NINA AYALA, LPC, LPAT, ATR-BC, CDCA

Nina Ayala (pronouns: she/her) is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) and licensed professional art therapist (LPAT) in Ohio who provides creative, trauma-informed, and person-centered care to children, adolescents, and adults across the lifespan. Her specialty interests include: mood and anxiety disorders, trauma, grief, life transitions, and supporting clients experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm. Nina integrates evidence-based approaches with creativity to help clients navigate challenging moments with compassion and resilience.

Nina earned a master’s degree in art therapy from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Malone University. She has completed specialized coursework in spirituality and a Yoga for Trauma course. Her training reflects a commitment to integrating holistic approaches into mental health care.

Nina has accumulated over seven years of experience working with children as young as six and adults in their nineties. She has provided care in behavioral health hospitals that are part of larger hospital systems in Ohio and Tennessee, including inpatient, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, residential, holistic treatment settings, and a cancer center.

Beyond her clinical work, Nina has presented on art therapy and early psychosis at statewide conferences in Tennessee and delivered webinars on art therapy in recovery and virtual settings. She has led community workshops in mindfulness and creative expression at the Dawes Arboretum, Muskingum County Parks, and local libraries, supporting both children and adults in exploring the arts. Her master’s thesis examined altered book making as a mindfulness-based intervention for adults in inpatient psychiatric care. These experiences reflect her commitment to blending creativity, wellness, and community engagement into her professional practice.

Nina’s approach to counseling is strength-focused, curious, and collaborative because she believes personal growth comes from exploring unhelpful beliefs, practicing self-compassion, and cultivating self-acceptance. She works to help clients feel safe, heard, and cared for while guiding them in using creativity, mindfulness exercises, and psychoeducation to gain self-awareness, challenge cognitive distortions, and improve emotional regulation. Nina integrates evidence-based practices such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) with art therapy to support healing and foster a life of peace for clients experiencing trauma, depression, anxiety, or suicidal ideation.

Her strengths include: compassion, curiosity, creativity, deep listening, collaboration, and empowering others to grow and heal.