature of sessions, alongside work on painful memories when that is helpful. She conducts work in English and Afrikaans when needed.
Therapeutic approaches and how they work online
Dr Van Der Westhuizen uses client-centred methods that focus on the person’s goals and preferences. This approach means sessions are driven by what the client wants to work on, with the counsellor asking questions, reflecting back, and helping set small practical steps to try between meetings. It is useful for anxiety, stress and self-esteem work.She also uses Trauma-Focused Therapy to address harm from past events. That method involves careful pacing, memory processing when the person is ready, and strategies to reduce the hold of painful memories. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, or EMDR, is another tool she uses for trauma-related symptoms; it involves structured protocols to process distressing memories alongside guided bilateral stimulation.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and any practical limits, and then suggest which methods to try together. Decisions are revisited as progress is checked and needs change.
If you are considering online sessions, confirm the exact session formats offered before booking as the biography did not list formats. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and make it simpler to include someone who lives farther away. Registered or accredited professionals can adapt exercises, grounding techniques and EMDR-compatible procedures to remote sessions when appropriate.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
17+ years
Listed in
United Kingdom
Languages
English, Afrikaans
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety and trauma, and she lists social anxiety and phobia among her areas of focus. Other concerns include depression, relationship issues, self-esteem and addictions.
What is her therapeutic style like?
She uses a client-centred approach that focuses on the person's goals and preferred pace. Practical steps and talking through feelings are typical elements of sessions.
How much experience does she have?
She has 17 years of professional work experience and has worked with complex and overlapping mental health issues.
What are her credentials and where does she practise?
She is registered with the HCPC and practises in the United Kingdom.
Which languages are available for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and Afrikaans, and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are offered?
The original biography did not specify session formats, so confirm current online and in-person options before booking.
How does payment work and what does it cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I start a first appointment?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.