Vivien Hao, MA, Mental Health Clinician

Vivien (she/her) is a master level therapist at Joy.

Vivien is a master level therapist at Joy Mental Fitness which has locations in Jersey City, New Jersey, and Boston, Massachusetts. Vivian also provides telehealth services to patients throughout New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. Vivien is bilingual, proficient in both English and Chinese Mandarin. 

Personal journey

I was born in mainland China and came to the United States as a 1.5-generation immigrant at the age of 12. Later, I decided to attend a university in Shanghai and majored in psychology. I met people from many places around the world and had the opportunity to communicate and interact with them. Those years living in mainland China helped me understand Chinese culture and values. In addition, I also learned and explored how various factors in society influence individuals through my internship experiences during my undergraduate years. After my undergraduate studies, I moved back to the US and pursued my master’s degree at NYU. Similar to my undergraduate years, graduate school helped me gain not only professional knowledge but also an awareness of building cultural sensitivity, which is important in my path to becoming a culturally competent mental health therapist.

My interest in becoming a mental health therapist started when I witnessed some intergenerational and intercultural conflicts happening around me. I wanted to see how there could be a bridge between different generations. Growing up as a 1.5-generation immigrant, I carry two value systems. In addition to values, my internship and research experiences during my undergraduate years further deepened my interest in working in this field.

Clinical approach

In my therapeutic practice, I often use an integrative approach, which includes several approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Internal Family System (IFS), psychodynamic, mindfulness, and somatic work. I chose to use an integrative approach because I believe that therapy is not a one-size-fits-all, and I believe it is important to be flexible in how to use therapeutic approaches in sessions.