About

Growth Proof LLC was founded on the principles of simplicity and effectiveness. I seek to transform lives by decommissioning old conditioning and getting individuals in touch with the true nature of their existence. This requires a collaborative effort from both sides to expand awareness, cultivate willingness to change our perspectives, and courageously embrace the wide spectrum of emotions and experiences. I take a comprehensive approach in highlighting your strengths, building new insights, and developing necessary skills to ultimately uproot the issue at the source. Although introspection is a critical component in any treatment, I focus on fostering a critical mass of insight that then drives the creation of concrete and attainable goals. I am excited about your interest in my services and look forward to working together.

Aaronson Y Chew, PhD, MSCP

Owner + Licensed Psychologist

Personal Bio:

I spent most of my life trying to “figure it out”. I did not receive the knowledge or language to comprehend the complexities of my inner world. As a teenager, I felt lost, swimming in a sea of unknown, and sought a deeper understanding of my emotions and how to reach my highest potential. After school hours, I hunkered down in the local Barnes and Noble, sitting on the carpeted floor, and voraciously consumed all of the self-help books available. I, then, put that knowledge into action with my peer relationships and even offered my peers pieces of what I learned. My discipline became my best friend in all my physical, intellectual, and academic endeavors by creating regimented routines and optimizing my efficiency.

My mind, intellect, and discipline became my way of understanding and feeling in control of my life. They became my identity and sense of security focused on helping others as a bigger brother to children of parents who were in prison, an inner city school tutor, a peer career counselor, a student orientation staff member, a resident advisor, and a diversity curriculum coordinator. Over time, I chose to move away from my developed mastery of math and science and embraced the world of language, humanities, and philosophy, ultimately obtaining a bachelors in Comparative Literature. With this new way of understanding combined with my mentorship experiences, I chose to pursue a doctorate in Counseling Psychology to further hone my skills to empower others.

The journey through my doctorate studies taught me to believe in myself in the face of doubt and overwhelming challenges, maintain discipline over longer periods of time, and create a personalized formula for achievement. I became more identified with my intellect, discipline, achievement, perfection, and perceived ability to control outcomes. After obtaining my doctorate degree, I sought to pursue and stack my resume with as much as I could with the Harvard name. Over time, the achievements started to become less juicy and rewarding. I was aware that I was in a vicious cycle of discipline, control, and achievement that lost it luster and promise for joy and satisfaction in life.

Through it all, I knew there was still a void and that there was deeper work to do. Since then, I’ve refocused on deepening my own work, decolonizing my mind from societal and cultural conditioning (what and who I was told I’m supposed to be), and rediscovering that childlike joy and wonder in life. It is a process of balancing my will with ease and trusting life as my greatest teacher. In this process, I seek to de-identify with my thoughts of how things should be, the idea that I need to be in control, and all the criticism that has made me such a perfectionist; instead, I identify with a much greater entity, which is my awareness and my consciousness that allows me to make conscious decisions and choices in life. It is a reclaiming of power and agency. It requires courage to see my unconscious patterns, cultivate willingness to step into the unknown, and face my darkest fears because that is the path to true joy and alignment.

I share all of this because integrity is one of my highest values. I don’t ask of my clients what I myself have not asked of myself. Know that you have a companion on your journey.

Professional Bio:

Throughout my doctorate studies at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, I received training in humanistic, multicultural, and interpersonal therapies while researching racial and ethnic identity development. This opened up my perspective to the vast variety of ways that individuals can experience the world depending on the shape of their perspective and learning to sit with perspectives different from mine. At externships and residencies at the Veteran Affairs Hospitals in Brooklyn, NY and Long Beach, CA, I received comprehensive training in cognitive behavioral, mindfulness-based (DBT, ACT), and trauma-focused (CPT, PE) therapies as well as neuropsychological and personality assessments. This developed my mastery of understanding the mechanics of the mind and the way thoughts, emotions, and behaviors create cyclical patterns in our lives that perpetuate the same outcomes over and over; in essence, I learned how we get in our own way by making the same choices, engaging in the same actions, and turning over the same thoughts . Throughout my postdoctoral fellowship at the Cambridge Health Alliance and Harvard Medical School, I increased my effectiveness with all forms of therapy in an eight session maximum treatment delivery system, incorporated psychodynamic conceptualizations into my treatments, and received Level 1 and Level 2 trainings in Internal Family Systems (IFS) led by IFS Founder, Dr. Dick Schwartz. This offered me the experience to work with over 80 clients at a time, to see a steady stream of new clients each day, and to hone my pattern recognition abilities across clients and disorders. In addition, my extensive IFS training developed my intuition to see how the etiology of all mental health symptoms are rooted in trauma, fear, and avoidance. With these experiences, I continue to find unique, innovative ways to integrate cognitive, mindfulness-based, and somatic therapies for the treatment of a wide range of mental health conditions.

From 2015-2021, I was employed as a primary care psychologist at the Cambridge Heath Alliance (CHA) and appointed as an Instructor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Psychologists are placed in primary care health settings to increase patient access to behavioral health services and create a multidisciplinary team with medical professionals. Not only are patients given timely access mental health services, but they are also seen in their local health clinic, which reduces the stigma of going to a specialty mental health clinic. Within my primary care clinic, I trained family medicine residents in behavioral medicine, cultural competence, Motivational Interviewing, and common mental health topics. I was a co-founder of the Pain and Addiction Support Service consultation service across the entire healthcare system that provides in-depth, interdisciplinary support for medical providers working with patients that suffer from chronic pain, opioid dependence, substance use problems, and disability. I also served as the Psychology Liaison for the Chronic Pain Leadership team at CHA to improve patient care for chronic pain and problems associated with opioid dependence. Lastly, I was the Training Director of the Primary Care Behavioral Health Integration psychology practicum program and provided supervision for doctoral students in training.

Since 2021, I have been involved in building Growth Proof, LLC on a full time basis finding ways to deepen the work and get to the root of the issue. I work with individuals that crave insight, want real change, are willing to look at the “not so pretty” parts, and desire to know who they really are. I believe that the core of the work is going inside to find our center and choosing to come back to our center when we get pulled away by identification with thoughts, our attachments, and our projections. We are not our thoughts, we are not our physical bodies, we are not our jobs or titles, we are not our relationships… Staking our security or self-esteem in these external forms only creates an illusion because we are just one relationship or one job away from disaster. Hence, I seek to reestablish agency and guide my clients to reclaim power in their lives by using all the tools available to defuse from thoughts that enhance a sense of freedom, process traumas and raw emotions in the body that decrease fear and avoidance, change their minds that allows for new decision-making, and trust in the experience of life that opens them up to all that life has to offer.

Awards/Scholarships:

In 2019, I completed a teaching fellowship at the Harvard Macy Program for Educators in Medical Professions. The Harvard Macy Program trains educators in medical professions the most up-to-date pedagogical strategies to ensure that trainees and students learn in the best environment with the best teaching tools. My fellowship project created a measurement-based Motivational interviewing training curriculum for Physician Assistant students.

In 2018, I was awarded the Harvard Medical School Harold Amos Diversity Award for my clinical work with underrepresented populations, multicultural competence and diversity trainings, and pro bono forensic psychological evaluations for immigrants seeking asylum with Physicians for Human Rights.

In 2018, I received the Massachusetts Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) scholarship. The DSRIP scholarship is Massachusetts’ strategy to scale up statewide workforce capacity to move Massachusetts towards its goal of improving the delivery of healthcare and payment reform in the state. It is an initiative that supports individuals working towards value-based care, which better meets patient needs through more integrated and coordinated care while reducing the cost of healthcare in the state.

In 2014, I received the R. Wray Strowig Award for Excellence in Teaching and Service from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. This was awarded for my excellence in undergraduate teaching and my involvement in multiple diversity initiatives across the campus, including the Center for Education Opportunities (i.e., mentoring of first year college students), Posse Foundation (i.e., full tuition leadership scholarship program for underrepresented students in higher education), and the College Access Program (i.e., three-week academic intensive residential summer program for inner-city high school students).

Education:

Certified Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Provider
Integrated Psychiatric Institute Yearlong Program
Expected Completion May 2025

Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP)
Evergreen Certifications
Completed November 2024

Master’s of Science in Clinical Psychopharmacology (MSCP)
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Completed August 2021

Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology
University of Wisconsin - Madison
School of Education
Completed August 2015

M.S. in Counseling Psychology
University of Wisconsin - Madison
School of Education
Completed August 2010

B.A. in Comparative Literature and Critical Theory
University of California, Irvine
School of Humanities
Completed June 2008

Training:

2019 Harvard Macy Program of Educators in Medical Professions
2018 Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT)
2015 Harvard Postdoctoral Fellow at Cambridge Health Alliance
2014 Long Beach Veteran Affairs Healthcare System
2013 Brooklyn Veteran Affairs Hospital
2012 University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics

The Scout Cambridge
features Dr. Chew:

Do-Gooders, Key Players, and Game Changers: Aaronson Chew

TOPICS: Diversity Do-Gooder Doctor

POSTED BY: LILLY MILMAN JANUARY 4, 2019

Dr. Aaronson Chew learned to hold himself to a higher standard of inclusivity when he was an undergraduate at University of California, Irvine. There, he became a resident advisor in a living-learning community known for its commitment to fostering diversity through various programs and extra in-hall classes.

Chew has channeled that standard throughout the 10 years since he graduated from UC Irvine. He has since joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School as an Instructor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry, where he teaches students about the role of diversity in medical practice. While teaching, Chew draws connections between mental health and diversity factors and guides his students toward understanding the importance of multiculturalism in the medical field.

Earlier this year, his work was recognized by the Harold Amos Faculty Diversity Award by Harvard Medical School. The award is named after the late professor Harold Amos, who was the first African-American man to be named a department chair at Harvard University. Each year, it is presented to faculty members who encourage inclusion and diversity of thought, education, and research.

One of his colleagues wrote in a nomination letter that Chew “has championed multiple efforts to enhance the multicultural expertise of his trainees through an understanding of cultural identity and how cultural factors influence the psychological understanding of emotions,” according to the announcement of Chew’s award.

“I was very surprised,” Chew says about receiving the award. “I’m not one big for awards, to apply for them or to even get them. So, this was a big honor for me. It shows more the work that I’ve been able to do with the people around me, the people that have forged around me, the people that are doing the work that I’m doing here. I think in some ways, I’m just a representative and conduit for some of that work and the importance in identifying diversity factors in mental health, as well as physical health.”

Chew grew up in East Los Angeles and attended a small, liberal-arts-focused grade school in South Pasadena, where there were only about 10 students per grade. He completed his undergraduate career with a degree in comparative literature and received his Ph.D. in counseling psychology from University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2015.

“I really learned about what it was like to grow up in a different culture that’s not your own,” he says. “Oftentimes, we had to travel a lot to go to see my grandparents who lived in predominantly Chinese-speaking neighborhoods, and then when we would come back home kind of do this code-switching type of thing of how to reintegrate into our neighborhood, which was [a] mostly Spanish-speaking Latino neighborhood.”

He discovered “a passion for leadership” early on in his life, which led him to his work in counseling—which he now does at Cambridge Health Alliance—and in teaching. In addition to resident advising in college, Chew gained mentoring experience from a program where he provided tutoring and in-class assistance to schools with limited resources. The skills he’s acquired from these two professions often overlap, according to Chew, as both teaching and counseling are primarily about listening.

“Teaching has been at the core of everything I do,” he says. “A lot of the work that I do in teaching as well as in psychotherapy is not necessarily confined to one silo. It’s moreso meeting the person where they’re at and then help adjusting what I can provide to them based upon that.”

Although supporting diversity has been a lifelong pursuit for Chew, he acknowledges that he is continuously learning about how to improve.

“Diversity for me has been a very elusive concept, and it’s morphed over the time of my own development, and it still is morphing in my understanding,” he says. “It’s easy to teach multiculturalism or diversity in a very, very wrong way. There’s many ways to do it wrong. There’s very few ways to do it right, which makes it so difficult. And even if you do do it, who knows how effective it is? It’s a very tricky, slippery topic that is so politically charged. This is just a testament to other people that I work with that are doing this work. It shows me that the work that we are all doing is valued and we should continue to do it, because it’s making meaningful differences in the lives of our students, patients, and our colleagues.”

This story originally appeared in the Celebrating the Season issue of Scout Cambridge, which is available for free at more than 200 locations throughout the city or by subscription.

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