This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional psychological advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis helpline.
In a previous post, I reflected on how moving abroad shaped my personal development. This post tells a different part of the story: how that journey eventually led to the creation of Serenity Psychology.
After years of change, retraining and gaining hands-on clinical experience, my private practice — Serenity Psychology — is now officially open.
The path that led here was not entirely straightforward. I started my career in engineering. I was good at math and enjoyed analytical thinking. If I'm honest, choosing engineering was also a small act of rebellion against my father, who would have preferred that I become a doctor like himself.
From an early age, though, I was drawn to something less tangible: connecting to my inner experiences, especially the kind you feel deeply in your body but often struggle to put into words — not just as a child, but often as an adult as well.
After I moved to Germany for my master's degree in engineering, I suddenly found myself in a completely different world. The clash between the world I came from and the one I found myself in left the 23-year-old version of me feeling anxious and questioning who I really was, and who I wanted to become.
Over time, this personal self-discovery grew into a deeper curiosity about the human experience: how we deal with uncertainty, how identity and belonging shift when we move countries or go through major life transitions, and what these transitions mean to us. While I was building my career as a young engineer, another desire kept growing in the background: the desire to do work that felt more personally meaningful — work that wasn't confined to dealing with machines. Following that internal compass, I made a big decision and changed careers to pursue psychology. I gained hands-on experience in an international mental health clinic, and
Five years later, here I am, announcing the opening of my practice.
Having lived in different countries myself, I feel especially drawn to working with expats and international individuals. Relocation can be enriching and exciting, but it can also be confusing, disorienting, lonely, and emotionally intense. In many ways, this work is personal to me.
What I offer my clients today is what I needed the most 13 years ago: a space to slow down, reflect, and make sense of difficult emotions during times of change.
At Serenity Psychology, I offer that space to adults navigating depression, anxiety, life transitions, identity questions, or inner conflicts. I currently see clients at Stories locations in The Hague and at Sarphatistraat in Amsterdam.
If parts of this story resonate with you, you are welcome to explore the website to learn more about my work and about Serenity Psychology.
About the Author
Hoda Haddad
MSc, Psychologist NIP
Hoda is a registered psychologist specializing in working with expats and internationally-oriented adults. She provides psychological treatment and psychodiagnostic assessments in Amsterdam and The Hague.