Penelope Van Der Westhuizen

As a counselor for over 30 years, I've seen lives change. I'm able to assist you in addressing anxiety, depression, grief, substance abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, marital and/or family problems.

I have a Masters degree in counseling and have worked extensively with people in crisis. Strength based and faith based approaches are especially effective. I believe the saying: "The Secret of Change is to Focus all of Your Energy not on Fighting the Old, but on Building the New."

My role in this process of change is not to tell you what changes to make, or how to live your life. Rather, it is to work collaboratively with you, to accomplish three things:

1) help you identify what changes you want in your life,

2) guide you in recognizing/rediscovering the strengths you possess to make these changes happen, and finally,

3) support you in finding a plan to put these changes into action, using the cognitive, behavioral model.

People I meet with often come in broken, devastated, hurt, depressed, anxious and confused about where they are in life. Our work together, is to help bring about real, lasting change, based on truth and focused in hope. We'll address your mental health, healing and growth, together, to optimize working towards your best outcome.

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My heartfelt motivation, is that as we connect, you will experience the reality that change is possible and hope can be found in almost every situation.