Hello! My name is Ayala, and I am a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at Palo Alto University and a student therapist under the supervision of Megan Turner-Cabrera, Psy.D., PMH-C (PSY29534). I am particularly drawn to working with women navigating pregnancy, postpartum, and early motherhood, and the many emotional and relational experiences that can come with this transition into a new phase of life. I am interested in supporting women experiencing perinatal and postpartum mood and anxiety concerns, trauma, grief and loss, feelings of emptiness or dissatisfaction, changes in self-esteem and identity, relationship concerns or difficulty trusting others, loneliness and isolation, anger and conflict, and the many questions and dilemmas that can arise around parenting.

Emotional pain is often heavier than we let on, and most of us learn early to keep it out of sight, think our way through and out of it, and carry on as though everything is fine. We manage, we stay competent, we answer that we're fine, and we hold ourselves to “higher” standards. That instinct can become even stronger in motherhood, when so much of what you feel may seem like something you shouldn't be feeling or something you should be experiencing differently. What gets hidden tends to grow heavier, and I want to help you make space for that pain, exhaustion, uncertainty, and the emotions that can feel difficult to name, so that you do not have to carry them alone.

I believe in therapy and have seen what it can do. Good therapy asks for genuineness, sensitivity, honesty, and a real investment in the person sitting across from you. I offer a space without judgment while staying direct and practical, because I don't think warmth and honesty are at odds. I will listen closely, name what I notice, including things you may not yet see in yourself, and tell you what I actually think.

Our work will hold both depth and structure. There is real value in slowing down and staying with what you feel instead of moving past it, and in understanding where these patterns began, what you learned growing up about having needs of your own, and how that shapes your relationships now. There is also real value in leaving a session with something you can use. I draw on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), alongside emotion-focused and relational approaches. I will attend to the whole of your life, including your body, your sleep, your support system, and the expectations you, your family, and your culture may place on you.