Welcome to Therapy.

Born into a Vietnamese family in the United States, Hieu identifies as Vietnamese-American. She learned about her cultural roots and family history through folk story telling and visual imagery introduced to her early on by her parents and elders who fled to the United States of America as refugees. They are proudly known as "boat people." 

Hieu gained a sense of her own identity in her ethnic studies course work in college when she left her childhood home in the San Gabriel Valley to further explore and push her boundaries in San Diego, CA. Hieu knew she wanted to be a Mental Health Therapist when she was a young girl, and she learned about the field of Social Work when she was a student attending the University of California-San Diego (UCSD) while pursuing a degree in Psychology. She eventually left UCSD to obtain both her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Social Work at San Diego State University (SDSU), knowing that the field offered her opportunities that she needed at the time to develop both personally and professionally. 

Her exposure to the field of social work began in her childhood as she was immersed into and exposed to the difficulties faced by marginalized communities. She has worked hard to reconcile those setbacks and pressures in her own work as a young adult.

Today, Hieu is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 10 years of combined experience serving immigrant and refugee communities across three counties in California (San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange Counties) as well as serving other marginalized communities such as those living with vision impairments and hearing loss or those living with severe persistent & mental illness, those who identify with the LGBTQ+ community, those living with HIV/AIDS, and those who experience mood disorders, anxiety, or depression from unresolved trauma. 

Hieu practices from a trauma-informed care perspective, having achieved a career goal to be an EMDRIA approved Therapist who is Certified in EMDR Therapy, with additional advanced training in Trauma Focused-CBT and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Her dedication to continue learning and growing allows her to  approach clients from a learner's perspective with humility, incorporating Motivational Interviewing into her practice to ensure she meets her clients where they are at and supporting them through change at the pace they are ready to move. 

Hieu believes that history and childhood experiences play a great role on one's development and the way one sees the world. These experiences impact how one copes with life, acts in relationships, and manages in their daily lives. Hieu's passion is driven by a desire to work with her clients in learning how to coexist in their realities, bringing their histories to the present in the safe space of therapy and reconciling the past to move forward together into their futures. 

With a central location in Orange County to serve her communities, Hieu looks forward to meeting you virtually or in person at her office that is accessible from Garden Grove, Tustin, or Costa Mesa. 

Thank you for the honor and privilege to meet you and support you through your journey crossing over the bridge!