ABOUT ME

I’m a licensed clinical psychologist (PSY32050) who provides individual psychotherapy and performance consultation to adults. I specialize in working with high-performance athletes and professionals, and in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders, OCD, depression, stress and trauma.

I’m a Clinical Assistant Professor within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, where I provide psychotherapy services to individuals with anxiety disorders and OCD within Stanford University's Athletics department and Stanford Medicine's residency and fellowship training programs. I'm also involved in training graduate students as a practicum coordinator in the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium and co-teach called the Nature and Treatment of Anxiety Disorders. I've previously taught a seminar course on performance psychology to undergraduates at Palo Alto University. 

I absolutely love the work of being a therapist, from beginning to end. Developing a comfortable and safe relationship, exploring how previous experiences connect to current difficulties, and helping people translate their newfound self-understanding to a budding sense of self-confidence all bring me great satisfaction. I love when the individuals I work with start to make more sense to themselves-- the fog and confusion begin to clear, and the shame and self-blame can finally take a back seat.  I know that insight is helpful for acceptance, but it doesn’t always result in the change we want, so I also love the next steps of putting insight into action so people can start to live the life they truly want, moving towards their own vision of their best self. My ultimate goal as a therapist is to help my clients become the expert of their own mental health and wellbeing, mastering the moment-to-moment art of living as a human being (which can sometimes feel like a collision sport!). I believe life has tragic, hopeful, and sometimes funny elements, and I often connect with clients through a shared sense of humor, creating a balance that allows us to connect more deeply and genuinely about the harder things.

I view it as an honor to walk alongside you, the expert of your own life, and to learn from you about your lived experience, values, and history. I work with people from many backgrounds and walks of life, and value diversity in all of its forms.

Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship

STANFORD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Doctor of Psychology

PGSP-STANFORD PSY.D. CONSORTIUM

Clinical Psychology Doctoral Internship

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Master of Science

PGSP-STANFORD PSY.D. CONSORTIUM

Bachelor of Science in Psychology

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

Aston, P., Brewer, B., Kieschnick, D., Allen, M.,  Johannes van Roessel, P., David Lavallee, D., Rodriguez, C. (under review). Identity gripping or identity flight? Two distinct experiences correlated with self-reported depression in retired professional ice hockey players. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology.

Aston, P., Filipou-Frye, M., Blasey, C., Johannes van Roessel, P., Rodriguez, C. (2020). Self-Reported Depressive Symptoms in Active and Retired Professional Hockey Players. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 52(2), 97-106.

https://doi.org/10.1037/cbs0000169

Aston, P. (2019, December 2). All of Hockey Needs a Major Culture Change. http://www.thestar.com.

Aston, P. & Rodriguez, C. (2017). Embracing Uncertainty as a First-Year Therapist Treating a Patient Who Has Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Psychiatric Services, 68(5), 433-434.

https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.68501