Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Aaron Montgomery.
Dr. Montgomery, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Well, as a teenager I had been interested in psychological subjects like motivation, behavior, perception and the unconscious. Growing up I was aware of psychology as a profession as I have family members in the field. I still remember my first undergraduate course in psychology. The professor was a young and enthusiastic research psychologist. He was short, bearded and had a twinkle in his eye when explaining psychological experiments (He reminded of what a young Sigmund Freud may have looked like). His lectures and demonstrations in class were engaging and his passion for understanding the life of the mind was infectious…It was in this class that I caught the psychology bug!
I changed my major from business to psychology and selected an undergraduate internship with a local psychologist that specialized in psychological testing with children. He ran his practice in a house that was converted into an outpatient clinic (something that I always thought would be cool to do!). As an undergraduate intern, I ran groups with kids and donated time as a mentor/big brother for some of the kids in the clinic.
My experience working at this child and family clinic solidified my decision to develop a career in clinical psychology with a focus on working with children, adolescents and families. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology, I continued onto a Master’s degree and doctorate in clinical psychology. Along the way I was privileged to practice alongside and receive supervision from great, and I mean GREAT, professionals! I am the professional that I am today in large part because of the amazing teachers, peers and patients I have had the privilege to work with.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
While I do not believe that pursuing a career in professional psychology could be described as a “smooth road”, I do believe that navigating the struggles along the way has definitely made me stronger and wiser (you know…adversity breeds strength!). This first thing that comes to mind when I think about struggling along the way, is my time in graduate school. Most notably, sacrificing time with family and friends, sacrificing sleep, late nights writing papers, comprehensive qualifying exams, collecting data and preparing original research for the dissertation process (and all the while working part-time in unpaid clinical internships). While the training process for professional psychology was arduous, I appreciate that I was able to strengthen my clinical and research skills, and supercharge my critical thinking and proficiency with scientific methodology. These skills have proven invaluable in my daily clinical work with children, adolescents and families.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I operate an independent clinical psychology practice in Newport Beach, California. I work with individuals and families from all over the greater Orange County area referred for psychotherapy and psychological testing services. In my community, I am recognized as a child and adolescent specialist. This means that I have dedicated my clinical and academic/research activities to understanding and promoting psychological, behavioral and interpersonal health in children, adolescents and families. I often work with children and adults experiencing anxiety and depressive disorders as well as ADHD and mood disorders.
Additionally, a significant portion of my work is focused on providing psychological testing services to evaluate for psychopathology, cognitive abilities, learning abilities, as well as executive and neuropsychological functioning. I take pride in making myself available to my patients, responding to calls promptly and providing caring and supportive services. I strive to provide state of the art treatment and assessment services to all patients under my care, and draw heavily from evidence-based treatment strategies when available.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
A favorite memory of mine is not just one memory but rather a series of memories…I’ll explain. Growing up our family had a great tradition. On the occasional Sunday morning, my sister and I would sleep in until 9 or 10 am and would wake up to the smell of a delicious spread prepared by our mom. When I say “delicious spread”, I mean a “DELICIOUS SPREAD!”. We would stumble from our bedrooms into the dining room in Pajamas, still half asleep with disheveled hair and crusty eyes.
Even though we were accustomed to this tradition, we were invariably wowed by what we found! The table was filled with a variety of bagels, cream cheese, lox, capers, cheese and blueberry blintzes, French toast, veggie bacon, veggie sausage, freshly cut fruit, eggs, orange juice and more. I could go on…but I won’t. These mornings turned into hours of talking, catching up with one another, telling jokes, teasing, planning for the upcoming week and general family bonding (which may have been my mom’s plan all along!). While we don’t often get to share breakfast in the morning together, we keep this tradition alive by meeting up on Friday nights to talk, catch up, laugh, tease and bond…oh and of course enjoy our mom’s deliciously prepared food!
Pricing:
- Psychotherapy for Children/Adolescents $200 per 45 minute session
- Psychotherapy for Adults $200 per 45 minute session
- Family Therapy $200 per 45 minute session
- Parent Consultations $200 per 45 minute session
- Psychological Assessment & Testing (i.e. ADHD, IQ, Psychoeducational Assessment) $200 per 45 minute session
Contact Info:
- Address: 4000 MacArthur Blvd, Suite 600 – East Tower
- Website: draaronmontgomery.com
- Phone: (949) 793-0122
- Email: [email protected]
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dr-aaron-montgomery-psy-d-newport-beach-5
Image Credit:
Jason Wallis
Oscar Oo
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