Maria Ayala

#7103

My maternal grandfather taught me at a young age the importance of helping others heal through the art of listening, empathy, and understanding. His wisdom and great influence made me gravitate toward psychology and counseling. I believe in serving clients to thrive and achieve their full potential free of stigma and prejudice. My professional areas of interest include gerontology, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, stress, burnout, depression, and grief. Most of my professional experience has been working with underserved and underrepresented populations such as the elderly, homeless, Spanish-speaking, and dual-diagnosed individuals with chronic mental illness. I also have experience running groups for depression, and grief, and working in inpatient psychiatric hospitals with people in crisis. I am also bilingual in Spanish and enjoy giving back to my community. Siempre con mi gente! I work from an evidence-based, but also person-centered perspective, so I can be a traveling companion for those who face life stress or suffer from mental illness. I am a firm believer that each person has the potential to heal when they are given the tools and skills they need to fulfill their full potential and overcome life barriers.

MS - Counseling, San Francisco State University

I enjoy swimming, hiking, spending time with friends and family, watching TV, traveling, learning foreign languages, and laughing.