Hazel Ayala, QMHP

Hazel is a Qualified Mental Health Professional with over 13 years experience working with children and underserved families. Her journey began working with children in Houston Independent School District, which later led her to begin her career as a caseworker at The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD. Hazel specializes in working with young children, crisis intervention, case management, and trauma informed care. She is an expert at listening and understanding behaviors, and assisting children with adverse early childhood experiences. Hazel provides a safe environment for children to explore their experiences while teaching them skills to interpret and reframe behavior. Hazel often uses Art Therapy in sessions to build a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship, fostering self expression, thought processing, and emotional regulation. Outside of her clinical work, Hazel is passionate about health and wellness training regularly as a competitive powerlifter. She also enjoys travel and spending time with her family.