Directory entry

Dr. Amanda Van Der Westhuizen, HCPC

Credentials: HCPC
Experience: 17 years
Practising in: United Kingdom
Languages: English, Afrikaans
Sessions: Online only
Client ages: Adults, 18 and over

Works with Stress, AnxietyRelationship issuesTrauma and abuse Self esteem Depression

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Dr. Amanda Van Der Westhuizen is a HCPC-registered counsellor with 17 years of practice in the UK. She focuses on helping people who feel stuck by offering steady, respectful support and clear practical steps.

Her manner is calm and direct while staying warm and understanding. She works with a wide range of difficulties, including stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, addictions, and low self-esteem. She also supports people dealing with relationship and intimacy concerns, grief, career questions, and major life changes.

Background and approach

Amanda has particular experience with ADHD, compassion fatigue, bipolar issues and complex, co-occurring problems. Her approach is person-centred, which means sessions are shaped around each person’s needs and pace. She also uses Trauma-Focused Therapy to address the effects of past harm, and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) where trauma memories need targeted work.

Amanda aims to make therapy straightforward. She listens to what matters to the client, then suggests practical steps and coping strategies to try between sessions. Sessions are collaborative - goals and methods are reviewed together as progress is made.

She is comfortable working with neurodiversity and complex presentations and seeks to create an environment of respect and sensitivity. Amanda offers sessions in English and Afrikaans and accepts international clients, adapting work to fit each person’s life and circumstances.

How Amanda’s approaches translate to online therapy

Client-Centred Therapy places the person’s experience at the centre of each session. The counsellor follows what matters most to the client, listens closely and helps set goals that feel achievable, which works well across video, phone or messaging formats.

Trauma-Focused Therapy concentrates on the impacts of past harm and on rebuilding safety and coping skills in day-to-day life. This approach can involve careful, paced work on painful memories and the practical skills needed to manage triggers and emotional reactions.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, EMDR, is a structured method used to reduce the intensity of disturbing memories. When appropriate, elements of EMDR can be adapted for online sessions with guidance about how to manage the steps between meetings.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Amanda will work together with each person to identify which methods feel most useful given their goals and comfort. This is a collaborative decision that can change as progress is made.

Online sessions offer practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face interaction when visual cues matter. Phone sessions use less bandwidth and can fit into short breaks. Live chat and text messaging suit quick check-ins, journalling-style support or times when typing feels easier than talking. These options help therapy fit around work, family life and different schedules.

What kinds of problems does she help with?

She helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy concerns, self-esteem struggles, addictions, grief and career issues among others.

How would you describe her therapy style?

Her style is person-centred and collaborative, with clear listening and practical steps. She adapts pace and techniques to each person’s needs.

What is her professional background?

She has 17 years of professional experience working in the UK and with diverse client needs, including complex and co-occurring difficulties.

What credentials and country is she based in?

She is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, HCPC, and works in the United Kingdom.

Which languages are offered in sessions?

Sessions are offered in English and Afrikaans and international clients are accepted.

What formats are available for sessions?

Sessions can be arranged as video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.

How does payment and cost work?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time.

What are the first steps to begin therapy?

Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, then schedule sessions according to the therapist’s availability.

Areas of focus

What this therapist works with

Most often

Stress, Anxiety
Relationship issues
Trauma and abuse

Also listed

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 17 years
Registered with: HCPC
Languages: English, Afrikaans

Contacting Amanda

Amanda takes enquiries through BetterHelp. You answer a few questions about what you are looking for, then arrange sessions if it seems like a fit. Browsing costs nothing and you are not committing to anything by reading this page.

Dr. Amanda Van Der Westhuizen, HCPC

Background and approach

How Amanda’s approaches translate to online therapy

Areas of focus

What this therapist works with

Others working with stress, anxiety