English-speaking Clinical Psychologist in Ho Chi Minh City
A space to think clearly, in a city that rarely slows down.
Trained in Norway, practising in Saigon: a confidential space to build lasting resilience.
What I can support you with
Whether you want practical help with something specific or a longer look at the patterns underneath, I provide a confidential space shaped around what you need.
Identity, Work & Life Changes
High Performance
Finding balance amidst stress, occupational burnout and career demands.
Life Transitions
Supporting those feeling at a loss or having a professional and personal identity crisis. Aiding with self-discovery.
Relocation
Managing the mental health toll of moving to HCMC and cultural adjustment that can cause culture shock.
Expatriate Isolation
Specialized support for loneliness and building a new community.
Perfectionism & Self-Criticism
Working with the relentless inner critic that drives achievement but quietly erodes rest, confidence and satisfaction.
Family & Relationships
Legacy and Family
Helping you balance personal autonomy and emotional boundaries with the honor of family duty and expectations.
Bridging Generational Gaps
Addressing the specific psychological impacts of inherited responsibility and intergenerational conflict.
Marriage
Improving communication skills, recovering from infidelity, and resolving conflicts.
Wellbeing & Clinical Treatment
Mind-body Connection
Addressing somatization symptoms, chronic headaches, stomach issues, abdominal pain and physical signs of burnout.
Evidence-based Treatment
Professional treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma, stress, anger, grief, burnout and loneliness.
Sleep & Nervous System Regulation
Restoring sleep, calming chronic overactivation and rebuilding the everyday rhythms that recovery depends on.
Why I can help you
How I Work
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)
An efficient, emotion-focused method. We can stay with what’s pressing right now, or work on the somatic and emotional blocks underneath, depending on what you’re after.
Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT)
Enhance your resilience skills and social skills at work or at home.
Evidence-based Treatment
Expertise in severe, comorbid presentations including trauma, personality pathology, anxiety and chronic depression.
What Sets Me Apart
A Bridge Between Cultures
Trained in Norway and practicing in Vietnam, I provide a rare duality: the rigorous clinical standards of Northern Europe integrated with a deep, lived understanding of Vietnamese family systems and cultural values.
The Founder’s Perspective
As the co-founder of psylab, I don’t just study high performance; I live it. I understand burnout not as a lack of productivity, but as a cycle of exhaustion unique to those who carry the weight of being an entrepreneur.
The Search For Meaning
A Bachelor’s degree in philosophy (University of Oslo, Norway) means I have a framework for exploring questions of meaning, value, and the good life, for those who want the work to go there.
About me
I’m Hieu, a clinical psychologist who meets you as a whole person, exactly where you are.
Trained in Norway and practising in Vietnam, I bring rigorous clinical standards together with a lived understanding of the cultures my clients move between. My work is warm and supportive, yet honest and appropriately challenging, because real change asks for both.
Whether you’re navigating burnout, relationships, or a search for meaning, my aim is simple: to be genuinely useful to you, whether that means relief from what’s pressing now, or work toward the life you actually want.
Background & Credentials
Credentials
Cand. Psychol. (Psy. D) Licensed Norwegian Clinical Psychologist (HPR: 10136421), University of Bergen. Bachelor’s degree in philosophy, University of Oslo, Norway.
Memberships
The European Federation of Psychologists Associations (EFPA) and the Norwegian Psychological Association.
Beyond the clinic
Co-Founder of psylab, building AI technology for psychologists, applying clinical insight to the tools that support modern practice.
Psychological Services in Vietnam & Online
I provide services in person in Ho Chi Minh City and online.
Individual therapy
I meet you as a whole person, bringing the best of my professional expertise to support you.
Process group
A circle where the material is what happens between the members in the room, not a topic set in advance. One weekend a month at Saigon Pearl, Binh Thanh, maximum eight members.
Marriage & Couples counselling Saigon
In couples therapy or pre-marital counseling, I work with you and your partner to understand the patterns that shape your relationship.
Articles
Healing childhood family wounds and finding peace in your adult relationships
To heal childhood family wounds, you must recognise trauma, process emotions through therapy, and reconnect with your body using mindful movement. Engaging in supportive communities, sharing your story, and practicing daily grounding exercises helps rebuild trust, allowing you to establish…
Always putting others first: the pattern called echoism
Always putting others first is usually described as a virtue, and it is often lived as an exhaustion. There is a version…
Why do I feel guilty for being angry?
Most people who feel guilty for being angry describe the same order of events. The anger appears, and then, very quickly, something…
Why Do I Feel Responsible for Other People’s Feelings?
Feeling responsible for other people’s feelings usually starts long before you notice it happening. A partner goes quiet, a friend’s text lands…
News
All news- 8–9 Oct 2026
The power of the group: speaking at the Vietnam Wellbeing & Safeguarding Summit 2026
RMIT University Vietnam · Ho Chi Minh CityTalk
- 2–3 Oct 2026
The last unmeasured treatment: speaking at HealthInfo IV
UIT, VNU-HCM · Ho Chi Minh CityTalk
- 25–28 Jun 2026
IAMFC presentation June 2026.
IAMFC 2026 International Conference · Ho Chi Minh CityTalk
- Apr 2026
Lecture on Group therapy, Fulbright University Vietnam, April 2026
Fulbright University VietnamGuest lecture
What to expect in your first session
- No Preparation RequiredYou don’t need to prepare anything before your first session; I meet you exactly where you are.
- A Supportive EnvironmentYou can expect a professional relationship that is friendly, engaged, and supportive, yet also open and appropriately challenging.
- Goal AlignmentWe begin by establishing a shared understanding of your wishes, your goals, and the obstacles currently standing in your way.
- Mapping DynamicsBy looking at specific situations where difficulties feel most intense, we work together to map the inner dynamics underlying the problem.
- Gaining ClarityThe process of bringing these patterns into conscious awareness provides immediate clarity and helps us find a concrete way forward.
- Structured GrowthWe create a clear outline for our work, easing what’s most pressing when that’s the priority, and moving toward your wider life goals when you want to go further.
- Tailored ApproachOur work is continuously tailored to remain meaningful to you, using my clinical assessment as a starting point while we evaluate and adjust together along the way.
