Frances Ayala

Frances Ayala, a proud Afro-Puertorican American, is a licensed psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor at Mary's Center, a community health center in Washington, DC & Maryland. Holding a Master's in Social Work from the University of Connecticut and a Graduate Certificate in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health from Georgetown University, Frances has dedicated over a decade to community-based practice.

Throughout her career, she's worked in various capacities—clinic, in-home, residential, and school-based—with children, families, and adults in marginalized BIPOC communities in California, Connecticut, Washington, DC, and Maryland.

Specializing in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and parenting, she believes in the intersection of individual, communal, and systemic change through education, secure caregiver-child relationships, and self-reflection. Frances champions early intervention as a preventive and reparative measure, investing in the mental health of future change-makers and enabling caregivers to heal and lead effectively, helping to build more kind, empathetic, connected communities.