About Us

Melissa Aiono, Ed.S.

Melissa Aiono, Ed.S.

I was born and raised in San Leandro, California. Growing up, school was not only my safe haven, but a place where I learned about the effects of hard work and determination. I had dedicated and compassionate teachers that helped me see my potential, and guided me to both academic and extracurricular programs where I experienced great accomplishments. Two of those programs most dear to me are the academic support program, AVID, and non-profit organization, Girls Inc. Both of which I participated in for 6 years. These programs introduced me to higher education, STEM opportunities for girls, and provided me with internships that opened my eyes to various careers. It is where I also developed a passion for helping others from various backgrounds learn about educational opportunities available to encourage healthy and positive activities in preparation for higher education. I found human behavior and the mind interesting, which led me to want to learn more about psychology and human development. In 2013, I achieved my Bachelors of Science in Human Development and minor in Education from the University of California, Davis. While at UC Davis, I had the opportunity to work with elementary boys living in a group home, and provide academic support to middle school students. From these experiences I developed a passion for not only helping students develop learning strategies to be successful in the classroom, but also advocating for students when they are experiencing stressful home circumstances.

In 2017, I graduated from Brigham Young University’s School Psychology program. I studied mental health awareness and difficulties among the Polyensian culture. Through my research experience, I was determined to help educate my community on developing healthy coping strategies and communication skills around mental health. I  also had the amazing opportunity to learn from my incredible school psychology supervisor at Granite School District where I also completed my school psychology internship. After graduation, my family and I moved back to the Bay Area where I had the opportunity to serve students from various cultural and socio-economic backgrounds in Santa Clara, California. There, I was able to expand my school psychology skills, learning many cognitive and emotional-behavioral assessment measures, developing my expertise in Dyslexia, and working with advocates. I loved educating families on their student’s cognitive and academic strengths and weaknesses, and how to find success despite their weaknesses.

In 2021, my family and I moved back to Utah. I have been fortunate to serve students in Utah again in the Utah County schools. I have pursued opportunities in providing social and executive functioning training to students with disabilities, training teachers and paraprofessionals in best practices for proactive and reactive behavior strategies, and helping school teams develop a Response to Intervention (RTI) team.

Today, I am very grateful for my opportunity to work with Dr. Aaron Allred at Excel Psychology. With his practice, I can help not only elementary and secondary students and their families, but also adults striving to learn more about their cognitive strengths and weaknesses to improve their well-being. Excel Psychology provides meaningful knowledge to help community members grow, and our team is dedicated to providing compassionate service to help families support one another as they navigate through challenges.

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