Heart-Centered Holistic Therapy
Veronica Ayala, M.A.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #125572
About Me
The Mosaic Heart
My logo — a mosaic heart — reflects the truth that we’re made of many pieces, contradictions, and stories. Healing isn’t about smoothing out the cracks; it’s about honoring what each fragment carries. For those of us who’ve always lived between the lines — in identity, in culture, in belonging — our wholeness is found in the mosaic itself.
Why I Do This Work
I know what it’s like to move through the world feeling out of place, like you’re always translating yourself. My own journey as a queer, straight-passing, no sabo Mexican American and Native American person shaped my commitment to creating spaces where you don’t have to explain, shrink, or perform to be understood.
How I Work
My approach is relational and somatic, grounded in liberation. I trust that your body and your story make sense, and together we slow down enough to listen. Using modalities like brainspotting, mindful body attunement, and parts work, we follow the wisdom of your nervous system instead of forcing change. Therapy with me is about safety, connection, and honoring the survival strategies that have carried you — while also making room for joy, rest, and belonging.
Beyond the Therapy Room
Outside of my work, I’m a wife and a mom to a curious, energetic toddler. They remind me daily of the power of presence, play, and love.
My Specialities
I work with people who live at the intersections — queer and BIPOC folks navigating identity, complex trauma, and survival in bodies that have always had to stay alert. Many of my clients carry the weight of collective trauma, spiritual disconnection, and the exhaustion of moving through spaces that were never built with them in mind.
My specialties include supporting:
Queer and BIPOC teens and adults navigating identity, belonging, and the impact of systemic oppression
Folks living with chronic anxiety, depression, or the lingering effects of trauma
Highly sensitive people who feel deeply attuned to the world around them
People longing for rest, joy, and authenticity after years of survival mode
My work is relational and somatic — meaning we center connection, presence, and your body’s wisdom. I use approaches like brainspotting, mindful body attunement, and parts work to help you move beneath the surface, so healing isn’t just an idea but something you can feel.
My Background
I’ve spent over a decade supporting youth and adults in a wide range of settings — private practice, schools, outpatient clinics, and even juvenile hall. Working in these spaces has shown me just how deeply environment, identity, and systems shape our lives. It also affirmed my belief that healing has to honor the whole person — not just symptoms, but the story, the body, and the communities we move through.
Along the way, I’ve facilitated groups and workshops on mindfulness, gender expansiveness, coping with anxiety and depression, and more. What I’ve learned from these experiences is that healing doesn’t look the same for everyone — but what we all need is a space where we don’t have to shrink or translate ourselves to be understood.
I hold an MA in Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University, with a specialization in Holistic Studies. Over the years, I’ve pursued specialized training in trauma-informed care, culturally responsive therapy, brainspotting, and somatic/mindfulness-based approaches. These modalities give me tools — but it’s my relational approach that shapes how I use them: always centered on presence, safety, and connection.