New Mind Academy

01/05/2026

It’s Labour Day, and I want to start with something simple:

Thank you.

Thank you for the work you put in every day, the persistence, and all the effort that often goes unseen by others but is very clear to you.

Today isn’t just a day to rest. I want to take this chance to share an idea from occupational health psychology that I deeply believe in:

🫡 Employees are the experts of their own work.

You are the ones doing the work on the ground every day.
You are the ones who know best where things get stuck, where time gets wasted, and where things could genuinely be done better.

Often, management, external consultants, even the most experienced specialists —
none of them can fully understand what you face every day.
You are the real expert on your own job.

That’s why, to me, workplace wellbeing has never been just about adding more perks or reducing a bit of stress.

What matters more is this:
👉 Are we designing the work itself in a more reasonable way?
👉 Are we giving the people who actually do the work a real chance to shape it?

If something feels off, you have every right to speak up.
If you see a better way, you have the ability to push for change.

But when speaking up or making change feels impossible, that’s not just on you as an individual — it points to systems and structures the organisation also needs to work on.

Don’t underestimate what you feel day to day.
Those “something’s not quite right” or “this could be better” moments
are often exactly where the whole team’s improvements begin.

A healthy workplace has never been about leadership talking and everyone else executing.
It’s about all of us speaking, adjusting, and slowly getting better, together.

Happy Labour Day.
I hope that in your work, you don’t just complete tasks,
but slowly rediscover a feeling:

That you do have a sense of agency over your own work.
And that you really can make it better.

30/04/2026

We are proud to share that our practitioner, Jia Wen, representing New Mind Brain Health Centre, provides stress management and resilience training for both individual clients and corporate programmes, was invited to deliver a talk at Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU / APIIT).

She spoke under the Workplace Professional Skills Module, contributing to students’ understanding of employment trends and career readiness from a real-world perspective.

At New Mind Brain Health Centre, we place strong emphasis not only on technical competency, but also on developing practitioners who can translate psychological science into meaningful, practical impact. Jia Wen’s invitation reflects this commitment.

She is currently a Master in Psychology (Industrial and Organizational Psychology specialization) trainee under my supervision, and it is truly meaningful to see her step into platforms like this, bringing evidence-informed insights into the workplace and education space.

Moments like this remind me that developing people is not just about skills, but about expanding their capacity to contribute, influence, and create value for others.

Proud of you, Jia Wen.

- Dr Hiro Koo
Industrial and Organizational Psychologist (PSIMA Reg. No. 91090)

29/04/2026

In celebration of World OSH Day 2026,
it is timely to reframe how we understand Occupational Safety and Health (OSH).

OSH is no longer just about protecting people from harm.
It is about enabling people to perform at their best.
With the introduction of the PRISMA 2024 Guidelines by the Malaysian Department of Occupational Safety and Health,
organisations now have a structured framework to identify and manage psychosocial and mental health risks at work.

This also reinforces a growing reality:
creating a psychologically safe work environment is no longer optional.
It is part of an organisation’s responsibility.

In today’s work context, OSH plays a critical role not only in safety,
but as a core infrastructure for psychosocial support
that directly shapes mental health and brain health at work.

From an Occupational Health Psychology perspective,
a resilient and sustainable workforce begins with one key foundation:
Psychosocial Safety Climate.

When people feel psychologically safe,
they think more clearly, collaborate more effectively,
and perform more consistently over time.

As an Industrial & Organizational Psychologist and a DOSH Certified Psychosocial Trained Person (PTP),
I see this through the lens of interpersonal neurobiology
where the work environment directly influences nervous system regulation,
and in turn, cognitive capacity and performance.

My hope is that more organisations begin to see OSH not just as compliance,
but as a strategic investment in talent and performance.
By integrating psychological principles and applied neuroscience into how work is designed and managed,
we can move beyond managing stress
towards unlocking human potential and building sustainable performance at scale.

25/04/2026

Bridging Workplace Psychology Research with Practical Hypnosis Training

I recently came across a body of research by Sharon Parker on the concept of “Future Work Self.”

Her work shows that the clearer a person’s vision of their future self at work, the more proactive they become in setting goals, developing skills, and pursuing meaningful growth (Strauss et al. (2012) Future Work Self research).

As she puts it, a salient image of one’s future self can be a powerful motivational resource.

Reading this brought a quiet smile to my face.

Because this is exactly the principle I taught my students in last week’s Hypnosis class.

⸻

We use applied hypnosis, combined with coaching techniques, to guide individuals into a deeply relaxed state where they can begin to see their future self with clarity.

✨ What kind of professional do you want to become?
✨ What kind of work energizes you?
✨ What kind of internal state do you want to live in every day?

When someone can clearly see their future self from within, change is no longer about forcing effort.
It becomes a natural pull forward.

⸻

Other research echoes this direction.

A large-scale study in New Zealand found that people who know and use their strengths are significantly more likely to thrive at work (Hone et al. (2015) strengths and wellbeing study).

A global study across 29 countries and nearly 20,000 employees also revealed that focusing conversations on strengths improves performance, while focusing only on weaknesses tends to hold people back (Corporate Leadership Council, 2002).

⸻

The message is consistent:
Helping someone see their future and their strengths creates far more meaningful change than simply pointing out their problems.

⸻

A few years ago, I had the privilege of leading a group of psychology and helping professionals in Malaysia to co-develop the National Occupational Skills Standard (NOSS) for Hypnotherapy.

Our intention was clear:
Not to position hypnosis as a treatment for mental illness,
But to establish it as an evidence-informed adjunct skill for:

• Stress management
• Personal development
• Wellbeing enhancement

By aligning applied hypnosis with a national skills training framework, we aimed to make the practice:
✔ More structured
✔ More accountable
✔ More credible

For both practitioners and the public.

This work continues today.

⸻

My vision is simple:

To bring applied hypnosis, and the science of the unconscious processes of mind, into everyday life.

It should not remain confined to consultation rooms or academic journals.
Bringing it into communities and workplaces is not optional.

It is necessary.

Because only when a science truly enters people’s daily lives
can it begin to change lives at scale.

⸻

Helping others see their future self
is one of the most meaningful parts of this work.

And helping others
always begins with helping people understand themselves.

⸻

Dr. Hiro Koo
Industrial & Organizational Psychologist (PSIMA-91090)
HRD Corp Accredited Trainer

25/04/2026

“Is biofeedback actually evidence-based for stress and burnout, or just wellness hype?”

A client asked me this last week. As an IO psychologist trained in stress management techniques, I went back to the RCT literature to give an honest answer.

But first, a foundational truth from occupational health psychology: burnout isn’t weakness. It’s what happens when job demands outweigh resources (Bakker & Demerouti; Maslach).

Most workplace interventions focus on action. But adherence is the real barrier. People know what to do. They just don’t commit. Prochaska and DiClemente’s Transtheoretical Model reminds us: without commitment, no intervention sticks.

So how do we move stressed and burned-out professionals from contemplation into committed action?
✅ HRV biofeedback for stress & anxiety: Meta-analysis of 24 RCTs (n=484) found large effects on stress and anxiety reduction, with Hedges’ g = 0.81 (within-group) and g = 0.83 (between-group) (Goessl et al., 2017).
✅ Neurofeedback for trauma-related stress: Meta-analysis of 17 RCTs found moderate-to-high quality evidence for clinical effects on PTSD (Voigt, 2024). FDA cleared an amygdala-neurofeedback device in 2023.
✅ For workplace resilience: RCT with 92 employees showed neurofeedback-enhanced mindfulness significantly improved resilience scores vs. mindfulness alone (Min et al., 2023). Soldiers in high-stress training showed better stress coping after neurofeedback (Keynan et al., 2019).
✅ For performance anxiety: Bayesian meta-analysis of 41 RCTs in athletes showed meaningful effects on anxiety, performance, and attentional control (Zhang et al., 2025).

The honest verdict: HRV biofeedback for occupational stress, neurofeedback for certain clinical conditions and symptoms. Both are adjuncts, not cures.

But here’s what meta-analyses don’t capture, and what I learned through my PhD research on intervention adherence (qualitative grounded theory):
Think of biofeedback like interpersonal therapy in spirit, but it isn’t therapy. It’s a regulation teaching tool that, when paired with mindfulness and stress management, makes the invisible visible through real-time visual feedback.
When I integrated it into the assessment phase, something shifted. Stress became measurable. Burnout became something professionals could see and track. That visibility inspired hope and moved them from contemplation into genuine commitment, the stage where most burnout prevention programs stall.

Adherence stopped being willpower. It became curiosity. It even sparked job crafting for peak performance.

That’s where the real value lives. Biofeedback helps people believe recovery is possible, stay committed to it, and build psychological capital to meet work demands. For me, that’s the missing piece in workplace stress and burnout prevention.

Dr Hiro Koo
Industrial and Organizational Psychologist
New Mind Academy

24/04/2026

When was your last brain health and wellness check? 🩺
Your brain and body are more connected than you think — and early detection is one of the most powerful steps you can take for lifelong wellness. 💙
Monash University Pharmacy and Neuroscience Society (MUPhaS), together with New Mind Brain Health Centre and trusted healthcare partners, invites YOU to our Public Health Campaign 2026! 🎉
What’s waiting for you at our Health Screening Booths:
🧠 Neurofeedback Screening for Cognitive Performance & Wellness
🧠 Cognitive Screening (MCI & VCAT)
🩸 Blood Glucose & Cholesterol Tests
⚡ Nerve & General Health Assessments
All assessments are conducted by professionals — designed to help you better understand where your health stands today. 💡
Because sometimes, what you don’t feel… still matters. ✨
📍 L1 Concourse, Sunway Square
📅 25–26 April 2026
⏰ 12PM – 6PM
Bring a friend, bring a family member — take a step toward early awareness and prevention. Your future self will thank you. 💚
See you there! 🙌

24/04/2026

Ever wondered what a 1-on-1 session with an Industrial & Organizational Psychologist actually looks like?

18 years ago, becoming an I/O psychologist wasn’t on my radar. What changed everything was a life coaching internship at few orphanage homes during my bachelor’s degree. That’s when I knew: applied psychology isn’t just about pathology management. It’s about unlocking human potential.

Most people associate I/O psychology with group corporate training. Yes, that’s one part of what I do, but never without a proper training needs assessment first, either qualitative (Total Worker Health framework) or quantitative (DOSH & PRISMA-aligned). Skipping this TNA step is how companies burn through training budgets AND demotivate teams simultaneously. That’s why I also run detailed individual assessments for 1-on-1 cases.

Here’s what fewer people know:
1-on-1 I/O psychology is in high demand, and it’s where the most transformative work happens.
On average, I see 5 clients per day. There’s surprisingly little stigma. Clients often refer others because they see it as training for peak performance or stress management rather than pathology.

I design my sessions using the Occupational Health Psychology framework and provide:
1) Assessment. Mapping psychological capital (hope, efficacy, resilience, optimism) via HRV biofeedback, QEEG-informed brain mapping, and validated burnout risk questionnaires.
2) Neurobiologically-informed Psychoeducation. Grounded in my PhD work on the Stages of Change model. From my research, biological markers of stress and regulation are key to intervention adherence.
3) Job Crafting. Across all five dimensions (wellbeing, task, purpose, relationship, skill). We tackle non-work stress too, because spillover and enrichment effects directly shape the job demands-resources balance.
4) Stress management adjuncts. HRV biofeedback training, neurofeedback, and trauma-informed hypnotherapy. Important caveat: these are NOT standard I/O psychology tools. They require separate further training and certification.

When something falls outside my scope, our centre’s multidisciplinary team steps in: clinical psychologist, counselor, neurofeedback practitioner, trauma-informed hypnotherapist, and occupational therapist (who also handles how workplace stress shows up as musculoskeletal issues, a post for another day).

And as an HRD Corp accredited trainer, these 1-on-1 sessions are HRD Corp claimable. Several clients use their company levy for talent management work: career interests, neuroregulation patterns, personality traits, character strengths.
Beyond practice, I also supervise I/O psychology master’s students from UKM and OUM on their applied research and practicum work. My vision: to bring I/O psychology into wider visibility in Malaysia, so more of our community can benefit.

If you shares this vision, or if you’ve wondered whether I/O psychology could support you or your team beyond group training, let’s talk.

Dr Hiro Koo
Industrial and Organizational Psychologist
New Mind Academy

22/04/2026

Jom

19/04/2026

Burnout isn't about being “not tough enough.”

It’s a sign the system needs attention.
We often explain employee exhaustion as a personal shortcoming.
But research shows something different.

Cumulative evidence to date has suggested that work environment characteristics account for more variance in targets' exposure to workplace mistreatment, relative to target characteristics (McCord et al., 2018, as cited in Yang et al., 2024, p. 271)

Role conflict, organizational constraints, and environmental stressors
are the primary drivers of workplace stress and burnout.

As an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist (focusing on Occupational Health Psychology),
what I see in burnout is a systemic psychosocial risk.
In my I-O psychology practice, the work is not only about stress management or burnout prevention through meditation or breathing techniques.

It involves consultation that helps individuals and organizations see the mediational bridge between cause and outcome:
Work environment → resources are continuously depleted → performance and wellbeing decline

At the individual level (bottom-up),
we can support job crafting, wellbeing coaching, stress management,
burnout management, and emotional resilience training
to help personal resources gradually recover and rebuild.

But when that “bridge” still exists within the organizational system,
no amount of meditation or resilience workshops will produce lasting change.
You cannot breathe your way out of a work environment that continuously drains you.

So instead of booking another “stress management” webinar for employees alone (bottom-up approach), pause and ask a more useful question at the leadership level (top-down approach):
Is our system continuously depleting people, or genuinely supporting them to unleash their full potential by building a psychosocial safety climate?
And where can we start making the shift?

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18/04/2026

从压力看见天赋: 古博士 Dr Hiro Koo 与 徐觀鳳博士 Dr Chee 从工商与组织心理学视角，带你探索优势与人生定位

大家好～📅 日期：2026年4月15日⏰ 时间：晚上 8:30📺 频道：Dr Chee YouTube 频道👉 https://youtube.com/?si=vNiLNc9_f9dxsByE各位，大家好！歡迎大家訂閲 Dr Chee Clinic | 徐觀鳳博士心理治療診所頻道 ...

17/04/2026

Penang活动推荐

在做个案的过程中，我越来越发现：

很多人卡住，并不是因为不努力，
而是他们一直在一个不适合自己的状态里运作。

👉 有些人长期处于紧绷状态
👉 有些人很难进入专注
👉 有些人明明很努力，但总觉得哪里不对

这些，其实都跟：
• 大脑状态
• 潜意识模式
• 以及日常工作的使用方式

有很大的关系。

所以这一次的工作坊，
我把我平时在个案中用来 “帮助人看见自己” 的方式，整理成一个更轻松、可以体验的过程。

我们会透过卡牌引导，去慢慢看见：

✔ 你现在是用什么状态在生活
✔ 你忽略了哪些优势
✔ 为什么你会一直卡在某个循环里

这不是一个“听理论”的课程，
而是一个让你亲自看见自己的过程。

📅 5月10日（周日）
⏰ 10am – 1pm
📍 Gurney Tower, Penang
👥 小班 6 人

如果你最近有这种感觉：

👉 很努力，但没有方向
👉 很累，但停不下来
👉 想改变，但不知道从哪里开始

你可以来体验看看。
https://forms.gle/7EWcqgJyNZdPiFGX6

17/04/2026

New Mind Academy has been awarded the Certificate of Appreciation from Monash University Malaysia in recognition of our contribution to the Psychological Science in Practice Placement Program.

This collaboration marks a meaningful milestone for us, and honestly, a very fresh experience.

We have always believed that training the next generation of psychology practitioners is a responsibility, not just an opportunity. Which is why we don't take it lightly.

We do receive many internship and practicum inquiries. But our capacity to train is intentionally limited. We interview. We assess. We only take in those we are genuinely confident we can develop well.

What excites us about Monash University's approach is their project-based practicum model, structured, purposeful, and outcome-driven. It aligns closely with how we work at New Mind Academy. We are delighted to offer a project-based practicum experience that goes beyond observation, giving students the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to real work.

To every student who has reached out, thank you for your interest. To those who will go through our process and join us, we look forward to growing with you.