Amanda Cozens Counselling | counselling and psychotherapy

As a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, I am trained in a variety of therapeutic models. However, I primarily work from a humanistic perspective as I believe in the deeply personal and relational nature of therapy. Each person is one-of-a-kind, with their own story, needs, and way of making sense of the world—and I aim to meet you exactly where you are.

In our sessions, we’ll work together to explore your deeper thoughts and feelings in a safe, non-judgemental space. This process can help you better understand yourself, your relationships, and the situations you’re navigating. As you become more conscious of your inner experiences and build tolerance for difficult emotions, you create space for new choices and meaningful change.

For further information on how your sessions can look please go to the therapies below. I work in person from Cardiff and also provide online sessions if preferred. My fee is £55 an hour and I am open to concession rates for anyone on low incomes.

AboutMe

About Me

Qualifications and Training

BA (Hons) in Counselling
Level 4 Diploma in Counselling
Experiential Psychodynamic Bridging Certificate
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Level 1 Practitioner
National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioural Medicine
- Neurobiology of Trauma
- Neurobiology of Attachment
Autism, Dyslexia & ADHD Awareness
Working with Eating Disorders
Safeguarding Adults
Advanced Safeguarding CYP

I’m a qualified and experienced therapist with over ten years of working alongside young people and adults in both short-term and long-term settings. My approach is rooted in assimilative pluralism—a flexible, inclusive philosophy that draws on both pure-form and integrative therapies. This means I tailor therapy to each individual, with shared decision-making at the heart of our work together.

My background is varied, with experience across progressive and state education systems, running my own business, and spending several years living, working, and travelling abroad. These life experiences have shown me how complex, beautiful, and sometimes challenging human relationships can be—and how central they are to our wellbeing.

I hold a Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling and a BA (Hons) in Counselling, where I trained in psychodynamic, cognitive behavioural (CBT), and gestalt approaches. I believe therapy is both an art and a science, and I’ve deepened my knowledge through numerous trainings in trauma and somatic practices.

I also bring over 20 years of experience in yoga, meditation, and naturopathic nutrition to my work. Where appropriate, I integrate this understanding into coping strategies, recognising how closely our mental and physical health are connected.

Therapies

Person Centred / Relational Depth

There are so many variables that can affect our lives: our upbringing, relationships, life experiences, loss, identity, the wider world, work, school, culture and society. Some of these elements and stages of life can prove to be difficult and ‘incomplete,’ so just feeling like a trusting person actually ‘get’s it’ is half the battle and the first step is always to humanise the problem, and understand it in broader context.

Person or client-centred therapy is based on the view that everyone has the capacity and desire for personal growth and change, given the right conditions. It works implicity with feelings, where acceptance and understanding provide freedom over difficult feelings.

The belief is that the therapist's role is not to tell you what to do, but to provide you with opportunities to experience fully your own process, and in your own unique way. You'll feel listened to without judgment. I may offer information, but I won’t tell you what you should think or do.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a long term and more directed therapy and explores your experiences in early life, particularly within families. Even if we are not aware of them, the logic and goals we develop as children still govern our behaviour when we are adults.

It is very attentive to the dynamics in the therapy room, especially of the relationship between therapist and client. It attends to how the client and the psychotherapist interact with each other, as well as how they feel about each other, consciously and subconsciously.

This in time can help you to understand why you behave in the way you do so you can find ways to act more effectively.

Young People

Feeling truly seen and heard, held in the mind and heart of another, is the foundation of secure attachment and developing a natural sense of self.

In the safety of long-term therapeutic work, I offer a space where your voice can be discovered, strengthened, and expressed.

Together, we can gently explore the parts of you that feel uncertain, helping you move towards a more grounded and confident sense of who you are.

Trauma

Dr. Stephen Porges, originator of Polyvagal Theory, identified a biological order of human response that is active in all human experience. The autonomic nervous system is our personal surveillance system, always on guard, asking the question “Is this safe?”

Without the tools to identify and address the nervous systems defense responses, we remain stuck in a trauma response and disconnected in our relationships.

The challenge of recovery means feeling free to know what you know and to feel what you feel without becoming overwhelmed, enraged, ashamed, or collapsed.

I can offer Polyvagal mapping of your nervous system’s adaptive coping strategies, and we can explore triggers as well as coping strategies including somatic exercises.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) 5 or 10 sessions

CBT aims to help you change the way you think (cognitive) and what you do (behaviour). Rather than looking at past causes, it focuses on current problems and practical solutions to help you feel better now.

The way we think about situations affects the way we feel and behave. If we view a situation negatively, we may experience negative emotions and feelings which lead us to behave in an unhelpful way.

I can help you identify and challenge any negative thinking so you can deal with situations better and behave in a more positive way.

Children & Young People

Children and young people

often require creative therapy techniques to help them find a way of expressing themselves beyond words or traditional talking therapies. This can include visual arts, writing, and play.