English-speaking · For couples
Marriage & couples counseling in Ho Chi Minh City
Couples therapy gives you both a place to be heard by someone who is not on either side. The aim is not to decide who is right. It is to understand what keeps happening between you, and to find a different way through it.
- Session
- 90 minutes
- Fee
- 140 USD
- Where
- Saigon Pearl, Binh Thanh, HCMC or online
Norway-licensed clinical psychologistAbout my training ›What brings couples here
Couples usually get in touch when the same argument keeps coming back, when distance has grown between them, or when trust has been broken. Many have already tried to sort it out on their own and keep ending up in the same place.
The same argument, again
It starts differently each time and ends in the same place. Or you have stopped having it at all.
Close by, far apart
You share a home and a routine, but less and less of yourselves. Intimacy, in bed or in conversation, has gone quiet.
After trust has been broken
An affair, cheating, a secret, a promise broken more than once. You want to know whether trust can be rebuilt after infidelity, and how to talk about it without making things worse.
Two cultures, one relationship
Different ideas about family, conflict and how care is shown. For bilingual and intercultural couples, one of you is often arguing in a second language. Misunderstandings neither of you intends.
Early, before patterns set
You are new together and already notice old insecurities showing up. A pattern is easier to change before it hardens.
Unsure whether to stay
One or both of you is asking whether this can work. Therapy can help you decide from a clearer place, whichever way you go.
Marriage counseling or couples therapy?
People use different names for this work: marriage counseling, couples counseling, couples therapy. Here they mean the same thing. You do not have to be married, and you do not have to be in crisis. Some couples come for marriage counseling after years together, when the same argument has worn them down or trust has been broken. Others come early, before the patterns set, or because they are unsure whether to stay. What matters is that both of you are willing to sit down and look at what keeps happening between you. I offer couples therapy in Ho Chi Minh City, in person at Saigon Pearl, Binh Thanh, and online. Sessions are 90 minutes.
How I work: Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
More about EFT ›My approach to couples therapy is emotion-focused. I don’t act as a judge. I help you slow down and see the pattern you both get caught in. Under most arguments sit needs and feelings that are hard to say out loud. When those can be said safely, and heard, couples usually find they can reach each other again.
What happens when you get in touch
A questionnaire each
Each of you fills in a short questionnaire on your own. It gives you room to say things privately and helps me prepare.
The first session
90 minutes together. We start with what each of you hopes for, which is often not the same thing.
Reviewing as we go
We check regularly whether the work is helping, so the pace stays in your hands.
Frequently asked questions
Do you work with couples after an affair?
Yes. Whether you call it an affair, cheating or infidelity, both partners are usually hurt, in different ways. The work starts with making it safe to talk about what happened, then looks at what led there and whether trust can be rebuilt. Sometimes one partner also benefits from individual sessions alongside the couples work.
What happens in our first couples session?
Before it, each of you fills in a short questionnaire on your own. The session itself is 90 minutes with both of you. We start with what each of you hopes for, which is often not the same thing, and with the pattern that keeps bringing you back to the same place. Neither of you has to tell the whole story in one go, and nothing has to be decided that day. Before we finish, I will tell you how I see it and what I suggest, and you decide together whether to continue.
What language are sessions in?
English or Norwegian.
We are an intercultural couple, and English is not the first language for one of us. Does that work?
Yes. Many bilingual and intercultural couples work with me in English. We go at a pace where both of you can be precise, and checking what a word means to each of you is often part of the work.
Can we do this online if we live in different countries?
Yes. Sessions can be fully online. It is also possible to start in person in Ho Chi Minh City and continue online if one or both of you move.
What does it cost?
A 90-minute couples session is 140 USD. You can start with a free 15-minute call, to ask questions and see whether working together feels right.
How long is a session, and where do we meet?
Sessions are 90 minutes, so there is room for both of you. We meet in person at Saigon Pearl, Binh Thanh, HCMC, or online.
Should we come as a couple, or individually?
If the difficulty lives mainly in how the two of you relate (recurring arguments, growing distance, feeling chronically unseen), couples work is usually the better starting point. If you are unsure, that is worth raising in an initial consultation.
How many sessions will we need?
It varies. We begin by establishing what each of you hopes to get from the work, which may not be the same thing, and we review progress together as we go, so the pace stays in your hands.
Is marriage counseling the same as couples therapy?
Yes. Marriage counseling, couples counseling and couples therapy are different names for the same work. You do not need to be married to come.
Do you offer marriage counseling in English in Ho Chi Minh City?
Yes. I offer marriage counseling and couples counselling in English or Norwegian, in person at Saigon Pearl, Binh Thanh, HCMC, or online.
References
- Roddy, M. K., Walsh, L. M., Rothman, K., Hatch, S. G., & Doss, B. D. (2020). Meta-analysis of couple therapy: Effects across outcomes, designs, timeframes, and other moderators. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 88(7), 583–596.
- Wiebe, S. A., & Johnson, S. M. (2016). A review of the research in emotionally focused therapy for couples. Family Process, 55(3), 390–407.
Start with a consultation
Unsure whether to come as a couple or individually? That is worth raising in an initial consultation.