PSYCHOTHERAPY · ADULT THERAPY
Lasting change begins with understanding.
Therapy and psychotherapy for adults in Newport Beach and Irvine
Doing well on paper, and still carrying something.
Many of the adults we see are, by most measures, doing well. They have built careers, families and full lives. And yet something persists: anxiety that doesn't quiet, a low mood that keeps returning, the same conflict in relationship after relationship, a sense that life looks right from the outside but doesn't feel that way.
Often they have tried shorter-term approaches that helped for a while. What they want now is to understand why, and to change the patterns underneath the symptoms rather than only manage them. That is the work of psychotherapy for adults at OC Psychology Center: private, unhurried and depth-oriented.
Young adults and adults are seen in our private office at MacArthur and Jamboree, where Newport Beach meets Irvine and Costa Mesa, and online throughout California.
- Depth over speedUnhurried work that lasts
- Adults at every stageFrom launching to later life
- Testing and therapyUnder one roof
- Newport Beach officeMinutes from Irvine
WHAT BRINGS ADULTS TO THERAPY
What do adults come to therapy for?
Some people arrive with a clear concern. Others know only that something isn’t working. These are the reasons we hear most often.
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A mind that won’t switch off, tension that never fully releases, panic, or worry that has started making decisions for you.
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Flatness, exhaustion, a harsh inner critic, and losing interest in things that used to matter.
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Lifelong trouble with focus, time and follow-through, often recognized only when work and home ask more than old strategies can carry.
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College, a first job, moving out, deciding who to become. Many young adults reach us when the structure of school falls away and the next step feels unclear.
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The same conflict with different people, difficulty with closeness or trust, or trouble setting limits with partners, parents or colleagues.
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A career change, new parenthood, divorce, illness, retirement or grief. Even welcome changes can unsettle a long-held sense of who you are.
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Experiences that still feel present: in sleep, in the body, or in how safe the world feels.
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High standards that once built your success and now cost too much.
OUR APPROACH
Therapy that takes the time to go deeper.
Our work is integrative: long-term and depth-oriented, with cognitive behavioral strategies integrated along the way.
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Short-term cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on changing specific thoughts and behaviors over a set number of sessions. We use those same strategies, and we also give you the time to understand the patterns behind them, which tends to make change last. Where trauma is part of the picture, some clinicians also use EMDR.
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You talk about what is on your mind: current difficulties, relationships, memories, even what happens between you and your therapist. Your therapist listens closely, notices patterns, and helps you put words to what has been hard to see.
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Over time, many adults find they:
Understand themselves, and their reactions, more clearly
Respond to stress rather than react to it
Feel more at ease in close relationships
Make decisions that feel like their own
Notice symptoms easing as their sources are understood
Understanding the patterns
Depth-oriented therapy looks beneath symptoms to the patterns that produce them: long-standing ways of relating, feeling and protecting ourselves that often formed early and now operate outside awareness. In a steady, confidential relationship with one therapist, those patterns become easier to see, and seeing them clearly is often what makes change possible.
Practical strategies
Alongside that understanding, we use cognitive behavioral strategies for relief in daily life: calming anxiety, improving sleep, rebuilding routine, and changing the thoughts and habits that keep you stuck.
Supported by research
Cognitive behavioral therapy is among the most studied treatments in psychology, and depth-oriented therapy shows benefits that tend to continue after therapy ends.
Not sure where to start?
That is what the first conversation is for. In a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation, we’ll listen to what’s going on and recommend the right clinician.
GETTING STARTED
What does therapy look like at OC Psychology Center?
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01
Consultation
A complimentary 15-minute call to hear what brings you and match you with the right clinician.
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02
First sessions
We explore your history, what brings you now and what you hope for, and decide together whether the fit is right.
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03
Regular sessions
Weekly, 50-minute sessions in our Newport Beach office or online.
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04
Ongoing work
Therapy continues for as long as it is useful. We review the work together along the way.
If you have long wondered whether ADHD, a learning difference or something else explains what you live with, an evaluation can give you a clear answer: a diagnosis where one applies, a written report and specific recommendations, including direction for therapy. Evaluations can also document the need for accommodations on the LSAT, bar exam and other professional tests.
ASSESSMENT AND TESTING
Do I need assessment, therapy or both?
Meet the Team
Explore our clinicians’ backgrounds, specialties, and approaches to care.
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![Aaron R. Montgomery, Psy.D., licensed psychologist and Clinical Director at OC Psychology Center in Newport Beach]()
Dr. Aaron Montgomery, Psy.D., ABSNP
Founder & Clinical Director • Licensed Psychologist
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![Carrie Kimpton Heald Ph.D.., licensed psychologist at OC Psychology Center in Newport Beach]()
Dr. Carrie Kimpton Heald, Ph.D., Ed.S.
Licensed Psychologist
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![Deborah Naghi, Psy.D., licensed psychologist at OC Psychology Center in Newport Beach]()
Dr. Deborah Naghi, Psy.D., ABSNP
Licensed Psychologist
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![Brittany Bell, Ph.D., licensed psychologist at OC Psychology Center in Newport Beach]()
Dr. Brittany Bell, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
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![Dr. Antonio Becerra Psy.D., licensed psychologist at OC Psychology Center in Newport Beach]()
Dr. Antonio Becerra, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist
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![Dr. Reem Qaqish, Psy.D. LPCC, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor at OC Psychology Center in Newport Beach]()
Dr. Reem Qaqish, Psy.D., LPCC
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
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![Poppy Peluce Fune, LCSW, licensed therapist at OC Psychology Center in Newport Beach]()
Poppy Peluce-Fune, LCSW
Licensed Therapist • EMDR Certification
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![Cindy Ficken, LMFT, Licensed Therapist at OC Psychology Center in Newport Beach]()
Cindy Ficken, LMFT, LPCC
Licensed Therapist
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![Rubi Lopez Becerra, LMFT, Licensed Therapist at OC Psychology Center in Newport Beach]()
Rubi Lopez Becerra, LMFT
Licensed Therapist • EMDR Certification
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![Jennifer Heers, AMFT, Associate Therapist at OC Psychology Center in Newport Beach]()
Jennifer Heers, AMFT
Associate Therapist
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions
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There is no fixed timeline. Some people come for a focused period; others find the most value in longer-term work. Many feel some relief early, while deeper change unfolds over months to years. We review progress together, and you decide how long to continue.
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Most clients meet weekly. Some choose to meet more often, which can deepen the work.
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Yes, for adults living in California. Many clients combine in-person and online sessions.
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Yes. What you share stays between you and your therapist, within the limits set by law, which we explain at the first session.
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Fit matters more than any single method. In the consultation, tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll match you with a clinician on our team, or refer you elsewhere if another practice would serve you better.
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No. We are a private-pay practice. This lets your care be guided by your needs rather than an insurer’s requirements, and keeps it more private. On request, we provide a superbill you may submit for possible out-of-network reimbursement.
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We are not a crisis service, and our office line goes to voicemail. If you are in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. For urgent support, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day.
CONTACT US
Request a Therapy Consultation
Choose a time on our calendar for a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation. We’ll listen to what’s going on and talk through how we can help.
Prefer to leave a voicemail or text?
OUR OFFICE
In Newport Beach, close to home.
We provide counseling and psychological assessment in Newport Beach from our private office in Koll Center Newport, where Newport Beach meets Irvine and Costa Mesa. Many of the families we work with come from Irvine and nearby communities, and online sessions are available throughout California.
We’re five minutes from UCI & John Wayne Airport, with easy access from the 405, 73 and 55, and free visitor parking.
OC Psychology Center
4000 MacArthur Blvd - East Tower, Suite 600
Newport Beach, CA 92660